Audi FWD VS BMW RWD - The Ultimate Test on Snow! ❄️

Is FWD really better than RWD on snow? To find out, I've matched nearly identical power and weight vehicles, and put them on exactly the same size of the Goodyear UltraGrip Performance 3 to find out really what's best! Audi and it's nose heavy FWD, or BMW and it's perfect 50/50 balance with RWD!

I'll be testing acceleration, or snow traction to see which car is fastest on snow, hill climb to demonstrate which drivetrain is best for getting up a hill, snow circle to test the lateral acceleration and of course, snow handling to see if the FWD Audi A4 is faster around a lap than the RWD BMW 3 Series.

FWD = Front Wheel Drive
RWD = Rear Wheel Drive

This isn't just a test of drivetrain; it's a showdown between two automotive giants. Whether you're a car enthusiast or just curious about how these cars perform in winter conditions, this video is a must-watch!

After the tests, we break down the performance of each vehicle, discussing the pros and cons of FWD and RWD in snowy conditions.

[LearningFast]

I live in a warm climate that almost never sees snow. However, I watched this entire video because I know if I ever move to a snowy climate this channel posts the best tire information on the internet.

[ReasonX]

I think the reason why BMW was better on the hill start might be due to weight distribution. Standing on a hill some weight of a car goes into the rear, which means that BMWs 50/50 becomes something like 45 /55 (front/rear), thus giving rear wheels better traction. In case of Audi, which has weight distribution something like 55/45 (front/rear) on flat surface, becomes 50/50 on the hill, which means that front wheels get less grip and cannot pull the car effectively. The numbers I present are just for example, but the idea should be clear. The reason I come to this conclusion is because Porsche 911s are extremally good when it comes to acceleration and can smoke cars that have 100+ hp more - all thanks to the engine far in the rear, which gives them weight distribution 40/60 (front/rear), which means better traction for rear tires.

[CerberusTenshi]

The 2 most important things I got out of this video:

1. Get good winter tyres and you're almost always good to go, no matter what your car is.
2. I want to take my Type R on such a snow test track and have some fun.

[etc-and-more]

I know a lot of people commenting on wanting to see deeper snow, but seriously you'd have to be crazy to take either of these cars, or any sedan, out in deep snow conditions. Thanks for the real world type test with a "normal" snow covered road.

[julez]

I am actually surprised at the RWD pipping FWD on the acceleration tests. Good content

[SuzukiRider]

Reversing up the hill would be a good test, biggest weakness of rwd. I've been stuck in sloped driveways before because of that

[shoarectube]

In my experience, the gearbox also plays a considerable role, or maybe the gearbox-traction control combo. I got stuck on snow and gravel with a pre facelift audi A4 B9 2.0 TDI S-tronic way more than I did with any of the manual diesel Golfs and Ford Focus I previously owned. The traction control drops the revs while the gearbox pushes the clutch in just when you are about to get a move on! I have since switched to an xDrive diesel F10 with that creamy ZF 8HP gearbox and I never looked back!

[storiesUp]

Jon, to be fair though .. the Audi looked under control the whole time during the acceleration test while the BMW was squirming .. put a bang average driver in both (not someone with your skills) and that driver may have gone clear across the road in the BMW while the Audi remained controlled. Depending on how you look at it .. a win for the Audi .. As always .. incredible vid sir !

[GOINFINITI]

I can tell you as an "Alpine person" - one situation where RWD falls flat on its face vs FWD - regardless of the tires. The deep, semi-wet snow. So for example - there was a snow plough or just heavy amount of snowfall on your parking lot - FWD will wiggle its way if you play with the steering wheel, but with RWD just pushing or pulling the car forward or backward - you will be stuck as hell. Therefore - lesson learned - I Only had RWD BMW once in my life - since then only Xdrive is bought.

