Cdn. auto journalist shares his favourite snowstorm-busting rides
Published Thursday November 5th, 2009
It's getting cold out there!
That means, among other things, that the winter driving season is nearly upon us Canadians. Though it's a magical time of year, it can intimidate and frighten many drivers on the road today. Unfortunately, winter driving is a fact of Canadian life.
It's a huge part of my life, too. As a professional automotive journalist, my duties include weekly test-drives of the latest and greatest vehicles. This requires a 10-hour round trip each and every single week.
Said trip often puts me at the mercy of what my fellow Northern Ontarians and I call the 'Snow Belt.' It's a stretch of Highway 69 that joins Ontario's Muskoka region to my hometown -- Sudbury.
On a good day, Hwy. 69 is dotted with beautiful scenery, elevation changes and lively twists and turns. In the type of weather that the Snow Belt is named for, it can be attacked relentlessly with heavy snow, freezing rain, zero-visibility conditions, or any combination of the above.
This is a time of year when many readers begin asking car-related questions about winter driving. One of the most common concerns which new vehicles feel the 'safest' and 'most confident' to drive if you get stuck in a nasty snowstorm.
Some vehicles have earned a place in my memory for delivering abundant confidence or surprisingly capable operation in some of Canada's nastiest winter driving.
Here's a list.
* Chrysler Town and Country: This is one of the most comfortable and peaceful rides going, and travelling through snow on empty highways amplifies the experience. The heavy body and long wheelbase mean this luxo-bus plows through deep powder and slush with authority.
* Volvo XC90 V8 R-Design: What snow? The Yamaha-built V8 sounds sexy, and XC90's All Wheel Drive (AWD) system mangles slippery roads with a smile on its face. This is a sporty SUV that sticks it to winter while looking and sounding great in the process. Plenty of ground clearance, heated wipers and headlight washers add confidence in bad weather, too.
* Audi A4 Avant: Quattro AWD quickly tackles any traction-related issues, and a heavy, solid steering feel make this wagon feel absolutely locked-down on any surface. There's room for your things, and decent mileage, too. Audi's got a reputation for building some of the best winter-ready rides going, and its apparent here.
* Ford Edge: This big, chunky SUV was another joy to get trapped in the snow with. The tester had all wheel drive, plenty of power, a quick-acting stability control system and a very tall and commanding view of the road ahead. Edge feels solid, planted and stable, imparting a sense of confidence even when the roads below are icy. It's comfortable and quiet, too.
* Subaru WRX: With a turbo engine, symmetrical AWD, a manual transmission and an awesome hood scoop, the WRX is fun, fast and all-season ready. The WRX can pull straight through an icy intersection before that two-wheel drive car beside it even gets rolling. WRX is also the unofficial car of wintertime parking-lot shenanigans.
* Porsche 911 Carrera: Trust me, it's better than you think. The rear-engine, rear-drive setup gives the 911 traction from a standstill like a front-wheel drive.
The front wheels only need to steer the car -- meaning it can turn and accelerate at the same time, too. Being trapped in a snowstorm in the 911 was a fearful thing at first -- but the car powered straight on out the other side. All wheel drive is available, but wasn't fitted to the tester mentioned here.
* Honda Pilot: This SUV makes it to my list for the same sort of reasons as the Ford Edge: plenty of power, plenty of automatic traction, and an effective stability control system. Pilot is rugged and truck like, and feels that way in any condition. The relative weight of the machine helps it bite into snowy roads, and it's confident and comfortable in the process.
One thing to note, though. All of the machines listed above had a single commonality: winter tires. Regardless of the safety features, weight or drivetrain of any vehicle, its tires are the only part of it that actually touches the road. The only way to effectively increase traction in winter driving is with proper winter tires. If you've never tried winter tires, consider making this your year to give them a shot. You'll definitely be impressed.
Safe driving.
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