Well I'm not sure I'm gonna buy a car just for snow…but I do need to get a new one this year so kinda curious what modestly priced cars (up to £25k?) would be good for winters. Is 4wd always the thing to go for? The Ford Kuga seems an OK all round car though I'm not really into SUVs. BTW, I'm most likely to get a Focus.

worry about tyres more than the car they are attached to.

Proper 4×4 (Range Rover/ Landcruiser) or something wee and light (Fiat 500/ Ford Ka).

DON'T go for a big torquey diesel with wide low profile tyres. They are shit in snow.

Old school Fiat Panda 4×4.

2nd the fiat-

this focus seems just the ticket 😉

Don't touch fake 4×4's if after something small, our Freelander TD auto hasn't been stopped so far – and just on standard (but recently replaced at £165 each!) Michelins.

Or just a set of steel wheels and winter tyres for whatever you buy.

2 CV with chains on was the best i ever drove 🙂 beat our landrover hands down,

old pug 205. Buth the fave of ski bums in the alps: old style 4 x 4 Panda.
My Citroen C15 van was pretty good too. Anything with narrow wheels.

I've been very happy with how my Aygo has handled it this and last winter, think the narrow tyres help.

Last year, when the snow hit North Wales, the Squadron were staying in an old converted barn way up the hill at CYB, beyond the Adams Family section. Lovely place, beautiful views. We awoke to a heavy snowfall, and the prospect of a drive back down the hill to the centre (On the way home straight after our ride, so we drove down).

Four cars in the Squadron at the time. Running order went as follows;
Tail end Charlie – Discovery II Series – There to pick up the pieces if anyone in front stuffed it up. Lumbered down the hill, totally unphased by what was happening. Slow and steady (As it always is! 😉 )
Middle of the formation – Astra Hatchback and a Volvo 850 saloon. They struggled to have any grip at all, and more slid down than drove down.
In the vanguard, yours truly in my 4WD V70. My inner rally driver took over, and I went a bit Finnish…. 😈

4×4 on snow is better, IMO. Just avoid anything rear wheel drive!

Not too sure what the tax or insurance group is though.

Its the ability of the driver…and skinny tyres 😉

mrmo – Member

worry about tyres more than the car they are attached to.

I'll 2nd that. My 4×4 was having a very hard time today yet the Ford Ka and Smart cars that I rent in the alps when skiing never have any problems in worse conditions than we have here as they're fitted with winter tyres.

In risk of getting abuse from german car haters, by Audi Estate quattro is great in the snow, although a bit scaring coming down a 1in 6 with sheet ice…yikes!

My old Ford KA was magnificent in the snow.

I've got an Old Lancruiser, with huge torquey 4.2 Diesel engine & it's fantastic, decent tyres make a huge difference on anything, I'm running Pirreli A/T's at the moment. Not the best on fuel though

modestly priced cars (up to £25k?)

[coughs] I'm poorer than I imagined.

Well my big torquie deisel Seat ibiza has been great in the snow. That also has big wide tyres…

However my dad's Audi is a joke (2.0 litre tdi)

You did say car. So I would recommend anything 4×4, such as Volvo XC90/Audi Allroad/Saab also do one (which will be cheap now)

t-p 26 – Member

Its the ability of the driver…and skinny tyres

What am I doing here again – Member

2 CV with chains on was the best i ever drove beat our landrover hands down,

100% I drove a 2cv in snow and it was suprisingly good – soft power so easy to keep traction 🙂 Big diameter skinny wheels. weighs half of nothing

Yep – small and non-powerful is good. Of course you can mimic the non-powerful bit by just driving super gently. Any car is rubbish if you keep booting the pedals. If the wheels spin then go more easy – do not put your foot down more.

Round here there are a lot of big 4x4s and virtually without exception the drivers forget that their cars are two or three times heavier and have totally unsuitable tyres – better off in any old hatch.

XC90 anybody – one going cheap here (might have to page thru the pics)

http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/Picture-perfect-weather-takes-its.5952964.jp

I found these good in Canada:

Probably get a half decent one for a $5k at http://www.snowmobiletraderonline.com 😀

Only problem with my 2CV in the snow was cold hands because of poor heater and countless drafts.

My choice would, therefore, would be an Audi ur-Quattro or any quattro of that generation. There's just something about it them that gets better the worse the conditions get.

