Top Gear explains Rear-Wheel Drive vs Front-Wheel Drive vs All-Wheel Drive

Circa 2000. Tiff Needell, along with guest Mark Higgins, test and compare different drive configurations in terms of best perceived handling: front-wheel drive front-engined (FWD-FF), rear-wheel drive, front-engined (RWD-FR), rear-wheel drive mid-engined (RWD-MR) and all-wheel drive front-engine (AWD-FA).

This video may be illustrative on what particular drive configurations represent for driving dynamics. The four cars have different drive-train configurations and very different performances. All four cars are fitted with manual gearboxes and hydraulic steering systems and do not operate during the test with any electronic driver aids (e.g. traction control) activated.