Remember the old late 70s to mid 80s 'B' bodies? You could change a heater core That was before CAFE and the need to downsize vehicles ___________________________________________________
That's right. Automakers faced with legislated requirements to increase gas mileage changed to leaner fuel mixtures and better combustion efficiency. But they knew that the single most important factor in gas mileage was vehicle weight. They made their greatest improvements in gas mileage by simply making vehicles smaller.
But a car with compressed length, width, and height would have its driveshaft passing by a driver's armpit, so the front wheel drive configuration became necessary: a transmission and differential wrapped around a sideways-mounted engine, jammed into the already tiny engine compartment.
Consumers didn't object to the almost impossible-to-service arrangement because the salesmen said it was a benefit: it would make it so much easier to drive out of a snowbank.
Rodan.