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My choice in vehicles has to include more than just performance in snow. I'm 6'4", so I also need room for my legs and my head. When you're my size, its really amazing how many vehicles you don't fit in. I dont know why they make them so small. I drove a 58 VW bug in HS, which fit me fine.
Yes, I am 6'3" and it amazed me a few years ago when we test drove (many cars). The majority would not allow me to sit in them without bending my neck over.
Why would you automatically rule out 10-15% of the market like that, if you're a car company??
Well, I have no idea how some folks in this thread can't drive without a SUV in snow country. In the late '70's when it snowed a lot in Northern NY and Burlington, VT, I drove a RWD Pinto station wagon. During the winter I had snow tires without studs, and so most people I knew. In fact, in the '70s an AWD car was a rarity unless it was a European car such as some of the old Mercedes. These were RWD, and when one of the front tires would spin, the transfer case (if I well remember) would engage the front wheels.
Back then it used to snow quite a lot, even in NY city, but we drove RWD vehicles without any trouble. I have been living in the interior of Alaska where the roads get covered by ice for days or weeks at a time, and not all drivers use AWD vehicles. In fact, there is a combination of vehicles such as FWD, AWD SUVs, AWD cars, a bunch of trucks of all kinds. We have high schoolers driving FWD cars, while this old timer (me) drives a FWD Toyota that wears a set of Blizzack tires.
The driving conditions near Anchorage and vicinity are nothing compared to the ice conditions of the interior, and as I said above, we have all kinds of young and old drivers happily driving FWD cars on the ice roads...without any trouble. And yes, I can run circles on ice with my FWD car around any AWD vehicle that wears the wrong tires. There was a time, long ago, when FWD didn't incorporate stability/traction control, so one had to be very careful driving on ice. Nowadays one still have to be careful, but the traction systems incorporated on FWD cars are amazing compared to what old automobiles had.
The tires are the main link to traction, not the automobile. It's the tire that provides the grip on the road, not the vehicle. With the proper tires for road conditions, driver's experience is the second most important factor.
I agree, the tires are number one. Then comes driver skill. Then the car. (I, too, used to drive a RWD pickup which was weighted down in back. If you knew what you were doing, they worked okay in snow. It wasn't too hard to steer out of skids and and swerves with practice).
Studded snow tires are the bomb. Wouldn't be without them.
We get tons of snow here in northern Maine, and our Nissan Murano with AWD can easily go 60 mph on snow-covered roads. It's a fairly heavy car, which helps. Our Element is a bit lighter and while it does decently in the snow, it can't compare to the Murano (despite also having AWD). Just shows that the car (and how well the AWD works) does matter.
Last edited by maineguy8888; 12-03-2018 at 07:38 AM..
Location: San Ramon, Seattle, Anchorage, Reykjavik
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Quote:
Originally Posted by maineguy8888
Yes, I am 6'3" and it amazed me a few years ago when we test drove (many cars). The majority would not allow me to sit in them without bending my neck over.
Why would you automatically rule out 10-15% of the market like that, if you're a car company??
I'm 6'3" and have zero issues even in small cars. You must be all torso.
I'm 6'3" and have zero issues even in small cars. You must be all torso.
No, every part of me is long.....lol
I guess if you recline the seat back it's possible but I try to keep it fairly normal.
There were several SUVs that I REALLY liked and would have bought............but just could not fit in them.
I agree, the tires are number one. Then comes driver skill. Then the car.
It kind of depends on the conditions. I went to college in Burlington, Vermont with a Ford Maverick with summer tires. I had no problem getting around and didn't miss powder days at Stowe but you had to plan every move. A hill start wasn't gonna happen. Many times, I encountered uphill red lights where I had to take an unplanned turn to avoid a hill start. Parking where you have to back out uphill wasn't gonna happen. Some hills required getting the car to 60 mph to have enough momentum to get to the top. And of course, drive like grandma going down hills and entering corners. My next car was a Mustang which also had summer performance tires. I skied every weekend. I never got stuck.
I can afford snow tires. I've been using them for 30 years. They're way better than stock tires but an experienced winter driver can get a FWD car where it needs to go unless it's so deep that the car bottoms out. I know lots of Vermonters who drive around all winter in a FWD car with stock tires.
As a matter of convenience, I've owned 4wd/AWD cars with snow tires for many years. At 7:30am on a big powder day, I want to get to the mountain even if I'm not plowed and the ski area parking lot isn't plowed. I used to have an SUV and a VW GTI. Both with Nokians. The GTI was a great snow car. With the lighter weight, it had much shorter stopping distances and much better cornering on snow than my heavy body-on-frame SUVs. The SUV was superior in really deep snow and the SUV was better on unplowed wet slop on the highway because of the long wheelbase and weight.
So...
If the condition is 2 feet of unplowed slop in the ski area parking lot, I'll take the 4wd car with some ground clearance. Snow tires won't help a 5" ground clearance FWD car get out of the lot. No amount of winter driving skill would get the car out of the lot. Of course, the winter driving skill is to know not to park there in the first place.
On black ice, I'll take the tires. If you encounter it at highway speeds and everybody around you is doing car pinball off the guardrails, it's the tire that are going to save you. AWD is little use. An experienced winter driver would be looking at the outside air temp display and increase separation but that's not going to save you in car pinball in traffic.
My old Mazda MPV drove like a clumsy ship in the snow...........at least until you put it into 4wd, then it was magnificent in the snow. Lock the differential, even better.
I have a tough time with things like 911 and Corvettes.
I got in a new 911 Carrera T with basically track seats, was a pain for me to get out as side bolsters are very tall. I’m fit 6 ft in late 30’s. $115k price tag caters to older people then me, good luck with them getting out. Friend has lost sales of GT cars due to getting in/out.
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