Subaru Outback Vs Ford Fusion Hybrid (Kansas City, St. Louis: home, buy, living in)

[new_to_KC]

I will be moving to KC area from California within next few weeks and have to think about choice of car. I was wondering if anyone here on this forum has exp. with Ford Fusion Hybrid on ICE/ SNOW. Is it must to drive an SUV or a AWD during winter in KC? Any suggestions are appreciated. Please remember that I have no exp with snow and ice driving at all. Thanks.

[northbayeric]

Hopefully I can be of some help to you--and I'm also hoping that one of our City-Data forum moderators, GraniteStater, will notice this thread. He used to live not too far from Kansas City and now resides in New Hampshire.

I was born and raised in the St. Louis area, and moved to NorCal when I was 18. My knowledge of Kansas City roads and highways is fairly limited, but I do know that Missouri snowstorms are nowhere near as severe as blizzards in the Sierra Nevadas around the Donner Summit and Lake Tahoe. Snowfall greater than 6 inches at a time is pretty uncommon. For the most part, I think KC drivers do fine in the snow with front-wheel-drive cars. On the main roads, the snowplows keep them in good shape. Would anyone know if rock salt is still used back there?

The problems really begin when you get freezing rain and sleet. Nearby St. Joseph got clobbered with a horrendous ice storm in late 2007, and southwest Missouri got slammed with an ice storm in, I think, late 2006. On icy roads, I think all you can do is stay indoors and avoid going out. I doubt that a Subaru's AWD would do you any real good on ice without tire chains.

Given the choice between the Subaru Outback and the Ford Fusion Hybrid, I would personally choose the Fusion. Either one would be fine. But the Fusion Hybrid's fuel economy (mid to high 30s) is outstanding for a mid-size car, and the Fusion is supposed to be at least as good or better than a Toyota Camry Hybrid. I think if you have good all-season tires that are properly inflated (don't deliberately underinflate them to try to improve your traction, but you probably already know this!), you'll do fine in Kansas City winter weather. Its winters seem to be a little bit warmer than in past years, which can be both good and bad. If it's snowing and the temps are in the teens, that's not great, but it's better than if the temperature is 30 degrees and you're getting sleet and freezing rain.

Very best to you in your relocation! Kansas City and the state of Missouri are in a great part of the country IMO.

Late Edit: I thought of two more things. Do be sure that your new vehicle has anti-lock brakes. If you're ever driving in the snow, drive moderately and keep plenty of space between yourself and the car in front of you.

[TabulaRasa]

I'm not a car person, so I'm not any help to your car-specific inquiry, but I just thought I'd corroborate that snowfall here is not really a very severe problem in my experience, but that ice is a more common dangerous issue, because the temperature hovers at the borderline so much that you get a lot of rain/sleet that turns to glaze, more than snow, at least since I've lived here. For the most part, you're going to want to minimize road time, period, when this happens, regardless of what car you're in.

[michaelm207]

Having lived in KC for 32 years I think I'm about as knowledgeable on our weather history as it gets. Our winters are strange. When I was a child in the late 70's, I could remember snow piled a foot high in November and on the ground until March and very cold temps. It was a true winter. Today's winters are a guessing game. In December/January of 2006 I was out on my patio in shorts and tank top bar-b-queing with my girlfriend. The winter of 2007 was mild with only a few very light snows. Last winter of 2008 was pretty cold and had a fair amount of snow, but nothing close to what I remember growing up.
To directly answer your question: Absolutely NOT a requirement to have an all wheel drive or 4 wheel drive vehicle to live here. I do drive a 4x4 Explorer and would RECOMMEND a Ford Fusion over a Subaru if you had to choose, but a million people around the metro area drive ordinary vehicles every winter with no issues.
The most important and critical things to remember while driving on snow/ice are to watch your speed (no part of being late is worth a wreck...ie drive slow), keep a lot of distance between you and the car in front of you and be alert. Outside of those 3 things which always cause the wrecks, you'll be fine.

[kcmo]

You don't need a 4wd, but an awd sure helps. But you can very easily get by without one in KC unless you move to a hilly area or something. Most front wheel drives do ok. Driving in the snow has more to do with knowing how to drive in it vs having a 4wd or something.

A few hints.

No car will do well on ice. You might be able to start off a bit quicker with a 4wd, but you won't be able to stop any faster, so keep your distance high and speeds low in ice.

In snow, it's more about momentum. You don't want to be a speed demon, but don't drive so slow you are always getting stuck. Keep far enough from other cars so that when they do come to a stop, you can keep moving and get around them so you don't get stuck too.

Driving in big snow storms is rare in KC, maybe once or twice a season, but when a major snow occurs during the day, DO NOT leave early with the other million people that try to leave early "before rush hour". It will take you hours to get home. Simply leave at 5-6 or whatever time you normally leave and you will have no traffic and get home about 10 minutes after everybody else did that left at 2 or 3.

A few more tips that are pet peeves of mine. (none of this is directed at you BTW).

Clean all windows before you attempt to drive and brush off any snow that would otherwise blow off and land on the car behind you on the freeway.

Drive normal speeds in the rain. There is no reason to drive super slow just because it's raining, I swear the same people dong 40mph in the rain are the ones doing 75 in the snow and ice.

Use headlights in both snow and ice even in the daytime.

Some people make a big deal out of which state or cities plow the best. I don't care really but, I also don't notice a huge difference. The freeways are about the same in both states.

When it snows, I'm one of the people that get out and play in it all day. I love it.

You will be ok...

[luzianne]

Kansas City ice and snow is not that bad, but coming from California it will probably seem bad to you. I got around fine with a front wheel drive vehicle for many years. You need at least a front wheel drive; you'll have trouble trying to drive in snow and ice with a rear wheel drive. I have driven a 4WD now for several years and really, I rarely need it. The only time I have *really* needed it is when a snowstorm came during the night and early morning hours on a weekend and my daughter had to be at work early in the morning and the roads hadn't been cleared yet and snow was still falling. I put it in 4WD and got her to work with no problem. The main streets in Kansas City are usually cleared pretty quickly but the side streets have to wait sometimes. It's nice to have the 4WD because if I find myself sliding I can put it in 4WD on the fly. There are also a lot of hills in Kansas City and I've seen cars trying to get up hills and sliding back down, and I cruise right by them with the 4WD. Going DOWN snowy/icy roads can be scary too and I usually just try to avoid those/take another route if icy because I don't want to slide down a hill through an intersection or into another car and like kcmo said, 4WD isn't much help on ice.

[RjRobb2]

Honestly, you are probably looking at less than 10 days a year in which four wheel drive would be helpful unless you are living in a rural area.

Also, cars dont do too bad of a job getting through snow. I usually am passing big four wheel drive trucks in my Honda Accord when it snows. They get stuck on hills and I drive right past them.

[lifelongMOgal]

Have you considered a Mercury Mariner hybrid? Best of both worlds, and....they are made in the KC metro area!

[Wingfoot]

Unless Japan is sending you money,buy a Ford.
If they are still buy a Ford.

[GraniteStater]

KC winters are quite mild these days with only a smattering of winter weather "events." I would go with the Fusion because you won't get your $$$ worth on the Subaru due to the relative lack of snow. I have a Subaru PZEV 5 door hatchback that is invaluable for our tougher snowy winters in NH. The Subaru works wonders on snowpacked hilly roads, muddy roads, and dirt roads. I live in the country so having a reliable vehicle that can handle severe winter conditions is a must. Don't get stressed about KC winters. Invest in a a good winter coat, hat, gloves, and you should be just fine.