Fan clutch

In contrast, in a front-wheel drive vehicle, the engine is usually mounted laterally, with the crankshaft and typically all the major accessory shafts parallel to the front axle, so as to directly drive the transaxle; a fan mechanically mounted on an accessory pulley would blow sideways and would not face the radiator.

This is why electric engine-cooling fans are used virtually universally in front-wheel drive vehicles.

The conversion of mechanical energy to electricity and back to mechanical rotary power with a fan motor is less efficient than a direct mechanical connection, but this is more than compensated by greater control of an electric fan through electronic thermostatic controls which can turn the fan completely off when the engine temperature is below the setpoint.

Most fan clutches are viscous or "fluid" couplings, combined with a bi-metallic sensory system similar to that in a thermostat.

These provide the potential to control the level of engagement depending on any number of inputs.