Best 'bad weather' vehicle?

Having lived in Mass all of my life and driven all sorts of vehicles I'd have to say the best choice for an all around vehicle would be a Subaru of some type. First, I'll start with what I drive.It's a full size 4wd 2 door Tahoe.A couple of years ago near winter time it needed some new tires and I went the cheap way out and instead of getting some nice new AT's I went ahead a got a new set of snow tires that were less than half the price.Some of my friends were surprised that I decided to go that route but their opinions quickly changed after the first deep snowfall.I wasn't really expecting much from having these tires but I was able to go much further than friends of mine all with various 4wd trucks and SUVs.It's pretty roomy,seats 5-6 and gets pretty decent gas mileage too.I average 15 mpg in town only.

Now onto the other vehicle that I have use of sometimes and what I would chose to be driving in any condition over my truck is an 04 Subaru Forester XT.Back in 04 my mother was looking for a new car and I suggested we check out some Subarus.No one in my immediate family had ever owned a Subaru so it was sort of new to us.Although a relative had an old Subaru 4wd wagon that I got to drive on a few occasions and it was quite fun.Me being the way that I am I wanted to look at the turbo models and they just happened to have a few left.Long story short my mother didn't take well to the car for no particular reason and ended up buying an 04 Maxima instead. She regrets that decision.While we had the Subaru at an overnight test drive, my girlfriend ended up seeing it. She wasn't in the market for a new car, but needed one and ended up buying it and couldn't be happier.The Subaru can fit just as much cargo as my truck if not more.It can fit 4-5 comfortably and gets 23 mpg on the highway,around town, hard on the gas or easy,it doesn't matter.Did I mention that it is fun to drive?With the turbo and the awd plus the 4.44 gears, limited slip rear, it makes you smile.One thing I'll add,no matter what you get, is if you are concerned about driving in the winter,snow tires are the way to go.Matter of fact,I just picked up a set of Blizzaks for the Maxima and while it does make a difference,it is still not great to drive in slick conditions,even rain is a pain.The Subaru also has the same type of snow tires as my truck but they are studded and both the truck and the Forester have them mounted to other wheels so it is much less of a hassle in the winter to get ready.One slight exception is that you need to consider is that sometimes studs in good weather can be a little sketchy to drive on.Anyways,enough of me rambling,if I had the choice I would get rid of my truck in a heartbeat for that little Subaru. Don't get me wrong,I do love my truck but the Subaru just does everything my truck can do better, well except for one thing,towing a boat.

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Our '07 Subaru Forester XT has been great in the snow the last few winters we've had it. It is the first 4WD/AWD vehicle I've had in 15-20 years, and back then it was a Suzuki Sidekick and Samurai. With limited slip diffs in the back and center, it always seems to have traction when accelerating, although we're still on the original all-season tires with 21k miles on them. If we still have it next winter, I'll throw on a set of 16" snow tires for even more confidence when it gets nasty out. We've gotten 10-12" of snow in the last week, and while all of our neighbors were busy shoveling or plowing their driveways out, we just drove through the deep stuff with the Subaru and made it out just fine. I do have to be careful with throttle modulation though, it is nearly as fast on dry pavement as my V8 Mustangs, and if I accidentally goose the throttle on ice or snow, it will break all four tires loose pretty easily.
 
Well we get some pretty decent snow down here in So. Oregon, and having all-wheel drive isn't necessarily a requirement, but it really does help. My first suv was (like I need to say) a '95 Range Rover County LWB and that was a beast in the snow.....and everything else.

That being said, I have also had excellent traction in the snow with an older 93 Subaru Legacy wagon, even better than that heavy SUV. My current car is an '02 Audi A6 2.7T and it is a snow-tank. Being both heavy and low, it stays very well planted to the road, and the Quattro all-wheel drive system is regarded very highly for its snow performance (remember the ski jump commercial?). All things considered, my girlfriend's Volvo C70 is FWD and does very well in the snow/ice.

