The learn to drive comments really annoy me. I got stuck trying to get out of my drive to my flat a few years back, car would move forward but also slid sideways towards a post due to the camber of the road and depth of snow. Car to the left mean I couldn’t go further left. Car only came out of there when I’d dug out that whole corner and got a push along the rest – no idea how I’d have got out with different driving style, tried first and second, second first attempt with low revs creeping along. Nothing stopped it sliding towards the post – few days later with similar snow fall and winter fronts it drove straight out. Could go hunting snow rather than avoid it. The ice patch everyone got stuck on one day was easy too – even towed a stuck van off it.
At one point I had two different Volvos, an auto T5-R with fairly sporty tyres and a manual diesel V70 with normal tyres. Drove the T5 round to my sisters and got stuck on a hill that I couldn’t believe I got stuck on, sharp turn across another lane on to it then straight up, still not enough snow to get stuck. Drove home, got the other one and drove straight up it in second with low revs – different cars, different drivetrains and different tyres can make massive differences.
Have had on at least one car/van since trying them. Not sure what to do this winter though, got a set for the Transit that’ll go on shortly but have recently got a Forester which has 4×4. Transit was pretty amazing last winter but the Foz with winters should be better still.