Considering getting a used minivan, and never having driven one in the winter, I'm wondering how well a fwd minivan performs, as I really prefer the awd legacy to a fwd car platform. I have my doubts, but a few people have told me that with the heavy front and good snows that they work well. If this is true, it opens up the selection by quite a bit, especially since I like the Honda Odyssey. Otherwise I'd be limited to the AWD which is makes it a bit more difficult.
Those are pretty different vehicles, each with its merits and demerits. So it's hard to compare and decide. What's your biggest criterion?
Until recently, I've been driving Saabs for many years. They are super in snow, especially with four snow tires. After all, they are from Sweden. My guess is that my Subaru will be better. My old snows will fit the Subaru.
Where are you? An Odyssey might suit you fine. It sounds like you'd rather have the room that a minivan affords. Am I right?
I have had both. I live on a very steep narrow curvy road in the snowbelt. It is often glazed or snowcovered in winter and has grade sections of 10 and
11%.
Results:
Ford Aerostar AWD Alway made it on all season tires Massive carrying capacity Dodge Grand Caravan FWD Worthless until I put studded snows on it. Great carrying capacity, quiet, comfortable w. rear heat/AC Subaru Forester Auto AWD Alway made it on all season tires Limited cargo, great maneuverability, heater slow to warm Subaru WRX 5 Sp Went everywhere on Speed rated tires Forget the cargo, enjoy the ride; great heater
A lot depends where you live, how far you drive, and how often you expect bad weather.
Last winter we put studded snows all around on the Forester--now it will climb a tree!! Actually we wanted more stopping power on steep glazed downhill rides. We also have an 04 Malibu FWD auto with traction control. With snows on it it does fine stopping and going on our hill.
A minivan with traction control and snow tires should do fine on any road as long as the snow isn't massively deep.
I was not as clear in my post as I could have been -guess I shouldn't be composing things late at night! I currently have an 01 legacy wagon w hakapallitas (sp?) in winter and need more passenger space and cargo room than subaru's provide. We do a lot of skiing so winter handling is important as we tend to go when the weather is poor. Mainly eastern Ont and western Que.
Its been a while since I've had a fwd car, and some performed well and others poor. A while back I had to disable the awd on my legacy due to a soft tire and it gave me a reminder of how much better the awd handles in rain and snow. I'm wondering how much of a performance hit I'd be taking with a FWD minivan given the weight distribution is much different from a car platform. If I were to go awd, it seems that toyota is the only good choice, but a used awd Sienna is hard to find and pricey. A fwd Odyssey or Sienna would be a lot easier to get and cheaper. I'd like to keep the price down, but by the same token spend what is necessary -that's why I originally got a legacy and not an Outback.
The Ody is OK but damn, get rid of the OEM Bridgestone tires if it still has them on there, they are lousy in the winter (and rain, and dry pavement, etc.) Never tired it with snows on the front but I did find that the traction control to be more of a pain than anything. Since the Bridgestones were lousy, the traction control did absolutely nothing. I found myself turning it off and letting the tires spin for that gradual movement.
When all is said and done, I still prefer the subie over the van in the snow. Just realize that with AWD if you give too much gas the rear end can lose traction and will swing out just like a RWD vehicle. BUT unlike RWD you still get the forward motion when you let up on the throttle.
I know this is an old thread, but I am new to the group.
I just purchased a used Outback and still own an 04 Odyssey. The Honda is okay in the snow and ice, but my driveway is steep and I had to blow it before we made it up. I also have an old 4x4 PU and it went up fine. I am betting that the Subaru will far exceed the winter capabilities of the Honda, but there is no question that the Honda has a tremendous amount of room compared to the Subaru.
We constantly praise the Honda for all the versatility that it offers us. We went for a ride today in the Subaru and definitely noticed how much less room there is in the Subaru. Chances are if we are in NEED of travel on VERY bad roads, it will be the Subaru, but all other cases will be the Honda.
As said by someone else, you need to really weigh your needs and make a decision and understand that there will be sacrifice with either. If I had to choose one for my needs, I would choose the Honda. If it is really that bad, I just won't go or I will plan ahead and leave early. One more note. The Honda does just as well as any other FWD vehicle I have driven. We did drive in much snow and didn't really have an issue.
Have you tried backing up the drive in the Honda?(puts more weight on the driving wheels - not much help on ice but maybe enough with snow?) Also, you may be a good candidate for the new Subaru Tribeca van!
I do not own a Ody, but have driven many FWD vehicles without snows on the front. Driving backward up the hill does not help as you have no control over the direction, you can turn the steering wheel going backwards however the the tail end will not respond to the direction as the driving wheels are already overloaded with trying to move the car backwards that it does not have the ability to really dicate which direction the tail end will go, ie too much is being done already by those front wheels.
FWD are > Have you tried backing up the drive in the Honda?(puts more weight on
I think next time my family takes a road trip, we will rent a minivan. I rented one when I was car shopping in March, and my kids loved it.
Renting is yet another way of "having it all". The Subaru is versatile, but it's not that comfortable for long trips. But I see no sense in buying a function I don't use often.
Just saw your post, and this is actually what I may do for the time being. The legacy suits a lot of my needs, and makes due for a bit more. For the remainder I might just suffer or rent as required. It's tough to justify changing vehicles when there isn't one that makes me really want to dump the subie yet.
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