[tranquility]

Hmmm, I've been out of the market for so long, I guess ppl would suggest S4 but because of my budget criterion suggest A4? Is S4 worth the $$$ premium over the A4? Are there other variants to that range?

Coincidentally, I once considered the S4 before I got my car.

[gary_william]

Toyota Tacoma meets your needs.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by gary_william

Toyota Tacoma meets your needs.

Looks great but unfortunately not a pickup fan.

[chassis]

Originally Posted by tranquility

Looks great but unfortunately not a pickup fan.

tranquility How are you progressing on narrowing down the choice? When is your target date to purchase?

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by chassis

tranquility How are you progressing on narrowing down the choice? When is your target date to purchase?

Still exploring, no definite deadline.

[jmg]

Subaru Outback sounds like it checks most of those boxes, being more a wagon rather than an SUV. Enough room for wheels and tires and 2 passengers. Also consider a roof rack if you want to be economical with space. Get the "Wilderness" of you want a bit more:

[BMWbiker]

IMHO, the exact vehicle is less important than the quality of the snow tires.

Do your research, to find out what the highest-quality snow/ice tires are. Then pick an AWD vehicle with decent ground clearance to fit the tires. Or, conversely, choose a decent AWD vehicle with good ground clearance, then choose the highest quality snow/ice tires you can buy for it.

My B5 S4 was amazing in the snow, when the snow tires were mounted. It would literally plow the snow as it drove through deep fresh snow. I once went driving on a road otherwise populated with snowmobiles. Pickup trucks and SUVs were stuck by the side of the road, probably not equipped with snow tires. Low ground clearance is all that kept it from being able to drive through truly deep snow.

I haven't tested my current car in such snow, due to lack of opportunity.

[TexasJester]

Originally Posted by grannyknot

A Subaru Outback AWD, I live in a rural area north of Toronto and leave for work before my snow plow guy shows up and sometimes before the Township plows clear the roads.
Never had a problem yet. Although, I do have to maneuver around the Suzuki's, Jimmy's and Jeep's that are stuck.

It is the preferred vehicle of choice in Colorado. Those guys swear by them. All my trips up there the only time I seen one stopped was because some dummy in a jeep was stuck. They are so popular in the Lake Tahoe area they sell for $8000 over sticker. Now that is a statement right there because in Texas they have to discount them to get rid of them.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by jmg

Subaru Outback sounds like it checks most of those boxes, being more a wagon rather than an SUV. Enough room for wheels and tires and 2 passengers. Also consider a roof rack if you want to be economical with space. Get the "Wilderness" of you want a bit more:]

Ah yes the car of choice for 60mph left lane camping nerds.

Anybody with a passion for cars wouldn't be caught dead in an Outback.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

Ah yes the car of choice for 60mph left lane camping nerds.

Anybody with a passion for cars wouldn't be caught dead in an Outback.

I used to have a Subaru Forester which is basically one step removed, and I think I have a passion for cars. We used to take it light off-roading. I remember one time I was navigating a river crossing that I had slightly misjudged. I was inches away from water getting into the cabin. I couldn't help but think about the posers in their Land Rovers at the mall that probably don't even like to take them out in the rain because they it would get dirty.

[grannyknot]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

Ah yes the car of choice for 60mph left lane camping nerds.

Anybody with a passion for cars wouldn't be caught dead in an Outback.

What a stupid comment.

[JJ 911SC]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

Ah yes the car of choice for 60mph left lane camping nerds.

Anybody with a passion for cars wouldn't be caught dead in an Outback.

Originally Posted by grannyknot

What a stupid comment.

LMFT4U...

Dummer Kommentar.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by grannyknot

What a stupid comment.

OP drives a Z4 and is a poster on a BMW forum. Why would he drive an Outback? An asshole comment yes, stupid no.

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

OP drives a Z4 and is a poster on a BMW forum. Why would he drive an Outback? An asshole comment yes, stupid no.

Well, that's actually my pt, to get something totally different and that's not a sportscar/sporty car and to be best prepared if some freak snowmageddon occurred.