As many people will tell you and its true every time, drive slow and cautiously, and keep you eyes on what everyone else is doing.
 
I had a '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo with Quadra-Trac and Goodyear tires. It was a beast in the snow and for off-roading. Very comfortable as well. It lasted well over 100k miles, sold it just before the tranny crapped out.

That was before they stopped putting the straight-6 engines in those. That 4 liter straight six was an awesome engine. Now everything is V-6 or V-8, and I haven't been convinced to buy one. Why they discontinued that engine I'll never know.
 
I have driven Jeeps, Suburbans, pickups from Ford and Chevy, Navigators, and lots of other vehicles with 4wd.

My fiance's Honda Pilot makes every single one of my trucks seem like a Mustang in the snow.

It certainly will not go as deep as my F250, but on a simple snowy paved or gravel road, that thing is amazing. By a long margin, the best bad weather vehicle I have ever driven.
 
My present ride is an '02 Chevy 4 wheel drive 1/2 ton pickup with a small V-8. It does pretty good for me. I also have a job where calling to tell my employer that roads are too bad to make it in is not an option. Some of the SUV's others have suggested look pretty good to me also.
 
I drive two vehicles, and both handle the snow in an excellent manner---we received twelve inches in under twenty-four hours here last week in Ohio, and I was free to go out and about---good, because I have to plow other people out under contract for my family's asphalt contracting business.

The first is a GMC Sonoma ZR2 4x4 SLS Regular Cab, with the 4.3L V6 and a Vortec supercharger kit. It boasts a powder coated brush guard with additional PIAA lights, and a trailer hitch---it is well protected from stupid deer and stupid drivers. It handles snow marvelously, especially with BFGoodrich A/Ts.

The second is a Chevrolet 2500HD Regular Cab Z71, with the 6.6L Duaramax and Allison 6-speed transmission. This truck is an absolute beast and handles even more snow with ease, especially in buried parking lots and drifts. The only problem is the diesel is slow to warm the cab's heater.

Both serve excellent as all-weather transportation in comfort and with reliability.

:thumbup:
 
steelscout30 said:
It boasts a powder coated brush guard with additional PIAA lights, and a trailer hitch---it is well protected from stupid deer and stupid drivers.
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Not to hijack, but while that brush guard will help some it won't make you even close to invincible, most brush guards are made for looks and not for real protection. I hit a deer at maybe 15mph with a brush guard on, the result was $2100 worth of damage (and that was 7 yrs ago). I also know several people who have had the same thing happen. If you really want to protect your front end you have to move up to something that's a lot more heavy duty like an ARB or Buckstop. I learned my lesson after that and this is what's on my truck now.

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An animal the weight and size of a deer would cause damage no matter what precautions are taken, unless you're driving something like an M1 Abrams. :D

The brush guard was put in place more to protect the front end of my truck from the extremely low-speed "maneuvering" errors that often occur in tight places---around the shop, and especially in the high school parking lot where it is parked at least 7 hours a day. Teen drivers in cars are incredibly stupid when parking and on slippery surfaces.

The guard itself is made out of pretty sturdy chromoly tubing, black powder coated, and was attached to the frame---it looks of similar design and build to that on your F250, at least in the grille section. It certainly looks cool (in my opinion, but that is subjective), might help take some momentum off the deer (but with the PIAAs I can usually see the glinting of their eyes before it's necessary to worry about the brush guard), and has ended up getting nicked instead of my front end when some idiot cuts it too hard pulling into his space, since I back in.
 
Shann said:
I've got a Ranger 4X4 that is very good. In 2 wheel drive its unusable and dangerous, since if you hit a bad patch out of nowhere you will spin out.
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Ditto on this comment. I've got a 2WD Mazda B3000 Dual Sport (Ford Ranger with a Mazda badge). Part of the Dual Sport package are bigger wheels and tires that only make the lack of traction in a light truck even worse. Worse vehicle I've ever owned in the snow. 400 lbs of bagged rocks in the back helps, but it's still not great.

