# GM car good in winter conditions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Driving/Drivers\ **Tags:** winter\ **Created:** [February 18, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-car-good-in-winter-conditions/10805 "2008-02-18T01:15:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mckeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3d9bf3/32.png) [@mckeon](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mckeon)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-car-good-in-winter-conditions/10805/1 "2008-02-18T01:15:56Z")
I am in the market for a new vehicle. I live in upper NY and am interested in a GM vehicle that is good in winter conditions. Any opinions? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Russell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Bill\_Russell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Bill_Russell)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 1:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-car-good-in-winter-conditions/10805/2 "2008-02-18T01:28:27Z")
can you be more specific? GM makes many 4 wheel drive SUVs and trucks that would be good. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-car-good-in-winter-conditions/10805/3 "2008-02-18T01:41:03Z")
Assuming you live on a paved road that will be plowed, then I would suggest any car with a set of four real winter tyres, not all weather tyres. That should be all you need. 4WS and AWD are fine, but they don’t help keep you on the road and they don’t help you stop; they can help you get out of the ditch they failed to keep you out of. Winter tyres may have kept you out of the ditch. ---
**Author:** ![SteveF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevef/32/2_2.png) [@SteveF](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveF)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-car-good-in-winter-conditions/10805/4 "2008-02-18T02:52:14Z")
Aside from the Corvette, just about every vehicle GM makes is “good” in winter conditions if properly fitted with snow or winter tires. Do you have any other criteria? Car or truck? Budget? ---
**Author:** ![andrew\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@andrew\_j](https://community.cartalk.com/u/andrew_j)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 3:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-car-good-in-winter-conditions/10805/5 "2008-02-18T03:12:40Z")
If I were to buy any GM it would be the Cadillac CTS, its a really great car. It has optional AWD however winter tires are a must as it uses performance tires(eg don’t work well in snow). ---
**Author:** ![pleasedodgevan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@pleasedodgevan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pleasedodgevan)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 5:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-car-good-in-winter-conditions/10805/6 "2008-02-18T05:49:54Z")
I never had any handling problems with any short cab long bed pickup that has about four to five hundred pounds in the back. Bed covers help too. Snow tires in the rear with studs are OK. ---
**Author:** ![Wha-Who](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9f8e36/32.png) [@Wha-Who](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Wha-Who)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 6:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-car-good-in-winter-conditions/10805/7 "2008-02-18T18:08:15Z")
If you want to keep it simple and get the best gas mileage, then something with front wheel drive unless you have pretty good hills, then AWD or FWD. Look to see what your neighbors are using. We have owned front wheel drive cars of various makes; all worked ok for us in the winter. ---
**Author:** ![mconn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@mconn](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mconn)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 8:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-car-good-in-winter-conditions/10805/8 "2008-02-18T20:31:00Z")
Agree, unless you live in the boonies, and it’s not too low slung (the big factor is clearance) you can prep most cars for solid winter driving. 4wd/awd are comparable gas guzzlers to fwd. ---
**Author:** ![mconn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@mconn](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mconn)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-car-good-in-winter-conditions/10805/9 "2008-02-18T20:32:56Z")
PS… a great GM vehicle would be a Pontiac Vibe. You can “feel” like you’re helping the American economy and still get Toyota quality. ---
**Author:** ![andrew\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@andrew\_j](https://community.cartalk.com/u/andrew_j)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 9:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-car-good-in-winter-conditions/10805/10 "2008-02-18T21:10:54Z")
On AWD cars I disagree quite a bit on gas guzzlers. They typically have a 2-3MPG penalty for an equivalent powered car. Case in point, mileage of 2008 AWD Subaru Impreza/Legacy 20 city, 27 highway. Compare that to a Honda Civic SI 22/29, Scion tC 21/29, VW Jetta 21/29 which have similar acceleration at least to the Impreza base engine the #'s don’t jive. Compare a Subaru Impreza to a Honda Civic I concur but different realms of acceleration/power curve. Although a smaller car the 2008 Subaru Legacy got slightly better fuel mileage(23MPG) w/AWD vs Honda Accord I4 automatic(21MPG) in their 150 mile test loop of same conditions driving. ---
**Author:** ![mconn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@mconn](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mconn)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 9:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-car-good-in-winter-conditions/10805/11 "2008-02-18T21:21:30Z")
Hence the word “comparable”. In the real world…awd/4 wd do to the increase drive train drag, esp. in cold weather show greater REAL WORLD differences than EPA or dealer numbers would have you believe…My 4 wd Toyota trucks were consistently 5 to 8 mpg worse than their same engine , 2 wd counter parts, esp in the winter. In this day and age 4 wd are comparable a “comparable” gas guzzler. ---
**Author:** ![mconn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc348/32.png) [@mconn](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mconn)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-car-good-in-winter-conditions/10805/12 "2008-02-18T21:35:09Z")
Test loops ? I sure that wasn’t in the winter and stop and go in slush and snow…just when you need awd/4wd most. My Camry would get 32+mpg highway when my Subie would struggle to get 25 mpg…in the real world. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/gm-car-good-in-winter-conditions/10805/13 "2008-02-18T22:01:01Z")
“PS… a great GM vehicle would be a Pontiac Vibe. You can “feel” like you’re helping the American economy and still get Toyota quality.” It really is a GM car, built in a GM factory by US citizens. The factory happens to be a Toyota plant, too. As a joint venture, it belongs to both companies. They also build Corollas and Tacomas.