littlegirlbunny - MemberCaptainFlashheart - Member
Old school Fiat Panda 4x4.
*nods*
...and very good for getting through moderate floodwater as well
*knows through experience of driving one with the water lapping up over the bonnet*
F-reg fiats are where it's at, clearly
Not for nothing are they the second most popular car on the Falklands.
i have a 9 yr old diesel clio...it seems to go better than audi quatros...i have tried to get it stuck but it just seems to keep going... i can stop on hills and reverse back up to people who are stuck trying to get up them...but if u want to spend up to 25k and u want a family car..maybe a 4wd jag x type or a subaru imprezza.
i ment to say legacy...
Another vote for a Scoobie for snow performance, I had a legacy and it had excellent traction plus a very strong car to boot.
BUT
You will pay for it the rest of the year in low MPG, I dont know what the new diesel ones are like.....
Outback Boxer Diesel 2.0L AWD
Long A9 journey 50+mpg... Average bombing around town/short trips 36mpg
scotabroad paying for what?
Or....drive a blandobox VW TDI that doesnt steer/handle the best? 
Just bought a second set of wheels with Vredestein Snowtrac tyres to go on a 1.2 Clio. Not got them yet but bored with the idea that I have to study the weather (impossible) and consider only the main roads (where all the wallys are) when going out. Sure they cost a bit but they'll last 4-5 winters with some resale value if the car is sold - its just piece of mind. Cheaper than a new set of Fox forks that I don't need.
Toyo snowprox tyres?
plenty threads on what tyres on winterhighland.com
ive had a panda, polo, 3 clios , yaris , civic 2.2d and an impreza 2.0
all the small cars with narrow tyres were ace
the Civic is too powerful and needs care in the snow, winter tyres would transform it
tried a CRV, not bad even on normal tyres
the scooby was the best by far ..and should be, it had 4wd and a low range transfer box
regulars at glenshee tend to have full on 4x4's or foresters with all season tyres
if i could buy tomorrow it'd be one of these weapons
allroads quattro, forrester turbo diesel, CRV Diesel
all with winter tyres 
if i was to buy again it'd be a 2.0d forester suretrak, chipped and shod with winter tyres
scotabroad paying for what?
The clue is in the post:
in low MPG
Petrol scoobies are not known for good fuel consumption.
I misposted scotabroad. I was thinking 'yes but you get a lovely sorted car' and only typed 'paying for what'?!
Massey Fergusson 4365, could be awesome on spraying wheels, but they'd just break where we've been going - been getting a drift on dragging out trees
was sent home in one of the Land Rovers so I could take everyone in tomorrow, my mondeo is fine, but struggles with my drive of pack ice, which also makes parking tricky as everything just slides, looking for a non-existent flat spot
how do you overcome the auto holding on to gears to much higher RPMs than is ideal for snow driving?
Overtook a couple of people today in my big torquey diesel (only 195 tyres though, which probably don't count as wide nowadays, but neither are they narrow). They were doing ~10mph on roads where 30 was reasonable. The third person I tried it on sped up once I'd gingerly crossed the middle of the road. Also made it up the hill on our housing estate with no problems where other people were getting stuck. The trick of course being that just like an auto, it's only torquey if you press that right hand pedal too much.
anything with a land rover badge.
Landrover Defender 110. Nothing better (excluding all the fantasy stuff that is not really practical being shown above).
tractor? Quad bike? Been driving around at work on one of these:
been alot of fun, and perfect for the snow!
My Berlingo (2.0 Hdi) is performing very well with Vredstein Snowtrac2 tyres. The only limiting factor is the depth of snow, as too much under the car lifts the chassis and reduces traction. I reckon it'll cope with 8" of snow.
NOT an RX8. It's completely the wrong combination of Rear Wheel Drive, Fat tyres, low torque (so starting off in 2nd requires loads of revs, which defies the point).
Wifes Micra in the background has been doing sterling service however. There's something in this light FWD concept.
As troutwrestler is pointing out its the tyres not the car that make the difference as they are the only part in contact with the road.
nah you want ken blocks rally car sod studded tyres. [img]http://www.likecool.com/Car/Other/Ken Blocks TRAX STI Car/Ken-Blocks-TRAX-STI-Car.jpg[/img]
put it in on youtube and see for yourself
LOL Dan67 thats made my eve.
Regarding car/off road make sure its 4 wheel drive if not rear wheel drive. A manual gear box will be better for pulling away and getting
traction up hill.
Il go for a Toyota Land Cruiser or the Land Rover
But go for Toyota first.
