“Owners of MazdaSpeed 3’s, VW GTI’s, Mini Coopers, Audi A3’s, and Honda Civic Si’s might argue the point. And there are plenty of RWD and AWD drive cars that are crushingly dull to drive.”
These small FWD cars are incredibly competitive on the autocross course.
Everybody missed all the key differences.
Rear drive cars with front engines have separate bodies mounted on top of the frame, thereby making it easier to isolate the driver and passengers from noise and vibration.
Front wheel drive cars have the same advantage rear-engined cars have: the driving wheels have the weight advantage of the engine on them when they need more traction.