rafiki Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kathy in MD Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Our T&C has FWD with traction control. The traction control has come in handy since only one of the front tires needs grip to pull the car forward. I've needed it on occasion. It also is less expensive than 4wd to maintain and gets better gas milage. so you might see if you can get that option, or something similar. I've never had AWD to compare it with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohsmom23 Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 I also have a Chrysler Town & Country with front wheel drive and traction control. It gets around well enough in snow, but definitely not as well as the AWD SUV I had prior to getting my van. I definitely don't feel as comfortable driving my van in the snow as I did the SUV. We've gotten our van and car (also front wheel drive) stuck in the driveway more than once. We've NEVER gotten stuck in the driveway with our AWD SUV and dh's 4WD truck. That salesman was telling you a line of BS when he insisted you can't tell a difference between the two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loupelou Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 I also have a Chrysler Town & Country with front wheel drive and traction control. It gets around well enough in snow, but definitely not as well as the AWD SUV I had prior to getting my van. I definitely don't feel as comfortable driving my van in the snow as I did the SUV. We've gotten our van and car (also front wheel drive) stuck in the driveway more than once. We've NEVER gotten stuck in the driveway with our AWD SUV and dh's 4WD truck. That salesman was telling you a line of BS when he insisted you can't tell a difference between the two. :iagree: We have a FWD van and it's horrible in the snow and ice. Definitely go for the AWD or 4WD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 Is there really that much of a difference? I've always driven front wheel drive. While they are good about keeping up wtih the roads here, if you are out during lake effect snow, it's challenging and dh, like the mailman, goes to work on time reguardless. We test drove the Toyota Sienna this weekend. They only had the fwd 7 passenger models, but have an 8 passenger in route, no AWD's to compare. The salesman tried to insist you can't tell a difference between front wheel drive and all wheel drive. Never having driven an all wheel drive, I don't know. Those who have all wheel drive, would you go back to front wheel drive? Is there an overwhelming difference in the snow between the two? Dh is fine with staying away from an SUV, but I'm afraid he'd be disappointed after having 4WD going to AWD or FWD? This will be our main family vehicle, but he will use it for work as well. BTW I was quite impressed with the amount of cargo room in the Sienna. I'm anxious to see the 8 passenger in person and see if the benefits of being able to seat three in the 2nd row outweigh the AWD option since I can't have both. I'm in the same boat (looking at a new car soon). I have always driven either RWD or FWD. I've decided I'm not giving up the gas mileage to go AWD. I live in Michigan, and learned to drive in the snow in a RWD big old RWD 1979 Ford LTD (squirrely!). I always managed to keep from getting stuck or get myself out (I learned a few tricks.). ETA: These were the days before traction control or ABS. No second chances! Have you looked at a Chevy Traverse? It starts at 28k and does offer an AWD in the line-up somewhere. It also seats 8 and with the 2nd and 3rd row seats folded down you can get a 4 x 8 sheet of plywood in there. LOTS of cargo room even with all the seats up. I'm 99.99% sure that's what we're getting--and I've never even looked at Chevy before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannqn Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 All wheel or four wheel drive is best in the snow...just don't forget that you can still slide. Next comes rear wheel drive. Then front wheel drive with traction control. Finally, the worst is front wheel drive. Oh, and manual is better than automatic transmission. You can use the manual transmission to rock yourself out of being stuck better than you can with a manual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rose in BC Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 We don good winter tires by the end of October until the end of April and have had no troubles whatsoever. Previously we had a Ford awd van that drove wonderfully in snow but honestly, I don't notice any difference driving our Sienna. I think the tires play an important role. BTW our Sienna is probably the best vehicle we've ever owned. Love, love, love it. We bought it slightly used (1 year old) and have no problems with it three years later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 In a very snowy climate, I'd definitely go for AWD rather than the extra seat. AWD doesn't help on ice, but it does make a difference on snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizzyBee Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 All wheel or four wheel drive is best in the snow...just don't forget that you can still slide. Next comes rear wheel drive. Then front wheel drive with traction control. Finally, the worst is front wheel drive. Oh, and manual is better than automatic transmission. You can use the manual transmission to rock yourself out of being stuck better than you can with a manual. Actually, FWD is much better than RWD in snow. When I lived up north, we could always pick out the RWD cars because they were the ones that couldn't make it up a hill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I also have a Chrysler Town & Country with front wheel drive and traction control. It gets around well enough in snow, but definitely not as well as the AWD SUV I had prior to getting my van. I definitely don't feel as comfortable driving my van in the snow as I did the SUV. We've gotten our van and car (also front wheel drive) stuck in the driveway more than once. We've NEVER gotten stuck in the driveway with our AWD SUV and dh's 4WD truck. That salesman was telling you a line of BS when he insisted you can't tell a difference between the two. __________________ :iagree: I slid backwards down a long hill once and couldn't get up my (small) hill a few times with FWD minivan - neither has ever never happened with my 4WD. Traction control and ABS isn't all it's cracked up to be either. The most important, IMO, is relatively new snow tires (Hakkepelittas). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarlaS Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 The most important, IMO, is relatively new snow tires (Hakkepelittas). Absolutely! I was a relatively inexperienced (barely out of my teens) driver of a 1978 Mustang II. With good snow tires and a little weight in the back (6 @ 40lb. bags of salt) that thing would go through anything. It had great ground clearance--something sorely lacking in todays cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 We have snow tires and front wheel drive. Our area is just out of the mountains and we do well. Many people in the mountains use awd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 We have a Toyota Sequoia and it does fine in very snowy conditions. I do still get stuck once in a while but we do live in an extreme area. For example we need to hire someone to run a CAT up and down our road a few times each winter. I like the height of the Sequoia as well as the 4wd. The height plus studded tires serve us well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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