[mircetkelp]

Very good and informative video! My only comments on it are this: as someone from one of the major snow bands in the US Midwest and drives a FWD vehicle, there are a couple things I noticed that you missed:

1) For the incline test, I noticed that the FWD car just kept trying to go in a straight line up the hill even though that was shown to get them nowhere 2 out of 3 times. That's because in that situation, you shouldn't be trying to go straight up. The way to get moving forward again when stuck going uphill in FWD is to first, turn off traction control and if in a manual, put in 1st or 2nd gear, second, get the wheels spinning fast, and third, turn the wheels from side-to-side so that the car is zig-zagging it's way up. Doing this often helps get your car moving again when everyone else around you is getting stuck.

2) FWD is more stable than RWD in snow and is much harder to have fun in, yes, but you can still get it drifting around corners if you have an e-brake/hand brake and the skill to have fun in it correctly...also, turning off traction control will make fun come slightly easier, but that should go without saying. You need to pay attention to your gas and brake pedals. Time the gas and braking just right when you are going to turn and you can easily get that car sideways. Then pulling that e-brake/hand brake, while holding in the lock button so it doesn't stay engaged, will get those rear tires to immediately go to the side. Time the e-brake/hand brake right, and you can do some real passable drifting in a FWD car. Won't hold up to a RWD car in a race, of course, but the object here is to have fun on *empty* country roads and road courses, not to race.

Have fun out there, guys! And most importantly, drive safe!!

[Willowfifteen]

Only one the right tyres for the conditions.

[Kcducttaper]

Excellent test! Really sucks how brands like Audi keep nannying things even with ESC "turned off". I think these cars are aimed at slightly different people. The BMW is for people who enjoy the driving experience and aren't afraid to get a little sideways sometimes. The Audi is for people who mostly want to be primarily comfortable, but also want to have the illusion of being a "fast driver" once in a while without actually getting too risky.

[nickgooris]

never thought RWD would be better on snowy hill starts, I've always heard the opposite

[RobManser]

I had two E90 3 series RWD back to back, doing 100k miles in each. I ran winter tyres and had no issues in snow at all. I live in the countryside and my commute involved about a mile or so of virgin snow, not driven on; and about 4 miles on compacted snow (the rest being dual carriageway and urban roads that were salted and cleared). The tyres were just magic. They made a noticeable difference in rain and generally cold conditions too. What's more, for the times of the year when it doesn't snow, you're in a nicely balanced rear drive car, not a dreary understeerey box like the Audi.

[ronladuke]

One advantage that you didn’t mention with front wheel drive I have found is in deep snow often sawing the steering side to side you can maintain progress where otherwise you would be stuck? This often works!

[Sgcarnut]

I’m surprised at the results as well. But these are test results at the hands of an experienced race driver who understands oversteer and understeer and how to counteract them. Put average drivers behind the wheels and I suspect RWD will result in more snap oversteers and accidents.

[Mirceabalea]

FWD cars are focused on safety and comfort. And they are more idiot proof. You don't get a FWD car if you want to have fun. Bottom line, they are more safe to drive, even by idiots. And to be honest, if you are driving carefully in snow (as you should) there should be no difference between the two. The small differences come out when you push them to the limit. Which again, you shouldn't on a snow covered road, with traffic around you. Unless you're a WRC champion from Finland. Then you can do whatever you want with the car 🙂
Great video, as always.

[gagn]

The biggest difference comes when you have to drive through relatively deep snow. Where the front-wheel drive moves out on its own, the rear-wheel drive gets stuck. Whether you drive through a snow-covered yard yourself, or whether you have to call someone for help - that is the decisive difference in winter, and not a couple of seconds during acceleration.

[ssava]

As a rwd BMW owner in Minnesota running winter tires, 100% smiles all winter long with traction control OFF!

[paultasker]

Some of this difference may be in fact gearbox related. The DSG in the audi uses a clutch and the BMW a torque converter ZF. Having to slip a clutch to set off causes more wheel spin. The 8 speed zf is clearly better suited to this task as it can pull from idle revs rather than the equivalent of about 1500-2000rpm with the DSG before the clutch is fully released. DSG can do faster changes and uses less fuel but that counts for little here and the ZF is also smoother too again helping snow progress. Is the audi always starting in first gear as it would stall if it set off in second? I seem to remember BMW's autos can set off in second. Often we were taught to set off in 2nd in snow. Not sure DSG let's you. My golf DSG will select first. And it's a very short first before going into second.