Snow and best cars for coping (non-4x4s and cheap)

[vizsla]

There is no substitute for a 4wd, I was towing people up hills that nothing else could get up without even the slightest wheelspin when we had bad snow the other day
A lot of it is the driver and people seem to think going balls out at it will get you through but it just doesnt work.
If you dont want a proper 4x4 my parents have got a subaru forester which is excellent in the snow even on road tyres, subaru legacy is also AWD and I bet you can pick then up for around £1k.
I like my disco though

Good choice mate iv got a 3dr the same but green awesome in the snow

 

[Adze]

Good choice mate iv got a 3dr the same but green awesome in the snow

Seconded (thirded?). I've got one of these:

...but a 1994 Golf 1.9 Tdi has done us proud this winter - well under £500 to buy and tyres are £5 a pop (literally) from the local breakers. 60mpg average unless you drive it like you stole it when you'll get around 55mpg and a bit of a tardis when it comes to fitting stuff in it.

 

[plastic-ninja]

Until July 2011 I had a Citroen Relay lwb panel van which was unexpectedly brilliant on snow.
It coped with all the heavy snows of 2010/11 without ever getting stuck.
I reckon lots of it is about how you drive rather than what you are in though as I have seen many 4x4s
sliding around on low profile tyres this year!!! Why would you?
Simon

 

[treefrog]

My Subaru Outback with Nokian WR G2 winter tyres hasn't let me down yet.
….but then I've several winters worth of driving in Norway too.

 

[Nonsuch]

On a front- or all-wheel drive car, winter tyres will solve nearly all problems. They even help substantially on rear-wheel drive cars. A four-wheel drive car or truck on fast low-profile summer tyres will probably be useless. I have my winter tyres on Oct-March, as they are better than summer tyres in colder temperatures, not just below zero and not just when there is snow and ice. The car also stops a lot faster (10m they say depending on speed).

My "European" friends think we are all nuts in the UK buying expensive 4X4s then driving them around in the winter with low profile summer road tyres and expecting them to grip, when all they do is put winter tyres on their VW Golf.

 

[Old Pa]

Over the past 30 years, the biggest improver of winter traction and vehicle handling I've found had been winter tires. These have compounds for the cold and should not be run over 10C or so. A set of spare steel wheels for most vehicles shouldn't be too expensive. Presently, I've got a set of Michelin X-Ices on a 2010 Subaru 3.6L Outback. This is the best combination I've ever driven here in the Northwoods. BTW, the EvoX is parked until Spring.

 

[demographic]

On a front- or all-wheel drive car, winter tyres will solve nearly all problems. They even help substantially on rear-wheel drive cars. A four-wheel drive car or truck on fast low-profile summer tyres will probably be useless. I have my winter tyres on Oct-March, as they are better than summer tyres in colder temperatures, not just below zero and not just when there is snow and ice. The car also stops a lot faster (10m they say depending on speed).

My "European" friends think we are all nuts in the UK buying expensive 4X4s then driving them around in the winter with low profile summer road tyres and expecting them to grip, when all they do is put winter tyres on their VW Golf.

Yup, that one amuses me also. People worry about getting snowed in cos they live two foot six off the motorway then they buy four wheel drives with low profile tyres which are crap on pretty much most things other than dry.
Plusthey are afraid of touching a rock with the wheel cos they have expensive alloys.