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Im not in the market quite yet for a new car, but I want to do my homework long beforehand so im looking already.
After considering all the factors I care about, gas milage, the environment, safety, etc....the one that ive boiled it down to is "me notgetting stuck in snow".
Ive heard from different people that their Subarus are pretty reliable in adverse conditions. I want a wagon or hatchback style vehicle for the most part, so ive been considering a Forester. I admit that I dont know much about cars though.
Can anyone tell me about AWD. Is a Subaru a good choice for me?
Subie's AWD is among the best in the business. Our rural route postal delivery folk have used them for many years as the vehicle of choice. We see a lot of them in the Rocky Mountain region due to their rugged reliability in our cold/snow/ice driving conditions, and they're very popular cars in New England as well as the Pacific Northwest, too.
That said, no street vehicle can be said to be impervious to getting stuck someday if the conditions and circumstances are in excess of it's capabilities ... You still have to drive with care.
While I am a fan of Subie's and own several Outback wagons which we depend upon for daily transportation in our severe winter climate conditions here at 6,000' + elevation and into the mountains ... there are a fair number of other capable AWD cars in the marketplace which may warrant your consideration. For example, a relative of ours has recently acquired a 3-series BMW AWD car to replace her aged Honda Accord ... and is thrilled with the adverse weather capabilities of it; it's the first car she's ever owned that was really fun to drive and is so much more sure-footed than her Honda's of the last 20 years. We've also got friends driving Volvo and VW and Audi AWD vehicles ... and they do very well, too ... at a price, but they offer different levels of amenities than the Subie. While their AWD capability isn't any better than the Subie, there may be other aspects of the cars which appeal to you ... you need to check them out to make an informed decision about what you want to buy.
Like sunsprit said, Subaru makes what is arguably the best AWD system you will come across. They also tend to be pretty reliable and last a long time with regular maintenance. They aren't throw away cars.
IMO if AWD is a must, the first places I look are Subaru and Audi.
Also, Subaru AWD is one of the few systems that is AWD all the time, designed from the ground up to be so. Most other manufacturers use a temporary system, usually with modified front wheel drive vehicles, where the AWD kicks in for a few moments when slippage is detected, and then just as quickly kicks off. Audi also has a full-time system.
We have two Subarus, one 10 years old, one six and have not had a problem with either and they capably get us up the road in just about any condition and are also fun to drive- love them turbos!
As other posters have said, AWD will not guarantee you will not get stuck (although it is very hard to get a Subaru stuck with decent tires) or slide of a road if you drive unsafely for the conditions. I've seen more than a few SUVs off the road with their overconfident drivers wondering what happened.
Haha. Yeah I know that any vehicle, even a hummer is going to slide on ice and get stuck on a snow drift. I just would like to be able get better traction and be able to move slightly quicker when I accelerate away from a stop at an intersection. In my grand am, I always have to creep at first and its sometimes kind of ridiculous how I can't get going fast enough. Or god forbid the intersection I have to stop at is the least bit uphill. I know even a Subaru can't just dominate snow because nothing can, besides a snowmobile. I just need a tiny bit more ability.
Haha. Yeah I know that any vehicle, even a hummer is going to slide on ice and get stuck on a snow drift. I just would like to be able get better traction and be able to move slightly quicker when I accelerate away from a stop at an intersection. In my grand am, I always have to creep at first and its sometimes kind of ridiculous how I can't get going fast enough. Or god forbid the intersection I have to stop at is the least bit uphill. I know even a Subaru can't just dominate snow because nothing can, besides a snowmobile. I just need a tiny bit more ability.
well i think your asking AWD to much for that.
why accelerate quickly when in snow ? that leads to accidents
It's all about tires. Put a good set of dedicated snow tires on just about any front wheel drive vehicle and enjoy! I live in an area that gets the most snow of any metro area on average, 140"+ so far this year and have had no problems getting around in a Jetta Sportwagen. A Subaru is a great car, and with equal tires be a better snow vehicle, but you will pay for that in reduced gas milage the rest of the year. The TDI (turbo diesel) Sportwagen has been returning 38 mpg average in an area that is almost all hills. If you put many miles a year on your car it is something to be considered.
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