"An observation"! I tell my wife the same thing!

I also tell her I drive the way I drive so I don't kill somebody. Thing that worries me is the chance of being killed by one of those idiots.

 

Towing with a FWD truck, or any FWD vehicle, is the weight pushing down on the rear unloads the front. Towing uphill becomes an issue. Unibody with an IRS rear (rear drive) causes a bevy of problems when towing since the heavy axle assy. isn't there to help with traction. Just so damn many things I can see wrong with a FWD or unibody truck.

Or maybe the engineers have found a way around geometry and physics.

 

I can see this similarly too, my 2006 Honda Civic EX (Barebones, doesn't even have the rear trunk unlocker on the key fob, and it only has two key cylinders on the whole car) has all these bing bong alarms that go off if you look at it wrong, the ride is rather uncomfortable, low profile tires probably and blown shocks causing it to run on the bumpstops until it was fixed, and the gas pedal feels weird (considering it's not a cable system like every other car I've had thats probably why) as well as the weird seating angles. Sure, it's more of "a car" by today's standards, but it just exists, as in there's not much of a character to it... if this makes sense that is. Maybe i'm just nitpicking and used to the sloppy tolerances of cars of yester-decade... damn you EPA!!!

But also for the inattentive drivers part, I don't think putting an ipad on the dashboard is a good idea... say you have your phone hooked up to the radio to play the music you like to listen too, maybe the signal is iffy, now you have to dart your eyes from the road to your phone to the center console command center... doesn't sound like it's done more but hurt your attention span. Then again, I can only see this as a worsening trend with the next generation; homeschooling, covid, tik tok, it's all so tiresome.

Then again, the common is for the common, and the rare is for the rare as one guy put it. We'll just have to wait and see.

Oh also for the explanation of the AWD thing, i've heard manufacturers today have rebranded AWD as a "4x4" system on trucks to skirt away with the higher pricetag since it might not be a direct 50/50 power split, but more FWD-biased in the case of the new Ranger at least. Maybe it's still an equal power split on newer trucks but I think* our minis at least had an equal power split from my guesstimations... AWD was more of a niche thing until Mitsu brought it about with the Lancer and everyone followed in suit later on in the 2000s...

 

Yes, our little 4X4 putters have a 50/50 (?) power split, there is no differential in the transfer case. There's a high and low gear, and if memory serves me, the front is simply coupled to the output gearshaft. The front and rear drive line/propeller shaft turn at the same speed and direction. Maybe calling it a 100/100 front/rear power distribution would be more accurate, 50/50 would be inaccurate since all the power is available to the axle with the traction.
Making the new trucks AWD removes the necessity of knowing whrn and where to use the 4WD option. Also, the old style 4WD, like our solid f/r drive connection couldn't be left in 4WD full time without destroying some or all of the drivetrain. The new viscous coupling center diff eliminates that issue. Viscous center diffs, I guess, would eliminiate the selectable 4WD as well.

Then we get to the F/R biasing. Front bias, again, is for the less attentive drivers. Front bias requires a stronger power steering since powering the turning wheels tends to increase the load at the steering wheel. Then there's the whole over/under steer thing. biasing to the frontreduces oversteer making the vehicle easier, definition: attempted idiot proofing, to drive. Kinda kills it for the peeps that like to DRIVE their cars.

I do complain a LOT about non-driving cars AND people, but I do like my Mazdaspeed 3. Understeer?? More go pedal! Pulls it right through the corner. 280ftlb torque in a FWD car is bonkers! But the new 315 or so ftlbs of torque isn't so bad after you get used to it. There were a few surprised STI owners when I got that car in '06!

 

I'll admit, I do like the "Drive By Wire" in the newer cars. You want an experience? Find someone that has an R34 Skyline, the ATESSA control system, it was an insane system in the day. But back to the DBW throttle, it can be tuned to control emissions, like our Mini Cooper off the line, or to get as much from the engine depending on load, or even save your butt whan you just about lose it. It's pretty wild going into a turn a bit hot and the brakes start pulsing, the throttle searches for the best balance between traction and power to keep as much traction as possible.
Then you remember to turn the DSC off.