I've had several FWD cars I would consider rowdy.
1997 Saab 900SE Turbo - TD04+18lbs of boost = a very good sleeper
2004 Saab 9-5 Aero with a MikeD stage 2 tune was an amazing fun car (terrible gearing though)(5 speed)
2013 VW GTI DSG with a revo stage 1 tune. doesn't even get traction till about 40 on dry pavement and it wants to rip the wheel out of your hands. Totally love it.
So I guess those are my top 3 favorite cars I've ever owned to boot! (in no particular order)
I guess a lot of it depends on your definition of "rowdy". Beat you to death, burst your ear drums and requires you to manhandle it to do anything? The swift was A#1 for that. For getting wheelspin on demandm beating your kidneys to pulp on rough roads and fighting road crowns the entire drive? Forte was good at that on the super stiff suspension. I've driven 300whp Mazda3's. They are just a tire destroyer on anything not perfectly straight.
My "rowdiest" FWD car was a 1987 Shelby Charger tuned and caged by a previous owner (it came off the track and returned to DD use). Totally absurd car and silly fast in it's time.
Also the worst designed car ever, I do not get the turbo dodge love.
My '95 Neon ACR was rowdy. Not all ate up with power, but with MP ECU and intake, and the right adjustments on the (replaced) Konis, it was a ball to drive. I've never had a car that enjoyed being hurled around as much as that one did. But it was perfectly happy to tootle around town without making you pee red.
KyAllroad wrote: Also the worst designed car ever, I do not get the turbo dodge love.
Same reason people love DSM's. Stupid fast, for stupid cheap, provided you don't mind fixing it every week
My $2009 Dodge Aries was the only car i've owned so far that made people squirm/squeak when going 'straight'. ~350lb/ft and 2200lbs.
My $2016 Caravan was a relative bore at ~280lb/ft and ~2900 lbs.
My cousin had a Mopar stage 3 equipped SRT-4. That's the only FWD car I've driven that I would consider rowdy. That thing would blow the tires off at 60mph. Of course being FWD also meant it lost all directional control, but it was fun to play with.
07-11 Honda Civic Si sedan is a great car in terms of visceral and rowdy feel. A great chassis, 8k redline, loves it when you push it to the absolute limit. Honda did a great thing with that car and took a step backwards with the 9th gen in terms of racy feel. MS3 is a great one too.
Honda Fit Sport manual while slow as dirty, is a blast to drive.
I can't call my ZX2SR rowdy. With a rear bar change it just did what you wanted it to
On the Fist / FoST debate. Make sure you drive a new as well as old Focus before making a pronouncement. When he FiST and FoST were first launched I drove both and like most people thought the Fiesta was way way more fun than the Focus which felt like a warm rather than a hot hatch. Then last year a friend went and test drove both with my comments in mind. She bought the Focus which she felt was a metric ton more fun. I disagreed but whatever. Then i drove her Focus. Wow, what a transformation in the car from the one I drove. I've since been told (but haven't verified) that the Focus now has different shock tuning, brake, bars and programing from when it was first launched. I have to say that I now find her Focus a riot to drive and now certainly a true hot hatch.
In reply to Adrian_Thompson:
thanks for that. The 1st round Foucs ST seemed soft? to me.
I will echo others on here about the SRT4. We upgraded the turbo with a bunch of supporting mods and it was a blast. Even stock it was still pretty fun.
Fueled by Caffeine wrote: In reply to Adrian_Thompson: thanks for that. The 1st round Foucs ST seemed soft? to me.
Yup, that's what it seems like.
I have an SRT4. If by rowdy, you mean useless in first gear, then Yes. It reinforces my belief that all turbo cars should have a torque converter somewhere...
Of course, demanding an automatic in a Volvo is ok. It kinda ruins the whole idea behind the SRT4 style of car.
Neon SRT4. My son has had two. Definately a hoon car. Most of the ones left have salvage titles. He has a Focus ST now. Fun, but not as crazy.
The Volvo high pressure Turbo 850 and the face lifted V/S variant of the same that ran from 93-2000 made gobs of un-usable power out of the box and could be made lots worse with very minor tweaking.
great 5 banger sound and proof of uselessness here
On the SRT4 thing, i own a FWD minivan with an SRT4 engine (<<<avatar pic) and i guess it's semi rowdy.
This is before the paint and.. it's much louder now: burnout vid
DSM - tons of rowdiness easily accessible with cheap mods. Downpipe and test pipe, K&N with cut air box, manual boost control and a crushed stock blow off valve. Next level is a 16g turbo, walbro fuel pump and full exhaust.
In reply to calteg:
The rowdiest fwd car ive ever been in was a friends turbo swapped omni (2.5) but it wasnt stock and wasnt rowdy until it built boost. Traction was an issue.
That is an awesome sleeper ute!
Vigo wrote: On the SRT4 thing, i own a FWD minivan with an SRT4 engine (<<<avatar pic) and i guess it's semi rowdy. This is before the paint and.. it's much louder now: burnout vid
This one is pretty rowdy. It's currently in the process of getting rowdier.
https://youtu.be/WmbAUdkBxEE
https://youtu.be/VNvvn_chJZ4
In reply to jstein77:
Hey look its jeff's car!
Start with 2001 Ford Focus
Add PowerWorks air to water intercooled supercharger to raise WHP from 108 stock to 223
Change all suspension and brakes to SVT parts
Put in Torsen LSD and 4.06 final drive
Upgrade rear sway to 25mm Eibach bar
As long as I behaved myself it did also. Push it a bit and things changed.
Agreed again on the SRT-4. No traction control. LSD. Awesome seats. One of the most rewarding feeling shifters. Bunch of torques going to 205 wide tires(when stock). And that noise they make.. oh man. Every downshift pretty much makes you giggle. No frills, all muscle, like a proper muscle car. Certainly the rowdiest and rawest of FWD's IMO. Surprisingly little torque steer. Depending on suspension setup, they can rotate very easily. MAzdaspeeds do have a similar approach, but much more refined. The Fords aren't even close to "rowdy".
FWD DSM's , or any fwd turbo mitsu can be made silly for next to nothing
I feel like I have a couple. I'd say my Abarth 500 feels much rowdier than my R56 MINI Cooper S did. My Viggen definitely has a rowdy feel to it.
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