And in April, Toyota recalled 214, 000 RAV4s and 94, 000 Highlander and Highlander HV vehicles for airbag sensor problems and another 51, 000 of its Tundra trucks to inspect their rear drive shafts, according to the company.
When adapted to all-wheel drive, all three companies have kept that rear-drive feel as the default--only when the rear wheels slip does power get sent forward to the front tires.
An ultra-rigid chassis with strategic use of high-tensile steel provides a vault-like platform for the rear-drive powertrain configuration.
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With a 415-hp V8 engine, the SS is the first rear wheel drive performance sports sedan in 17 years.
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And, assuming it's technically feasible, it would be nice if Bentley were to offer the GT V8 as strictly rear-drive.
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And, of course, AWD is especially welcome when the elements become inhospitable, which is when rear-drive cars tend to lose their poise.
With 474 fewer pounds to push around than with a V8-equipped version, the rear-drive XF suddenly becomes more playful through the curves.
They also talk of building a new plant for a new small car, which would cost a fortune, but ignore their at-one-time hugely profitable rear-drive platform.
From the side view silhouette, classic rear-drive sport sedan proportions are conveyed by an extended dash-to-axle length, short overhangs, large-diameter wheels, sharply-tapered greenhouse, and short rear deck.
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These are heroic interventions and I admire them, but the best the P-AWS can do is mimic the linear response and cornering composure, the predictability, the traceability, of a more weight-balanced rear-drive car.
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The SUV features a front-mounted diesel engine paired with an electric motor in a traditional hybrid configuration, plus a second, more powerful electric motor in the rear to drive those wheels in the back.
To accomplish its goal, Jaguar engineered the all-wheel-drive system to behave like rear-wheel drive most of the time.
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It also gets 19 mpg in the city with rear-wheel drive, according to GM.
The 616-horsepower Spider has a 3.8-litre V8 engine and 7-speed dual-clutch transmission with rear-wheel drive.
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Luxury cars, with a few exceptions such as Audis and the Cadillac Deville, are rear-wheel drive.
"Once you like it, a muscle-car person is going to be addicted to a rear-wheel drive platform, " he says.
The outcome would have been different in a standard XJ with rear-wheel drive.
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Kallenius says that U.S. buyers might be able to custom order an E63 AMG with rear-wheel drive instead of all-wheel drive.
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The 2013 E63 AMG Sedan, with rear-wheel drive, gets 19 miles per gallon overall, and the wagon gets 18 miles per gallon.
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At Dearborn, there seems to be no realization that the world is switching back to rear-wheel drive for luxury and performance models.
If your vehicle is rear-wheel drive, backing into your driveway will also make it more difficult for a thief to tow it away.
Lexus-characteristic L-shaped combination lamps feature a layered, strongly three-dimensional design, and the lower, concave bumper section incorporates a full width spoiler to further enhance rear-wheel drive traction.
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The winning design was submitted by Sangho Kim of Pasadena, California, and the result is a car with a 6.2-liter engine, eight cylinders, automatic transmission, rear-wheel drive and 430 horsepower.
Because cars with rear-wheel drive not only don't torque steer (front wheels, upon hard acceleration, fighting the driver's navigating intentions), but have a more natural feeling both entering and leaving a turn.
All V8-powered XJs come with rear-wheel drive.
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In profile, the powerful convex curve of the bonnet flows seamlessly through a steeply raked windscreen into a roofline which deliberately peaks towards the rear of the cabin to emphasise the traction available from the vehicle's rear-wheel drive powertrain.
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Rear-wheel drive remains available in Europe.
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The 2007 Ford Interceptor concept was a modern interpretation of an All-American rear-wheel-drive muscle car.
"We were well on the path to making a rear-wheel-drive global platform, " says Mays.
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