Suggest a great car for MA winter: new transplants from California (Boston: lease, home)

[quantumdots]

Yes, we are new transplants from San Francisco. Although we have lived in many places (Mid-west, Southwest, Pacific Northwest, West-Coast), we have never been in the East Coast. We now live in Lexington, and moved this August. We commute to Cambridge. In anticipation of commuting in snow and slush and also driving up a sloping drive-way, can you all please suggest a car that is
1. Safest for winter-drive (with AWD)
2. Good for commute
3. Reasonably priced (budget preferably at or under 30k)
4. Hybrid or fuel efficient (if possible)
5. Can seat a family of four: parents+2 small kids (not a huge SUV or van though)

We had decided to buy an electric or hybrid as our next car when we lived in SF. However, I haven't seen many electric or even hybrids here on the roads. Why is that? Are they not good for winters?

At this point our highest priority is safety not fuel efficiency.

Thank you!

[GeePee]

All you need are good snow tires, And to know how to drive. Speed will kill you. Doesn't matter if you are 4x4 AWD or studded tires. Stopping on ice does not work when you are going fast. I would suggest spending more on the tires, or a dedicated set of winter tires and wheels to swap out.

[sawyer2]

Tire choice has far greater impact than car choice for optimal driving in snow. A dedicated set of real snow tires with either AWD or FWD is the best option.

[scorpio516]

I see hybrids all the time! And a good amount of Teslas (almost all Type S, only one X, and no Type 3s) and Volts. A lot of BMW i3 too. I see more i3s along 495 than the other two.

Snow tires are FAR more important than AWD. I've gotten a Subaru stuck in Yosemite because it had the wrong tires. Anyway, unless your a ER doctor or nurse, you're not going to be driving in heavy snow.

I'm very sad that Toyota doesn't make the Prius wagon anymore, cause that would be perfect.

[quantumdots]

Thanks for the answers.
silly question: do you switch to snow tires during winter, and then go back to normal tires afterwards?

[BostonMike7]

Originally Posted by quantumdots

Thanks for the answers.
silly question: do you switch to snow tires during winter, and then go back to normal tires afterwards?

Yes, a number of local tire shops offer a snow-tire changeout service, and some will even store the other tires for you if you don't have anywhere to put them. You put your normal tires back on in the spring. You can even purchase a spare set of wheels to mount the tires to and just swap them out on your own. That's what i used to do.


As to what vehicle to select, any of the current AWD/FWD offerings will be capable with good tires in all but the biggest storms. If it's really bad out, just stay home like many people here do. I stopped buying tires a few years ago because it was a waste for me when i worked from home whenever snow was forecast.

Originally Posted by scorpio516

And a good amount of Teslas (almost all Type S, only one X, and no Type 3s) and Volts. A lot of BMW i3 too. I see more i3s along 495 than the other two.

I'm seeing about one Model 3 per day on my commute to Bedford along I-95. I am starting to see them more than Model S's and X's. There's also one gentleman driving a gold i8 along that same stretch of road. Nice car

[jayrandom]

Boston snow is very intermittent. Rather than snow 2 inches 24 times, it will snow 12 inches 4 times. Unless you are in a public safety-related career, chances are you will not need to be driving in heavy snow. Things will shut down during big snows and they are generally cleared pretty quickly. It's snowier here than it is all the places you've mentioned, but this isn't Buffalo or the Cascades; you don't need to go crazy.

If you must drive around in snow, the most important thing is to be careful when driving. The key is to not make any sudden moves, snow reduces friction and friction is what you need to roll rather than slip. The corollary is that you can't go too fast, because stopping quickly is a sudden move. As others have mentioned, snow tires are the next best thing. I would rate knowing how (and when not to) drive are more important. Someone who says snow tires are more important probably assumes a baseline of good driving. Then AWD.

There are plenty of hybrids and electrical vehicles. Most batteries don't do well in really cold weather so expect a hit on range in the winter if you go all-electric. The good news is that we don't get really cold weather here, so the range decrease will be minor.

[wolfgang239]

My volt went from 60 to 45 mile range when temps hit the 30s recently. If you can charge at home or work you have a "full tank" every day. Probably will get worse when temps drop. Not as many EV incentives as CA has, but the state does have $2500 that goes towards purchase or lease. Decent amount of charging infrastructure here too considering how few other EVs I see.

I would prioritize a good AWD over being green. I got a Tiguan recently and really like it, around $23k. Cross shopped the Mazda and Honda offerings but just liked the VW more. They now come with a 6yr/72k mile warranty.

[GeoffD]

Originally Posted by quantumdots

Thanks for the answers.
silly question: do you switch to snow tires during winter, and then go back to normal tires afterwards?

Yes. Normally, you buy separate winter wheels and tires. A true snow tire can't be used in the summer. The rubber compound is too soft and it will wear out quickly.


As an alternative, Nokian makes an all weather tire called the WR G4 you can leave on the car all year. It has the mountain/snowflake symbol on it so it's a real snow tire. You don't get quite the performance of a winter-only tire but it's far better for winter driving than the stock tires on your car.



Link: https://www.nokiantires.com/all-weat.../nokian-wr-g4/

[yellowstatus]

Welcome quantumdots!

I'm also a Boston transplant from San Francisco, moved 2 years ago. Echoing what everyone else said, choice of times matters so much more any other factor. Also, snow gets cleared quickly in Boston. I drive a compact sedan with all season tires with zero issues. Even after a 3 foot snowfall, I can generally get to work within 4-8 hours.

I would seriously consider a separate set of snow tires if you expect to make regular trips to New Hampshire or Vermont (especially) in the winter. Also, if you're highly risk adverse.