Looking around ski resorts, it would appear to be this;
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The new ones look pretty awesome, too;
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However, can I have one these, please?
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E class Mercedes estates and Focii came out worst on the other thread, so what's the best car in the snow?
I'm going to disagree with the latter, I've accomplished some feats of stupidity in mine on summer tyres (admittedly rainexperts), front engine front wheel drive, what's not to like?
Our old A6 with M+S tyres. Now our Disco 2 with ATs on it.
I'm really impressed with my Octavia 4x4 especially on winter tyres.
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8369/8399511026_3cc4254a09_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/66452821@N00/8399511026/ ]Skoda 1, Army Truck 0[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/66452821@N00/ ]ritcheyp20[/url], on Flickr
Wor lasses Fabia proves that lightweight on skinny winter tyres is pretty unstoppable too.
I'm sure the Xantia is front handbrake as it allows the rear swingarm to move when you're altering the suspension height
The works Focus estates (RRV Paramedic) prove that winter tyres make a massive difference. With the weight in the boot, they're fairly useless in the snow
Never had much trouble getting about in my old mk1 Ka
Mini with skinny tyres.
Steer with the handbrake 🙂
Dacia Duster becoming popular in ski resorts.
ZX is conventional rear handbrake. Rear disc models, like many small cars with rear discs that are for hydraulic and mechanical brake, are terrible. b r - they are not separate calipers. Separate calipers like you get on bigger cars with a drum/disc (drum for handbrake, disc for hydraulics) don't have the slipping problem and the handbrake never really wears out if you only apply it when stationary.
Back on topic though...yes any car with winter tyres and job done.
But I have been impressed by Peugeot 106s in the snow. But that is just because they are a small light car with narrow tyres.
I'd like to pick up a Lada Niva for driving around in winter though. You can get them in Russia with the Peugeot 2 litre HDI engine as used in the 306 etc and you could get them with the old 1.9 turbo diesel. Stick a bosch pump on one of those and you can run it on straight veg for nice cheap running.
Any Saab I've ever owned - and there have been a few..........
My Mk IV Golf GTI seemed bizarrely good. It had many things that made you think it shouldn't be - low profile, wide tyres, low clearance, lots of power to only two wheels, but if you started off in 2nd or 3rd and were gentle, it would go almost anywhere - also behaved very well beyond the edges of traction too. That said, all my cars I've driven in anger in the snow (MkV Escort, late model 306 and a MkIII Mondeo) coped fine in hilly, snowy Snowdonia.
Worst, by a country mile, was a MkIII Focus hire car I picked up from the airport. That's the only car I've ever driven that got stuck, absolutely fast, on a flat piece of road (on my parents' street, en route to theirs to pick up a shovel for just such an eventuality!). It took three of us to shift it even after digging. ****ing awful.
Mrs Gti's diesel Citroen C1 was brilliant in snow as it has narrow tyres and the engine over the driving wheels. It's also quite short and has a sharp handbrake so does good handbrake turns. Fitted with winter tyres it was unstoppable.
Haven't had a chance to test her new Ibiza on snow yet but I've fitted Avon Ice Touring tyres and they look amazing.
I've got a 3.0 V6 Jaguar x-type saloon which is AWD, even with summer tyres on its brilliant in the snow.
Seem to remember watching an old Jeremy Clarkson programme where he raced one against a skier down a ski run so should be good!
Edit:
Impreza Turbo on winter tyres. Unstoppable until it was actually pushing quite a depth of snow with the front bumper. Fantastic handling in the snow too, totally stable off boost and then becomes the easiest thing in the world to drive sideways when it comes on boost. On summer tyres it did surprisingly well but it's ability to get moving was not supported by an ability to stop reliably 😯
I built my Ex 2xGolf mk2 Syncros for her winter stays in Meribel, fitted with snow tyres it was unstoppable even in bumper deep snow.
Never needed chains (Although she had them) in 8 winters spent living above 1400m.
As its FWD until it needs the extra traction, it still behaves "Safely" at the limit of grip.
My Audi 90 Quattro (On snow tyres again)that I was using, was arguably more fun as you could lock the centre and rear diff, but you could also get into a lot of trouble with it as well. it was still a big lump with a lot of inertia and wasnt so easy to bring back again once it all started getting out of shape.
This winter I`ve been driving a 130i BMW..... 265hp and rwd. snow tyres meant I never got stuck and had a lot of fun.
Narrow Winter tyres have higher ground pressure and are the key to progress.
Limited slip Diffs, 4wd etc only help traction once you have grip, that is only provided by those 4 tiny tyre contact patches....
Look at tyre sizes on wrc cars in finland, or Andros trophy Ice racers in France....... 400+hp and 0-100mph in 4 seconds on sheet ice
Tyre tread widths are typically in the region of 135mm....... less than any poverty model shopping trolley standard tyres
Thats why things like 2cvs , Renault 4s etc were so good, narrow tyres, higher contact pressure 😉
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Trophy Val Thorens[/url]
I have a Peugeot 107 with skinny winter tyres, it is brilliant in the snow, much better than my Hyundai Santa-Fe 4x4
My Vito with winter tyres on is bloody good. But my cousin as a Impreza (nothing flash, little old ladies 2.0l est) with rally tyres off ebay.£500 car and tyres and insurance, unstoppable!
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[/img]My Mitsuibishi Colt 2006 1.1 saw me mobile with no issues through the winter of 09-10. Felt some uncharitable smugness as i passed a bufoon in his brand new Range Rover stuck over Glendevon in the Ochils.
My van (Trafic) wears winters all year round too, as it really is atrocious in the snow on normal tyres despite having all the weight directly over the front (Driven) wheels
+1 2CV unstoppable
Most fun I've had in the snow, left all the other cars.
I was the only car driving down the M4 slaloming along 🙂
My Landrover Defender TD5 on winter tyres. Unbelievable. I reckon I could get it up to the top of the first ski lift here.
Last week, we had a freeze/thaw spell and some horrendous ice formed around the resort. I parked my minibus up near the top of the resort, only to have it slide sideways (downhill) on ice into the car next to it.
I took the Defender up there, roped it up to the minibus, then pulled it sideways back up the hill to get it off the other car. Getting enough traction on the same ice that made the minibus slide in the first place!
mk1 fiesta was very good.
got a Zafira with winter tyres on now and nothing has stopped me for tha past 3 years.
As stated tyres are king, followed by a driver who is used to snow, the vehicle comes a distant last.
