My wife prefers driving her 88 Coupe de Ville to my Corolla because the Caddy feels substantial to her, while the Toyota feels "flimsy". Is this a function of weight over the drive wheels, or just how the car is designed to feel? I figure the Toyota may help me evade an incident while the Caddy will just plow into it.
I like the traction of AWD in a lightweight package. Not something that is easy to find, most AWDs are SUVs. But I'd like to have something like a first gen DSM GSX on big, balloony snow tires.
RWD is a must for me. Drifting around all curves is a must, and in a way, almost expected .
Probably makes my idea of a good snow car the worst possible snow car.
The weight of a Caddy makes it plow through snow banks, but the weight also keeps objects in motion in motion.
You never said (nor does your profile) where you live or the amount of snow, but for me living in upstate NY a FWD stick with four really good snows can out run my 4-Runner. FWD can pull the front end around a corner, think 15 mph neighborhood, while a RWD pushes it forward relying on the rudders up front to change the direction.
Dan
Appleseed wrote: RWD is a must for me. Drifting around all curves is a must, and in a way, almost expected . Probably makes my idea of a good snow car the worst possible snow car.
This and it makes the most boring Summer car into a fun Winter car, my 5 Lincoln Town Cars are a riot in the snow
Balance, light weight, ground clearance, linear progressive torque.
One of the best snow cars I ever had was a stock 98 M3 on the right tires. Those were Nokian Hakkapeliittas. It was only 2 of those things and it was awesome.
Stick shift. Snow tires. After that, I don't really care about much else. Of course, I learned how to drive (first started driving) in the snow in a Crown Victoria with bald summer performance tires. I don't buy into all that AWD/4WD nonsense. Which isn't nonsense if you are talking about Colorado or serious off roading. But I live in the flatlands of Illinois and stick to streets and parking lots. As long as the snow isn't so high that I'm pushing it, I'm good.
I learned to drive in the snow in RWD. I feel I have more control over it if it were to get a bit squirrely. The Speed3 handled like a reardrive in the snow which I loved. My Buick which was supposed to be the winter beater & was terrible. I did not feel confident that it would react how I wanted it to should something go wrong.
We'll see how the Si reacts, Blizzaks go on this week.
Starts with an S and ends with a U.
Outside of the 325iX I have now, the best winter car I ever had was a '71 Pontiac Catalina. It was great in the snow, would start in any weather and the heater could cook you out. A big old American rear wheel drive car with a decent set of tires isn't a bad choice for winter duty.
I live just south of Lake Michigan. It doesn't drop feet of snow at once, but a few at a time. The local municipality isn't excited about clearing the streets so the hardest part of the trip is leaving the city. I figure its the momentum and tire issue. I suspect her car is easier to get going, while my car is easier to stop. A WRX would probably make everybody happy.
stuart in mn wrote: Outside of the 325iX I have now, the best winter car I ever had was a '71 Pontiac Catalina. It was great in the snow, would start in any weather and the heater could cook you out.
I had a 70 Monte Carlo. The heater was awesome. To have a heater like it today it would need a waiver and a bunch of "Danger: Vents are very hot" stickers all over the interior.
It was nicknamed The Snow Beast - not because it was exceptional in the snow - but because one time on the way home from school with my sister in the pass seat I went down a closed road by accident and smashed right thru a plow bank (big pile of frozen snow to block the road). The car didn't even slow down much and had no damage -my sister got a bloody nose smacking her face on the dash. She gave it the name.
the best winter beater i've ever owned was a '78 Cadillac Eldorado.. with that big 425 V8 driving the front wheels with 235/75/15 tires on them, that thing was unstoppable. it was also the most comfortable car i've ever had and had the best heater.. someday, i'm gonna get another one and mount a plow to it..
one of the worst winter beaters i've ever had was a 93 Lumina 2 door with a 3.1- even with the good all season tires and supposedly superior fwd layout, it would still get stuck in 4" of fluffy snow. and the ABS fuse liked to blow at random times- usually in the middle of stopping on an icy street- which was fun.. oddly enough, the 3.4 DOHC powered 4 door Lumina i had a couple of years later was aweseome in the snow.
90's Caprice cop cars make good winter beaters, and the 79 Mustang i had was almost unstoppable, as well. my current 86 Camaro absolutely sucks, but that could be the Fuzion ZRi tires...
I'll tolerate almost any vehicle shod with proper winter/snow tires. Take that away, though, RWD is my preferred characteristic if it's not AWD. Manual, automatic... big, small... no matter. My full-size van is fun for hooning in the snow.
I don't care at all for FWD in the snow, without winter/snow tires.
rear wheel drive and defeatable tranction control, or none at all. Snow tires are a must. I had a cheapo jetta and with Blizzaks i could drive out of a snow bank. Perfectly positioned hand brake in that car, too 
Would've been more fun only if it wasn't front drive. And +1 for surprizing fun of a full-size van, but i kinda wish mine had a locking diff and a stick shift, but i'm not sure econolines came with a stick. i wonder how i could fit one in there...
Tires, ABS, Driver. (ABS is the first good option.)
After that: LSD, 4x4, clearance, gloves, shovel, AAA card, cell phone.
30 years in the mountains of colorado . . . .
I've owned 4x4 trucks for much of my driving life and right now, my snow beater is my '95 4x4 Cummins with a 5 spd and W965 Blizzaks. With less capable tires, that truck was scary in the snow. Last year, only in the deepest snow or on steeper hills, was 4WD helpful. The biggest difference was not in how well the tires help the truck go, but how well it helps it stop - important with a 6000 lb lump.