[grannyknot]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

OP drives a Z4 and is a poster on a BMW forum. Why would he drive an Outback? An asshole comment yes, stupid no.

Did you bother to read the title of the thread you are commenting on?
The OP is asking for suggestions for a vehicle to get through heavy winter conditions, he's not asking about a driver enthusiasts car, he already owns one.
Yes, completely stupid.

[Mavus]

Originally Posted by jmg

Subaru Outback sounds like it checks most of those boxes, being more a wagon rather than an SUV. Enough room for wheels and tires and 2 passengers. Also consider a roof rack if you want to be economical with space. Get the "Wilderness" of you want a bit more:


[img]https://www.subaru.com/content/dam/s...derness_08.jpg[/img]

horrid car to drive with no directional stability and poor stability especially when turning due to narrow body and tires combined with floaty suspension. cheap plastic everywhere … Walmart would build them better

X3, q5, a4-a6 wagon any day over that pos

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Mavus

horrid car to drive with no directional stability and poor stability especially when turning due to narrow body and tires combined with floaty suspension. cheap plastic everywhere … Walmart would build them better

X3, q5, a4-a6 wagon any day over that pos

OP has a $47k price cap and this is for snow, not setting lap records at the 'Ring. Regardless, I wouldn't call the suspension "floaty", it handles pretty good considering the ground clearance. Also, plastic is cheap to replace when you mutilate it with your gear. Again, if you want to go to the mall and impress people, there are better options, but if you want to actually use the car as intended, it's a valid option.

[Mavus]

Originally Posted by jmg

OP has a $47k price cap and this is for snow, not setting lap records at the 'Ring. Regardless, I wouldn't call the suspension "floaty", it handles pretty good considering the ground clearance. Also, plastic is cheap to replace when you mutilate it with your gear. Again, if you want to go to the mall and impress people, there are better options, but if you want to actually use the car as intended, it's a valid option.

better option to get Mazda or Honda, Toyota than the unstable Subbie, on the street and terrain. I used one for 2y Outback 3.6R. Not making it up. The best thing about it was storage room end engine was ok but everything else horrid. Constant electrical gremlins and Subaru couldn't help trubleshoot. The brakes were simply dangerous and sevrely undersized. What they did is simply lifted the station wagon and put on narrow tires. One of the worst cars from over 20+ models. Why include snarky track comment?

[jmg]

Originally Posted by Mavus

better option to get Mazda or Honda, Toyota than the unstable Subbie, on the street and terrain. I used one for 2y Outback 3.6R. Not making it up. The best thing about it was storage room end engine was ok but everything else horrid. Constant electrical gremlins and Subaru couldn't help trubleshoot. The brakes were simply dangerous and sevrely undersized. What they did is simply lifted the station wagon and put on narrow tires. One of the worst cars from over 20+ models. Why include snarky track comment?

Sorry, not meant to be snarky, not trying to "look smart", you mentioned handling and I offered my opinion based on what the OP wanted, which didn't include handing. I made a joke about the Ring, but I don't think it translated well over text.

Originally Posted by tranquility

I've been flirting w the idea of getting a dedicated vehicle whenever there are more serious snowstorm conditions, so wondering if you guys can suggest some vehicles? As an idea of what I would've wanted, it's the Suzuki Jimny, but unfortunately it's not available in Canada.

my criteria:
.new
.AWD
.relatively COMPACT (so no Broncos, Hummers lol, etc, and no pickups), so small SUVs, CUVs, maybe even coupes, sedans or wagons if very capable
.ideally DCT but AT is acceptable
.must be able to carry 4 tires/wheels and at least 2 ppl at same time
.roughly CAD60,000 MSRP (~USD47,000)

That's all I can think of right now, TIA.

I suggested the Outback because it checked the most boxes. The 4 tires and 2 people is tricky because most small SUV's sacrifice cargo for passenger space, or have a sloped rear lid to limit stacking tires. At the time I also misinterpreted it as 2 passengers, so I was considering vehicles that would fit 4 wheels without putting both rear seats down. I think the Outbacks wagon shape could squeeze in 4 tires because of its shape. I googled it and found this thread which confirmed it.


