AWD vehicles in snow opinions

[CJW]

So I'm looking for a vehicle for my mother and have no clue when it comes to AWD vehicles but am finding some good deals on them vs 4wd vehicles. I've never owned or driven one. She lives in northern WI so alot of snow and slick roads to contend with. How effective is AWD in winter conditions and how much snow are they good for assuming it's an suv? She lives in a paved road but it doesn't usually get first priority by the plow trucks. So having to drive a mile out on 2+ inches is common but if it's too much she probably just won't drive until it's plowed. I'm looking at an AWD Mitsubishi Endeavor and I can put winter tires on it if necessary. From what I can find, the Endeavor puts equal torque to all 4 wheels but I don't know if they're all that way.

Any help is appreciated.

 

[CoElkHunter]

On think on a paved road an AWD is fine for probably up to 6” maybe more of snow. We had an Infinity FX35 for seven years and it did great in the snow, but it’s chassis is truck based and it’s a heavier car. We have lots of hills (6-8 percent grade) here too.

 

[Wade J VanGinkel]

Any awd I've driven has been amazing for general driving in icy and snow conditions. Better actually than traditional 4wd.
The difference is no transfer case for low range use like outdoor offroad applications.
Should be a perfect car for her.

 

[WAB]

Best snow and ice traction I’ve owned was a suburban with an AWD mode. Not my favorite vehicle but incredible on slick roads.

 

[MMAL]

As someone with an older parent I would go with the awd. No thought, switch or dial to deal with as with 4wd. 4wd should be better in more snow but is your older mother really going out in 8 plus inches of snow? My two cents. Suburban or Subaru? Subaru and Audi have the two best awd systems.

 

[Ridgewalker]

My old wifey is on her second Subaru Forester. She loves it! Subaru is easily the most popular AWD vehicle in Colorado.
When it snows we go in it more often than my Tacoma.
The only negative is not much clearance in the wheel wells. Snow can build up and needs to be kicked off before pulling in the garage or else it will melt leaving a mess in the garage.
As mentioned in earlier posts the AWD is what I too recommend for ease of use.

 

[BeeMaa]

As someone with an older parent I would go with the awd. No thought, switch or dial to deal with as with 4wd. 4wd should be better in more snow but is your older mother really going out in 8 plus inches of snow? My two cents. Suburban or Subaru? Subaru and Audi have the two best awd systems.

Agreed.
I'm from Upstate NY and know a bit about driving in snow.
Having to go out on slick roads is sometimes a necessity.
Although staying home and waiting is usually the better option.
The current crop of Subaru AWD's are a good choice.
Subaru makes a quality vehicle with excellent AWD and safety options.

Other option...
You get a Subaru and do the running around for your Mother.

 

[Pheroze]

Our Subaru with good set of snow tires was a friggin' mountain goat. No issues at all. Remember, AWD will get you going, but snow tires are still essential for safe stopping.

 

[Shootist43]

Go online and take a look at the videos comparing Subaru's AWD to "others" If that doesn't make up your mind nothing will.

 

[CJW]

Go online and take a look at the videos comparing Subaru's AWD to "others" If that doesn't make up your mind nothing will.

I'm well aware of the subaru popularity. They're pretty popular around here wthe the hunters, skiers, fisherman, general outdoors types. I see them quite often on the backroads.

The only concern I have is with some things I've heard about oil consumption in the models of the last 10 years or so. A number of people reporting 1qt of oil consumption every 1000 miles or so? I really don't want her to have to check the oil constantly. Does subaru account for this by letting you know when to add oil? Do any of you guys have this problem?

There's a dealer just south of here with a few subarus that look good but I ran across this issue and it kind of stopped me.

 

[CJW]

As someone with an older parent I would go with the awd. No thought, switch or dial to deal with as with 4wd. 4wd should be better in more snow but is your older mother really going out in 8 plus inches of snow? My two cents. Suburban or Subaru? Subaru and Audi have the two best awd systems.

She'll be 67 in April but she'd still kick your butt if you hinted that she couldn't use a dial. J/K

She has a silverado now and likes to keep the little dial in 4 auto anyways and no won't be driving in 8". I've told her more than once if there's that much snow, resign yourself to just staying home and calling in sick.

Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[Ravensview]

I live in snow country, As mentioned Subaru with awd are very popular, good snow tires make a world of difference, if your only talking of going through 6” or so snow she should have no problem, the biggest issue I see with them is ground clearance, my daughter has Mitsubishi suv and really likes it, it is awd, I usually run a 4wd full size 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton pu as my needs are much different than what your needs are. Get good tires eithier way.
good luck

 

[samu]

Depends a lot on quality of the snow. Fresh snow in freezing conditions, you can easily plow through more than ground clearance worth. When it slightly melts and freezes again, it will scrape off any unnecessary parts on the car in no time. Personally I use Scoda Octavia 4x4 and tend to get stuck few times every season. Going up a hill depends more about what's under the snow. Proper winter tyres should be used obviously. Problem with the skoda is it's haldex system so really transfers power to rear when front wheels already lose traction. I've also followed a Subaru Outback on some unmaintained forest road and gotten stuck while the Outback just kept going. Generally 4wd stops going when snow starts to carry the weight of the car instead of tyres.

 

[Alaska Luke]

Not an expert on AWD but I drive in snow. Definitely get good snow tires.
To me the flip side of ground clearance is the risk of flipping over. The other day (in a car) I tried to stop for a stray dog and ended up sliding across the road. I managed to correct things but my old jeep probably would have rolled over for that.

 

[wesheltonj]

I would recommend the AWD system. I have it on my two sedans and one SUV, but not on my yellow truck.

I agree with @Ridgewalker who lives Colorado, that the Subaru is very popular there. And they get snow, a lot of it, unlike Texas where I live where it's a "holiday" when it snows

 

[CM McKenzie]

It doesn’t matter which one you pick so much as getting a good set of snow tires. I like Blizzaks, but there are other good options.

 

[samu]

She'll be 67 in April but she'd still kick your butt if you hinted that she couldn't use a dial. J/K

She has a silverado now and likes to keep the little dial in 4 auto anyways and no won't be driving in 8". I've told her more than once if there's that much snow, resign yourself to just staying home and calling in sick.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Considering safety on road, AWD is quite insignificant. All cars have two wheels for steering and brakes on all corners. It's all about proper tyres. Íf there's lot of back and forth where water melts and then freezes over, studded is unbeatable.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Subaru oil usage question...yes, ours uses a bit of oil after 108,000 miles. I’ve never had to add any between 7,500 mile oil changes. Usually a half quart low at that point.
We do mostly in town stop and go driving. 24-26 mpg.

 

[CJW]

Íf there's lot of back and forth where water melts and then freezes over, studded is unbeatable.

If only they were legal here.

 

[JimP]

For my opinion go with a Subaru. I purchased a used one way back in 2000 for my commuter car to drive 30 miles one way from 6500' to the Vail area at 8000' on a freeway. And while they pretty much kept it plowed during the winter there were those days of slush on the road or when you needed to pass a slower vehicle and you had to go into another lane. That Subaru handled it all. One year I had to drive to Denver in a snow storm with around 4 inches at my home to close to a foot going over Vail Pass and while it was a white knuckler for sure that little car just kept chugging along.

On the oil consumption, just about any vehicle out there will tell you that a quart every 1000 miles is normal, mine would go through perhaps a half a quart between changes, so you just never know. The big thing with Subaru's is the timing chain, you need to change it out when the schedule tells you to. But other than that they are a great car.