This:

Saw one of these the other day in Italia, minus gun holder I might add.

It had plates on, so assume it was road legal, in Italy at least! Looked great fun!

Lix toll special:

Toyo Proxes T1 RAre certainly an acquired tasted in the snow – but made the trip into work this morning in the C2 (VTS) – VW passat estate is very good in the snow – not had any problems – not even attempting Sutton Bank (North Yorks) in the snow on New years Eve

http://ktrakcycle.com/

well living in the sticks, on a big sporting estate with private, untreated roads leading to hilly irregularly treated roads and a foot of snow that has been lying for two weeks (and now packed down to 3" of ice) heres the observations from me and my neighbours cars:

My Sprinter – wholly useless
I hired a diesel focus with traction control as a substitute run about – I was pretty desparate too, required quad-bike assistance where the Golf and Leon below got out with the odd shove. I only planned to hire it for a day, it took me another 2 days to be able to get it back.

My sister in laws M reg Legacy – 4 wheel drive and narrow tyres – excellent, but could still require a push from stationary on soft snow.

My GF's 2005 Seat Leon basic spec – pretty decent, never got into more trouble than a quick push would solve

Neighbour No1's 07 Vectra – one night sleeping on a strangers floor just 8 miles from home and several enegetic sessions pushing and shovelling it up the castle drive, some of which had to be aborted
Neighbour No1's 08 Audi A4 – big wide tyres, waited till the snow was packed down before he even tried to move it

Neighbour No2's New Golf fairly basic spec – as good as the Seat, better than the focus

Neighbour No 3's Big new Audi estate with huge tyres…. she never brought it onto the estate for two weeks, it was in trouble within yards, so opted to dig a parking space for it beside the road walk the last 1/4 mile instead

The Groundsman's Ford Fiesta tall thing – pretty capable

His Lordship's car of choice over a rangerover and BMW 3 Series Coupe…. An 03 Passat Estate, he's a racing driver though, I don't think the RR would have been enough fun, or perhaps he was happier to risk smashing up the Passat

But the outright winner, was the young lass in the flat with a Mark 2 Micra that has been wholly oblivious to the snow and ice through out – deep snow, compacted slush, solid bumpy ice – its never need so much as a push from the outset

So – front wheel drive, light car with the skinniest tyres you can find is the answer.

Shame nobody makes them anymore.

I have Toyo Proxes T1 R on my Puma and found them poor going up a snowey slope – I do like the idea of a spare set of wheels with snow tyres if they make a significant amount of difference.

my subaru legacy has been very impressive, low ratio gear box is great at keeping speeds down on slopes – 1st gear low ratio, crawl at a couple of mph downhill.

think about reserving some of your 25k for a set of steel wheels and winter tyres.

The thing is, we're shooting the horse after the gate has been bolted. There haven't been conditions like this around here for 20 years, probably won't be again for at least as long, any concessions I make now – change of vehicle, buy different tyres or chains – I'll never use them as intended. The time to buy them would have been 3 weeks ago.

My sister in laws M reg Legacy – 4 wheel drive and narrow tyres – excellent, but could still require a push from stationary on soft snow.

Is it an auto? My Foz is fantastic even on fresh snow.

I am wondering now- Why I want to sell it?!

not really, winter tyres are a safer option all winter in cold and wet conditions.

hmm, THIS!

think about reserving some of your 25k for a set of steel wheels and winter tyres.

I am not intending to spend anything like that much but just curious as to what might be considered – the Kuga seems like a practical 4wd car but would need a good reason for going for it over a Focus.

Pleased with my Subaru Forester. Good on snowy roads plus I've been off road on muddy, icy tracks. I've got 'standard' tyres, Goodyear Dualers.

JUST TAKEN ME 2 HOURS TO DO ABOUT 10 MILES, SEEMS TO ME THAT IT'S NOT CARS THAT ARE THE PEOBLEM BUT A HANDFULL OF COMPLETELY INCOMPETANT DRIVERS WHO DRIVE AT 5 MPH AS SOON AS THEY SEE ANYTHING OTHER THAN DRY TARMAC AND THINK THE ART TO PULLING AWAY IS TO APPLY 6000 REVS AND DUMP THE CLUTCH. SORRY FOR SHOUTING BUT IT PISSES ME RIGHT OFF.

i used this when i lived in the US
Toyota 4runner – most fun 'car' ive ever owned!