Subaru’s(turbo) can be loads of fun and IMHO more so than an Audi. My wife/I have a 2005 Legacy Wagon (turbo) manual transmission and it really fun to drive and reliable in its first 60k(no issues). It however lacks stability control.
You can get upper model Outbacks that have stability control all the way back to 2000. However the fun to drive quotient is less with the higher clearance Outback vs lower Legacy.
Well, I agree with your assessment about Audis being more expensive to own and maintain than the Subarus. The same applies to Volvos. They will cost more to maintain and own than a Subaru.
Regarding your plans to purchase a Prius, you may want to wait until Honda comes out with its new version of the Insight this spring. The new Insight is supposed to cost about $5,000 less than the Prius. In addition, if you want the safest car you can find for winter driving, you won’t want a small light weight hybrid. One important feature that makes a car safe for winter driving is weight (for better traction), and hybrid cars don’t have it to the same degree as a Volvo or an AWD Subaru.
Range Rover.
For the 50% of the time it is on the road it will handle any adverse weather and road condition you can throw at it, as only a Range Rover can.
The other 50% of the time it will be safely tucked away in the shop under diagnosis for some infuriatingly intermittent elusive problem or awaiting some vague part to be shipped from UK - thereby removing both itself and you from any dangerous driving risks.
I’d recommend the turbo version, if for no other reason the normal Forester felt rather sluggish when going up the onramp to the freeway. I don’t think it has a v6 option though
I don’t believe anyone mentioned the following …Practice your driving skills in a large empty parking lot to get the feel of a car during the critical period when traction is lost…once you feel your way through this then you will not panic when it happens for real…even if you have the best car and best tires only safe driving skills will make it safer for you and others.
I don’t know about the newest GM cars but I had a '99 and an '01 S-10 that would start off in 2nd if you put it in 2.
My Car Protects Occupants Better Than The Other Cars In The Event Of An Impact Or Roll-Over.
I have a saturn aura 2009 and have to drive 2 hours each way from troy to Jackson for work. I was skidding today on the highway changing lanes and exiting. I am so scared to get back on the road. My car has no issues and in great condition. I did some research on tire chains. Do I need to trade it in for a difference vehicle, or can I just do tire chains that will grip onto to ice or black ice better. Winter tires are no good since my research shows they wear out fast in temperatures over 45 degrees. So that would be a waste of money. What do you recommend for me?
I idea behind winter tires is that you put them on during the beginning of the snow season and take them off when the threat of snow/ice is over for the year. You will need an extra set of wheels for this obviously. You don’t run them year-round.
Chains are restricted to only certain conditions so you can’t use them all the time. I suspect that you need new tires and I am guessing you were driving to fast for conditions .
Most people get by just fine with front wheel drive and proper tires and sensible driving.
Do you not have much experience driving in the winter ? Winter tires are a good investment.
What do you drive?
I can’t tell if this is from today or from 2009. At any rate, you only use chains in deep snow for a limited distance at low speed, not for black ice. I don’t think Saturns were really much good for winter traction but winter tires would be the first thing to get and then consider a different car. Back to 11 years ago, SUVs and similar have a higher center of gravity so their propensity to roll over is greater. So couple an SUV to someone feeling more confident with the larger vehicle, plus maybe less experience, and bad weather, and over she goes.
This is an 11 year old thread revived. This Saturn Aura is front wheel drive so it should do just fine . As I asked what kind of condition are the tires in . Maybe they are old enough that they just don’t have the traction they should have.
Guy at work had one in St. Paul and it was terrible in the snow. From what I recall when I worked anyway.
Then he had lousy tires , did not know how to drive or both.
Here in Canada,Subarus is the brand of choice if you don’t want to get stuck somewhere. You also need 4 good winter tires like Bridgestone Blizzak WS80.
A common misunderstanding. FWD traction gets worse when the vehicle is asked to go uphill. RWD gets better. I’m not sure which Troy and Jackson are involved - but if uphill traction is an issue on that route, winter tires are a big improvement over all seasons. If, say, Jackson Hole WY type terrain is encountered, there will be times when chains will be needed for a few hours.
You can keep that theory . My neighbors rear wheel drive Tahoe will not get up his driveway in snow but my front wheel drive Fiesta can stop halfway up and then still get up to garage .
Just how steep does the hil have to be to even make a weight shift of any measurable amount?
There are many factors. F/R weight distribution, design and condition of tires, 4WD vs AWD vs FWD vs RWD, etc. In general, RWD does better uphill than FWD if all other factors are the same. But there are many factors.
Here in Duluth, MN my FWD Honda with winter tires has problems uphill in snow while other vehicles with unknown drive trains and tires do OK. Happened Saturday 11PM. Without winter tires when new, my car was even worse. Lots of AWD Subarus in these parts - maybe for good reason.
There are some pretty serious hills in Duluth, do cars going up or downhill have right of way at a 4 way stop? I was told that when I lived there as a kid in the 60’s. Favorite joke, Swede checking with bus driver, Does dis bus go to dulut? Bus driver, no it goes beep beep like all the other busses.