Subaru wins, capable in the snow, and drives like a proper car the rest of the time.
What tyres for?.....
I drive this, it's about %100 more reliable, as capable, and cheaper to run and maintain than any of the landies I had before
My "fake" 4x4 new shape Honda CRV 2.2 diesal has been excellent in the snow and ice.
It came with Conti Contacts 4x4's which I think are an all round kinda tyre.
Defining moment when my cousin slid into a tree with a Land Rover defender when driving down a country lane which was like a sheet of glass and my CRV jusr lapped it up, although I think his fatal mistake was touching the brakes.
Octavia scout with all season tyres will be just grand. Make sure the tyres aren't stupidly wide also.
or as the previous guy said - the wildcat :p
Apparently a hovercraft is a good way to go:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8443943.stm
Presumably not that great on steep hills though
My 110 Landrover is boringly OK. Got a 2.8 Isuzu motor in it. Our Suzuki Jimny is great even with not much more than road tyres and herself's new Suzuki Alto has had no problems. Maybe front wheel drive, no power, skinny tyres and traction control has helped. Here in the FOD most of the roads have not been gritted or ploughed and they all sound very crunchy now.
I want more snow.
That Ken Block Scoob is ace, I was going to suggest the Skoda Octavia Scout, my olds have got one, brilliant car, works well. Clarkson in The Times suggested it was a better car than either the Audi A6 or A4 AllRoads.
Try setting off in the RX8 in 1st and you will find it will go no problem, if not a little sideways.
As was said earlier the 4x4 Panda and C15 vans are the ski bums preferred choice in the Alps. I've owned both and with their tall skinny tyres are pretty unstoppable in snow. My 4motion VW van at the mo' is earning it's keep in our neck of the woods.
A LOT sideways, is what I am finding
Wifes Micra in the background has been doing sterling service however. There's something in this light FWD concept.
You have no snow that's why.
I've got stuck in the snow in the following vehicles.
Here ends the list.
There are better cars than others for sure but the driver of course goes along way towards it. There's a are to driving on snow, it's not too difficult if your sensible.
Land Rover Defender with proper tyres must take some beating.
Just had my day made by the sight of a 59 reg VW Tuareg struggling where all the 'everyday, cars were coping fine.
I've got stuck in the snow in the following vehicles.
Here ends the list.
You don't fancy popping over to Wylam and digging my wife out do you Drac? 
impreza has been fantastic in rural cumbria. ice , snow, slush, steep hills, fully snowed up back country lanes verges etc etc
no snow chains/socks or winter tyres.
the extra ground clearance of a forrester i guess would have been good at times.
I drive up to the ski resorts weekly (actually, a bit more at the moment) and have been driving subaru impreza's for years. I had 2005 legacy at one stage which was also excellent. All with winter tyres and I've never had a problem, even ploughing through snowdrifts higher than the bonnet. The WRX was fine starting at -16'C the other night and has great features for cold weather driving such as heated headlight washers and windscreen wiper heat sections on the windscreen. The symmetric 4WD system is low centre of gravity and has no torque steer - it also has a viscous coupling that diverts power to wheels that aren't slipping.
The turbo engine is powerful and great for towing out BMW X5's that seem to always get stuck or fall off the road.
your 25k will get you a top of the range Subaru Impreza STi or a really good Legacy. They do diesels now but I've not tried them.
If you on a lower budget; you can get an ideal ski car for 2k: a 2000 subaru legacy or an old shape subaru Forrester are bomb proof and excellent bang-for-buck.
You don't fancy popping over to Wylam and digging my wife out do you Drac?
I'm off for 2 weeks now and not venturing far at all, unless of course I called in. 
Following on from a previous post of mine
Just bought a second set of wheels with Vredestein Snowtrac tyres to go on a 1.2 Clio. Not got them yet, they're now on the Clio and initial impressions are they're flippin brilliant for stopping, starting, going and steering. Well happy. Will leave the bonnet high snowdrifts to the Forester drivers though.
I'm off for 2 weeks now and not venturing far at all, unless of course I called in.
LOL, very wise!
She's been snowed in for two days now, but I'll be home tomorrow night anyway so looks like I'll be spending the weekend digging the car out
land rovers arent the best in some types of snow.i have pulled out of our carpark most days over the past 3 weeks without one bit of trouble.. the guy i work with had probs one day and was spinning even with big monster treads.
no matter what car or truck you have,the diameter,width,tread pattern and compound are the first things to be looking into to get grip.
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