I like the idea of a Subaru, but for the money, you also can't beat the deal you can get on a 2-3 year old used 4WD Ford Explorer.
 
comet said:
I was wondering what the difference between AWD and 4WD is? Thanks
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AWD is just that....all the time. They usually don't have a 2-speed transfer case but do have a center differential. They're designed mainly for travel on paved or very mild dirt roads and not for off-road.

4WD is selectable, the vehicle functions as 2WD until you put it into 4WD. Most 4WD have a 2-speed transfer case with a low range. 4WD usually lacks a center differential so driving it with 4WD engaged on dry pavement is a no-no. They will work fine on paved roads if there is snow on them and are superior to AWD off-road, in muddy conditions or deep snow.
 
BlackHills said:
Any good 4wd pickup or SUV should work fine.
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I think thats the right answer. Even my Explorer with 193,000 on the clock does fine in the snow. For that matter, Wifey's AWD Honda CR-V has no problem. No off road stuff, but thats not what you are talking about. I drove an '84 BWM 325e for 17 years, and I know what you are talking about when you say that a vehicle stinks in the ice and snow. The BMW wanted to flip a 180 whenever it got the chance.

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BlackHills said:
AWD is just that....all the time. They usually don't have a 2-speed transfer case but do have a center differential. They're designed mainly for travel on paved or very mild dirt roads and not for off-road.

4WD is selectable, the vehicle functions as 2WD until you put it into 4WD. Most 4WD have a 2-speed transfer case with a low range. 4WD usually lacks a center differential so driving it with 4WD engaged on dry pavement is a no-no. They will work fine on paved roads if there is snow on them and are superior to AWD off-road, in muddy conditions or deep snow.
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Not to be argumentative, but there are some vehicles with full-time 4WD, including a selectable low range. I believe Jeep used to offer it, and Range Rover/Land Rover do as well as Hummer H1 and H2. Also, some part-time systems have a setting that kicks them into 4WD if the back wheels start to slip. I had that on my Expedition.

I like full-time 4WD so I can use it on- or off-road and not worry about driveline damage if the traction on the road improves. If you hit a slick spot you are also ready. You do pay a weight and mileage penalty and cost is higher.

As a lot of people already said, AWD will do a lot on-road.
 
spooky, if you still checking this, I have to say driving on roads that DONT get plowed has been an interesting feat thus far. Grande Prairie Alberta is about as farnorth as I want to go in canada. Right now though, my girlfriend and I have been driving a Pontiac Sunfire with an amazing setof winter tires, and a 4 wheel drive Ranger. I have to say that Ranger is one handy little truck, I was looking at a colorado, but this was cheaper.

I have to say, something light like that, with the 4 wheel drive has been great in my parts of the world, we dont allways have losts of snow, but the snow that does fall just collects and collects untill it melts away, we very rarely get plowed out.
 
I have a Jeep Cherokee Sport and the wife drives a Subaru Outback. I've never had a problem with either one. Since I've owned the Jeep I've lived in Colorado, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio and Oregon, so it's seen all kinds of winter weather.

I'd rather be in the Jeep in deeper snow, but other than that I'd say it's a toss up. When the weather is nice, I'd much rather be in the Outback.
 
And yet another vote for the Subaru. After many years of driving to Tahoe in a Honda Civic with cables on the front, we came into some money from my wife's family and bought a 2004 Forester 2.4 XS. The first time we drove up to Lake Tahoe and into a storm we pulled up to the CHP checkpoint and they just waved us through. :D

Since that first drive up, we've been numerous times in pretty nasty conditions and that car is a confidence builder every time. No slipping, straight tracking while braking, and good gas mileage too.
 
If you can find an older MB ML320 in good shape, they are really good in nasty weather, after 2000 ESP was standard, which is a big plus in icy conditions.
 
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