Wintertime in Southern Maine...which SUV is best?? (Portland, Eagle Lake: Home Depot, buying)

[Maine2009]

My wife and I are moving to the Portland Maine area from Southern California and realize that our Infiniti sports car and Lexus rear wheel drive sedan (both with summer times) will probably not be adequate to handle Portland Maine's snowy winters

We have decided that SUVs with All Wheel Drive and all season or winter tires is probably the best route to go. We are looking at a few different types of SUVs with different price ranges. Any opinions on these SUVs ?? How each handles the snow/ice??

Acura MDX
Honda CR-V
Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8
BMW X5 4.8i
Lexus R350/400h
Mercedes Benz ML550/ML63
Land Rover-LR2 (cheapest model)

**Are all season tires ok for winters in Maine or do you need to get winter tires for the Portland area?

Thanks.

[Coaster]

Why do you think you need an SUV? I've lived in Maine and driven its winters for decades and never owned a four wheel drive. In fact, almost every vehicle I see tipped over in the ditch during a winter snowstorm is an SUV. People think they're invincible in them and drive way past what the conditions allow. I've driven from Portland to Eagle Lake and back in heavy snow in a Tercel without problems.

Get a good front-wheel drive car with studded snow tires. You'll be fine, unless you plan on driving the Golden Road in a blizzard. Come to think of it, I did that in a Nissan and never had a problem. Well, except for the moose.

You'll also be doing yourself a favor by not buying a gas guzzler. Those Range Rovers are awful on gas.

I should add: The last thing you want on ice is a four-wheel drive vehicle. Recipe for disaster.

[libbykt]

I looked at most of those cars before I bought my MDX, which I almost always recommend to everyone in any circumstance except yours, only because there isn't an Acura dealership in Maine. The closest dealership is in New Hampshire, about an hour from Portland. I might even suggest one that's not on your list, which is the Honda Pilot, if you like the MDX and you're open to Hondas. It's essentially the same car. I drove my MDX in Maine for a winter with no problems, and have driven it to Big Bear and Tahoe and it handles winter weather well. Then again, I grew up driving a 1984 Dodge Daytona in Maine so I guess anything would be better than that.

That being said, AWD with all season tires is perfectly fine for the Portland area.

[Maine2009]

Well i agree with some of what your saying. People do overestimate the abilities of their SUV. My wife and I are both cautious drivers and will do our best not to feel "invinceable" on the road As far as our wanting to buy an SUV; its not that we think we need to have one for just the winters, we want to get them for other reasons . Both of us have not owned one yet, and want to be able to have more room for shopping, picking things up at Home Depot, Target etc. and have the ability to go offroading should we choose. So beyond the snow thing, we still wish to purchase one. I also agree about the bad mileage ........Thanks.

Originally Posted by Coaster

Why do you think you need an SUV? I've lived in Maine and driven its winters for decades and never owned a four wheel drive. In fact, almost every vehicle I see tipped over in the ditch during a winter snowstorm is an SUV. People think they're invincible in them and drive way past what the conditions allow. I've driven from Portland to Eagle Lake and back in heavy snow in a Tercel without problems.

Get a good front-wheel drive car with studded snow tires. You'll be fine, unless you plan on driving the Golden Road in a blizzard. Come to think of it, I did that in a Nissan and never had a problem. Well, except for the moose.

You'll also be doing yourself a favor by not buying a gas guzzler. Those Range Rovers are awful on gas.

I should add: The last thing you want on ice is a four-wheel drive vehicle. Recipe for disaster.

[Maine2009]

Thanks Libbykt,
I didn't know there wasnt an Acura dealership in the Portland Maine area,,,I will definately add the Honda Pilot to our short list. AWD with all season tires was what i was thinking as well...

Originally Posted by libbykt

I looked at most of those cars before I bought my MDX, which I almost always recommend to everyone in any circumstance except yours, only because there isn't an Acura dealership in Maine. The closest dealership is in New Hampshire, about an hour from Portland. I might even suggest one that's not on your list, which is the Honda Pilot, if you like the MDX and you're open to Hondas. It's essentially the same car. I drove my MDX in Maine for a winter with no problems, and have driven it to Big Bear and Tahoe and it handles winter weather well. Then again, I grew up driving a 1984 Dodge Daytona in Maine so I guess anything would be better than that.

That being said, AWD with all season tires is perfectly fine for the Portland area.

[CapeCodder]

My friend has a Toyota Highlander Hybrid...4WD AND good on gas!

[Aerobars]

If you are interested in going through deep snow, mud, and possibly off-roading, I'd stay away from the Grand Cherokee SRT-8. The chin spoiler and low ground clearance make it essentially useless for these tasks. If you're looking for a fast Cherokee that will do what your looking for then look at the models with the 5.7L V8, still reasonably quick but better ground clearance and no chin spoiler = far more utility.

[Maine Writer]

We've been looking at new vehicles for over a year. I haven't seen much I like yet. I need something with clearance to get over back roads. I have a Chevy Blazer. I've never not been able to get any where I needed or wanted to go in snow and mud and on ice. I have no problem on ice. You need to be as careful in 4WD as you are in two wheel drive. The plow is on my Blazer. I've had it stuck once on the unplowed road at camp.

I'm hoping SUV's toughen up again before I have to replace mine. What can be call an SUV these days is laughable. I'd like a few more choices than what's out there now for real SUV's.

[vter]

I have an 07 CRV and it kicks butt in the snow (got Blizzaks on it). It's awesome. I highly recommend it. I get around 26mpg in the summer on my commute (50mph, secondary roads, no stop & go traffic) and around 23 in winter with the snow tires on.

[casualobserver]

Too funny. Well, at least you knew enough not to list an Escalade with tinted windows and spinners!

The Mainers have been rather polite on this one. How about making him get a Ford Escape with the Hybrid engine???? We have an environment to protect, you know.