Posted on 11/11/2015 8:02:43 PM PST by newb2012
Perhaps you’ve seen this older vid of a extreme snow climb w/ popular SUVs:
The Audi Allroad rules! Viva German engineering!
I live in vertical terrain in middle TN where yes we get annual frozen precipitation
I drive monthly to high Colorado and New Mexico
And Boone NC
and Traverse City and Petoskey Michigan
And twice annually northern west coast in snow
All Wheel Drive is not as good period .....it’s better than two wheel or front wheel
You want the best get Four Wheel Drive with high and low and locking diff
And like someone said if you live in 4-6 month snow country
Snow tires and like Z rated speed tires you get what you pay for
All wheel drive is better for road handling than as a snow and ice equalizer....
Best snow vehicle I’ve ever owned is a 2001 Land Cruiser
Second best a Dually
Wranglers are inexpensive by comparison and the four door roomy
Tahoe to Yukon and Slurb and Sclade.....all rock
Pickup ditto especially if weighted in back for winter
Subarus are cute but one major issue
Clearance and you look gay.....I had a 1980 GL WAGON 4wd
You asked
Forget All Wheel Drive.....that sounds like your wife talking
I’m gonna ping the master of the windswept snow prairie
My Audi AWD is awesome in milage and does extremely well off road.
Close to 40 mpg for us.
Has lots of power, sporty feel and just fun to drive. Lowish clearance is its one negative, over six inches of snow and you're probably toast.
One of the best cars made. Power, comfort, takes curves like nothing, just begins to wake up at 60. Smokes every car in its class. It always feels like you're going 20-30 mph slower than you actually are (yes, that could be a problem), and puts a smile on your face when you drive. I've never enjoyed driving this much.
Hyundai Santa Fe...got 225000 miles on my 05, and apart from a new alternator 2 years ago, no major issues.
Hey WD.... Multiple options for different regions. Worst rural is different that worst urban/city as ya well know...... My Toyota FJ80 is a tank in all conditions like your 2001 was but due its full time 4WD high or low only range sucked due gas mileage. I did do a locking hub conversion on it with a kit from down under call Marks 4WD hub kit. Really improved mileage to make it a great snow and ice rig. I always ignored the “rules” of some states and put “studded” snow tires on regardless as ice storms were my worst case. Stay at home is best option then as any vehicle without studded tires on ice is a “bowling ball on greased granite” as far as tract goes.
I drove a stock 88 toyota hilux xcab pickup with a camper shell on it, 22RE 4 banger from Albuquerque to Amarillo on I-40 in March of 93 when the route was closed due major WET deep snow storm and I had to get to Amarillo. Was still a deputy so had to BS my way passed the LEO’s blocking on ramps etc....with my badge and a sad story. Plowed snow with the front bumper from tijeras canyon , via clines corners, to Texas border where snow was only about 16 inches to 9 inches deep into amarillo.
I was chained up all the way , took me 9 hours for a regular 4 hour trip.
As the original poster hasn’t responded I’m gonna suggest a Tacoma 4x4 with a bed tank for added “useable”weight, good set of studded Falken snow tires and chains for all 4 tires. That rig is basic get ya there and home for all regions of the CONUS. I would add brush guard bumpers with front, back and corner protection due threats from “other” vehicles that I call soccer mom sliders.
All my 4x4’s have ARB Air lockers. 06 Dodge Cummins, 13 Tundra, 88 Hilux, and 92 FJ80. The 06 & 13 have OEM 55 gallon replacement tanks from titan as well as 60 gallon bed tanks for usable added weight / fuel. Chains, 3”x30’ snatch straps or bubba ropes are basic with a warn air winch being best with a 20$ snow shovel for worst winter conditions.
But all in all .... my garage is safest snow storm place. Yeah we can get there in modified rides with experience and preparation but that gomer that thinks 4WD will stop different than a 2WD is the problem so I just stay home .
My must go out in the blizzard rig is the 06 Dodge 2500 Cummins, ARB Air lockers, 4x4, Warn Air Winch on front and back ranch hand bumpers, LED pencil beam driving lights on top of brush guard, aimed low and wide. Also rigged white contractor strobe lights into my hazards . A simple grill weather cover to keep heater working at subzero temps or extreme winds and studded 285’s with HD military chains. Bed tank with 60 gallons and aftermarket OEM tank with 55 gallons of diesel treated with power services anti-gel.
As stated above .... were I to buy a new daily driver TODAY for to and from work. Highway, city street, trail or rural farmland it would be a Tacoma 4x4 with bed tank, ARB air lockers, military grade chains and studded snow tires for ice storms. Add good powerful driving lights that are aimed low and wide to see in blizzard or fog conditions. Any shop or DIY’er can add the contractor white strobes to your hazards so others”see” YOU” ..... mine are hidden in OEM running lights and brake light lenses.
Stay Safe WD ..... Hope yer well.
Living in CT I’ll never buy a new car. I refuse to pay my town another grand a year just to own a car.
New or later model Subaru with the 2.5 liter flat four and CVT automatic. Very reliable, highway mileage low thirties.
Also, depending on when/where a new Sube is assembled, the stock tires may be marginal for your specific location; "all season" tires sound better than they are.
I used to make fun of Subarus and their owners, but they are pretty useful cars.
Mr. niteowl77
The Torsen (Torque-Sensing) center differential is much of what made Audi’s AWD so good. It is used in their longitudinal engined cars.
Torsen was invented by an American, so the Germans knew where to find good engineering for a key component for their success with AWD!
Toyota (and Lexus) uses Torsen quite a bit as well, in vehicles like the Hilux, Land Cruiser, Lexus GX and LX, etc.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torsen
With respect to Audi, it is worth noting that Quattro is a marketing term, and that there have been several underlying technologies used for the key center differential action, depending on era and engine configuration (longitudinal or transverse). But the Torsen diffs have been the go-to for their best, bigger cars for at least 20 years. It has been a very good, effective, reliable technology.
25 MPG - Nissan Rogue - comfortable - reliable
Lot of good advice here.
Good winter tires can make much more difference than most can imagine.
For inexpensive, Subaru. For upscale, Audi.
Interestingly, actual safety data shows Audi A4 AWD, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Highlander hybrid, and Toyota Sequoia had ZERO fatalities per million miles.
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/driver-death-rates
I know I’ll take a beating from this crowd, but we’ve had a Volvo XC-90 for a few years now. It’s a heavy vehicle at 5,000 lbs+, mileage isn’t the greatest in the world(17-24, depending..) but the drive system with the clearance has handled unplowed roads (NOT with the cheapest Costco tires) and the beach at Corolla with no problem at all.
Volvo XC90 is also one of few vehicles with ZERO death rates per million miles. Hard to argue with actual real-world accumulated experience, not just ‘testing’. Very impressive vehicle.
Great info...thank you.
Around 2000 or 2001 there was a really good document floating around on the Internet called the All-Wheel Drive FAQ. It did a great job giving an overview of all common AWD technologies. I could probably dig it up if challenged, or you could test your own Google-fu. It’s still worthwhile reading today, but it very much is overdue for an update. For instance, it does not cover the newest Torsen discussed in the Wikipedia link I posted.
I chose a Toyota 4Runner. I really like it. Oddly, one of the features that swayed me to it was the back window goes down.
What body do you need and how much stuff do you need to move? Is comfort important to you?
yep agree
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