That said, my TDI with all-seasons surprised in the snow the first year I had it. It pulled me up a unplowed hill I had no business attempting. There's a lot to be said for being able to idle up a steep grade. But regardless of its performance on all-seasons, it gets snow tires for the Winter.
If I know it's going to snow, I drive the truck. For one, there's no substitute for ground clearance (a stock Mk IV VW has little to speak of), and I also consider the truck more expendable should some over-confident fool in an SUV slide into me.
My Protege is more than up to the challenge of winter in upstate NY with some decent snow tires. Just mounted 'em last week.
Maybe things are different here in Canada, but when snow builds up on the roads, it gets a cookie dough consistency and if you are in a light vehicle with wider tires, you are at the mercy of the tracks from the vehicle who drove there before you. My list of desireable features for a winter vehicle include and in no particular order: -Limited slip diff -AWD or 4WD -Great heater/defroster -Command start (you don't know what command start is?) -Narrow winter tires -Heated mirrors -Stability control(but not traction control) -Heated seats This comes from living through 40 years of miserable, cold winters where the local government still hasn't figured out how to remove snow quickly.
loosecannon wrote: ... and if you are in a light vehicle with wider tires,
I ice raced with tall narrow tires, no problems mon.
Most important factor to me is the ability of the car to regain itself after sliding. Even if it's just normal side to side slides from driving, it needs to easily find itself going straight. I've driven everything in snow and I'd rank the top 3 cars I've owned as 93 Explorer, 92 Miata, 03 Focus (base). My Explorer was just a beast, nothing could get it stuck and was extremely stable at all speeds. I thought my Miata (SE w/ LSD) would be suicidal, but it was the most predictable of all. The lack of driving aides actually made if drive better. My 03 Focus had 14in skinnies on it with some huge knobby tires of unknown brand I got for free was surprisingly one of the best. It just did everything in snow well.
My more hated car to drive I've owned is my SVT Focus. Light car + wide tires is not fun. I'm always working the wheel and I seem to get sudden over or understeer, depending on what the car feels like doing. I actually blame the handling on the stiff suspension (Spec Focus). It's actually so bad I'm buying another car next year just for winter. I'd love to find a WRX for <$10k and slap some skinny snows on it with some rally mud flaps.
Teh E36 M3 wrote: Starts with an S and ends with a U.
This.
Though I'm surprised that nobody has yet posted the features that seem to be the most popular here on GRM where "FWD" is like Satan, and "AWD" is for people without driving skill. And don't even think about an SUV. A miata with used snow tires is superior 
RWD
Iron V8 up front
Drag radials, or at very least some well-worn sumer performance tires
all possible weight removed from the rear end.
ebrake only, 4-wheel brakes are for wusses who can't drive
windshield wipers disabled. Instead, a long L-handled gas station squeegy/window wiper thingy that you stole from the local Exxon and Jerry-rigged using a hinge and leftover L-brackets from your shed.
heater removed. don't need that extra weight in a winter performance car
Make sure you're wearing wool long underwear too.
irish44j wrote:Teh E36 M3 wrote: Starts with an S and ends with a U.This. Though I'm surprised that nobody has yet posted these features, which seem to be the most popular here on GRM where "FWD" is like the spawn of satan, and "AWD" is usually for people without driving skills. And don't even think about an SUV. A miata with used snow tires is superior
But in all seriousness....most any AWD car is the best for snow/winter, assuming comparable tires to a FWD/RWD car. It's not to say that you can't successfully drive in snow/winter with RWD (of course you can) with decent tires. But the reality of the situation is that AWD has - better ability to start/not get stuck - ability to engine brake with all four wheels - ability to recover from a spin/slide better, assuming you have good throttle control
none of this matters if you dn't have the right tires, or don't know how to drive in the snow, or if it's too deep for ground clearance (when an SUV is better).
So my top suggestion is that most any car can be competent in snow with snow/winter tires on it, so whatever you're driving this is the #1 thing to think about.
loosecannon wrote: Maybe things are different here in Canada, but when snow builds up on the roads, it gets a cookie dough consistency and if you are in a light vehicle with wider tires, you are at the mercy of the tracks from the vehicle who drove there before you. My list of desireable features for a winter vehicle include and in no particular order: -Limited slip diff -AWD or 4WD -Great heater/defroster -Command start (you don't know what command start is?) -Narrow winter tires -Heated mirrors -Stability control(but not traction control) -Heated seats This comes from living through 40 years of miserable, cold winters where the local government still hasn't figured out how to remove snow quickly.
Absolutely. My civic has a limited slip, winter tires, remote start (2 way with in car temp/batt voltage - best gadget ever!) and I just installed some wicked heated Prelude seats and it does pretty well. Wish it had a better heater though. Heated seats make a huge difference when the heater isn't the best.
My old Pathfinder had everything on your list except stability control and narrow tires (31x10.5 winters). Only thing that could have made it better in winter would be a manual transmission for hooning. The auto would make it hard to maintain a drift as it would upshift too soon. Had good recovery points too for when you wanted to really have fun. http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f78/Ben_Lude/Pathfinder/1224081451-00-1.jpg
Good heat, heated seats and mirrors are big plusses. I don't have a huge preference for FWD/RWD, and I haven't yet driven an AWD car extensively in the white stuff.
Great tires are a must, narrower is better. The E30 was unstoppable on 175 width Ipike 409's.
Decent wheelbase length helps: longer is more stable.
Soft suspension helps tremendously as well.
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