I would have certainly suggested a Toyota 4Runner, but that's a 4WD vehicle, not an AWD vehicle. It's also not what I would consider compact, but he did say he would consider a wagon, which to me brought up the Outback. The RAV4 seemed too small to fit 4 tires and 2 passengers. Same for the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5.

I would actually also suggest a Mazda CX-9 AWD model. It's the right price, but it's much bigger than the Outback and isn't compact.

Regarding the X3 xDrive30i, this would be my choice as well, but according to this thread the tires won't fit without the rear seats down. Like I said, I misinterpreted his original post as 2 passengers, not 2 people (driver+1), so I didn't suggest the X3 at the time. Re-reading his post, I would include the X3, maybe even the Mazda CX-5.

I should state that I have owned 3 Subaru Foresters and loved them all for what they were. They don't have the curb appeal as an X3 or A4 Wagon, but they served as great family roadtrip vehicles with light off-roading. Driving the Outback it didn't seem that far off from our old Foresters, and I didn't think it was unstable, but maybe that's because we replaced it with a car that actually does handle like crap, our VW Atlas 4Motion. The Atlas handles horribly and the suspension is floaty and it's my biggest complaint about the car.

[jmg]

Originally Posted by stein_325i

I personally don't understand Subaru's hype at all. Would rather have a much nicer Mazda. Honestly the new CX-50 looks like a better Subaru.

I have a long history with Subaru, so maybe I'm biased

I also like that I can be very rough with our old Subarus. I don't care about dings, dirt, scratches etc... it's liberating when you just see it as a tool.

Honestly, this is the first I'm hearing of this CX-50! That's actually looks very nice!

[tranquility]

Originally Posted by jmg

Sorry, not meant to be snarky, not trying to "look smart", you mentioned handling and I offered my opinion based on what the OP wanted, which didn't include handing. I made a joke about the Ring, but I don't think it translated well over text.



I suggested the Outback because it checked the most boxes. The 4 tires and 2 people is tricky because most small SUV's sacrifice cargo for passenger space, or have a sloped rear lid to limit stacking tires. At the time I also misinterpreted it as 2 passengers, so I was considering vehicles that would fit 4 wheels without putting both rear seats down. I think the Outbacks wagon shape could squeeze in 4 tires because of its shape. I googled it and found this thread which confirmed it.


I would have certainly suggested a Toyota 4Runner, but that's a 4WD vehicle, not an AWD vehicle. It's also not what I would consider compact, but he did say he would consider a wagon, which to me brought up the Outback. The RAV4 seemed too small to fit 4 tires and 2 passengers. Same for the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5.

I would actually also suggest a Mazda CX-9 AWD model. It's the right price, but it's much bigger than the Outback and isn't compact.

Regarding the X3 xDrive30i, this would be my choice as well, but according to this thread the tires won't fit without the rear seats down. Like I said, I misinterpreted his original post as 2 passengers, not 2 people (driver+1), so I didn't suggest the X3 at the time. Re-reading his post, I would include the X3, maybe even the Mazda CX-5.

I should state that I have owned 3 Subaru Foresters and loved them all for what they were. They don't have the curb appeal as an X3 or A4 Wagon, but they served as great family roadtrip vehicles with light off-roading. Driving the Outback it didn't seem that far off from our old Foresters, and I didn't think it was unstable, but maybe that's because we replaced it with a car that actually does handle like crap, our VW Atlas 4Motion. The Atlas handles horribly and the suspension is floaty and it's my biggest complaint about the car.

Hey, tx very much to you and others for your nice analysis/thoughts/advice. If I ever get it, I need to payback you guys somehow.

[Sedoy]

2022 Ford Maverick XLT 2.0T AWD with a tune, 2" lift, and 32" tires (~32K) (it's not really a pick-up )
and 1 Gen Subaru BRZ for fun ($15K) = $47K: