I have used a FWD car in the snow and can put on chains easily in 5 minutes per wheel – my wife driving, turning the wheels either direction, using a metal “U” to hold the end of the chains to the tire (hard to find these U’s anymore), and rolling forwards or backwards over the chains.
I am shocked! I owned an AWD Legacy station wagon for 15 years. I no longer have the owner’s manual, but it said low clearance “S” chains on the front wheels were ok, low speed driving, of course. I did this a few times, in conditions where the snow melted in direct sunlight but froze in the late afternoon, and we had to get back to our lodging. So I never imagined that a new Subaru would not take chains.
In most cases, you can’t find the owner’s manual online, just their glitzy brochures, and the owner’s manuals of new cars are in shrink-wrapped plastic. I will try to remember to read the owner’s manual before I buy my next new car, but I hope that won’t be for another 15 years.
Why don’t they make their new models with one inch more clearance?