Recommended 4WD/AWD Car or Truck for Mountain Livin'

[oldmandave]

Hi All!

I'll be moving to the area in September, and I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good AWD or 4WD car or truck for winter mountain livin'? I know my current car won't cut it.

Thanks!
OldManDave

[Tony]

Depending on where your house actually is, you may not need AWD. Here near Mission we certainly would get very little use out of it.

[chipgallo]

We have 3 Subaru AWD cars that get around in all conditions except ice. Abandon the idea of driving on the mountain immediately after an ice event. There is also good service and support for Subarus in the area.

[LazerFlash]

We have 3 Subaru AWD cars that get around in all conditions except ice. Abandon the idea of driving on the mountain immediately after an ice event. There is also good service and support for Subarus in the area.

I second Chip's recommendation. Our Subaru Forester went places I wouldn't even consider going in my Nissan Titan.

[c_and_j]

i love my ford f150 and the gas station does also

[itsapyr]

We have 2 ford escapes and would buy another

[Lvethemtn]

We have Nissan's. Mine is a Pathfinder and my husband has a Juke. Both have been great in most of the conditions we have faced up on the mountain. I previously had a Nissan Rogue AWD which also was terrific in heavy snow and icy conditions. But like others have said, it depends on where you are on the mountain. Some folks need chains with their 4 x 4's.

[cindylu]

Yeah, any idea whereabouts your new home?? That will be very helpful in scanning this site for road issues others have had.

[derricksonb]

As previously stated know where your residence is located will be helpful in determining what type of vehicle you will need as well as what your other needs may be including what type of heat you'll be using in the winter (Firewood?) or if you'll need to pull a trailer for tractors/lawn equipment or building materials.

We live off of Johnnycake in the Gate 2 area and I have rarely if ever needed anything more than front wheel drive to get in and out during the winter with the exception of a few blizzards. We have had two vehicles in the past with FWD/AWD and found that the added cost of maintenance and lower fuel efficiency coupled with higher insurance doesn't make sense so when it snows we stay home and take vacation days or telecommute.

That being said I fully support the suggestion of looking into a Subaru. We had a Legacy 2.5 GT that handled well in all types of weather and got me home in unplowed conditions with 10+ inches covering the road.

[KatherineA]

I was absolutely shocked and amazed at how good and stable my 2007 Kia Sorento was/is on snow and how much it will go through. However, the next car I buy will like be a subaru as I've seen so many around here and everyone has great things to say about them.

[faithwalk]

We are also looking at new AWD and 4x4's. Has anyone here had experience with Hyundai Tuscan or Santa Fe's? They have a great 10 year warranty that i keep thinking would be nice. We also have a Subaru Outback which is great with gas mileage too...just not quite enough legroom for my tall hubby!

[chipgallo]

Subaru has a long experience with all wheel drive design. Their "boxer" engine is reliable and easy to maintain. I prefer the Legacy style but we got an Impreza for the daughter to use at WVU and it still benefits from the AWD and nimble front end.

Sharrett over in Hagerstown has a continually changing inventory of used and new Subies. My interactions with the sales team have been positive. I would, however, use a local mechanic and am liking JK Precision Auto Care in Ranson these days.

[Chutney Daftcraft]

Subaru FTW!

Also, you don't *need* to drive an AWD vehicle all the time. I have a front-wheel drive Scion that I primarily drive. I also have a Jeep Cherokee that I drive when conditions require it. You can get a used Jeep Cherokee rather cheap if you look. I don't recommend driving one every day because the gas bill will eclipse your mortgage around these parts. Also, there are places you can park in the winter down below, so you could drive your cheap SUV down and switch out vehicles. There are many options you could do.

[derricksonb]

We are also looking at new AWD and 4x4's. Has anyone here had experience with Hyundai Tuscan or Santa Fe's? They have a great 10 year warranty that i keep thinking would be nice. We also have a Subaru Outback which is great with gas mileage too...just not quite enough legroom for my tall hubby!

Hyundai Tucson or Sante Fe is the same as the KIA Sorrento and KIA Sportage. The 100K mile warranty is nice if you only plan on driving the vehicle 10K miles a year or can take the extreme depreciation on the value of the vehicles which are still considered throw away vehicles by most consumers. Keep in mind that I have had 7 KIAs over the past 13 years and while mechanically they are tanks the depreication values are what convinced me to purchase a Toyota and a Honda. Also the Hyundai/KIA dealers are not willing to negotiate the interest rates on their vehicles where as Toyota has 0% and Honda is .9% onn select models. The KIA's also don't have much legroom for me and I'm not exactly a tall guy at just shy of 6'. My wifes Honda Civic SI Coupe has more legroom than my midsized KIA Optima.

[LFE]

The types of tires you use also make a huge difference.
Chains can make up for lack of great tires... and can even help when good tires are no help!

Now, if you really want something that will get you just about everywhere... its really hard to bet one of these babies:
Unimog - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[LazerFlash]

When we had the last massive snow dump (2010?), we were trying to sell a house up on Wren's View. I was able to get up to that house with our Forester the day after the second storm ended. I doubt that the Titan would have made it on that trip - even in 4WLO - primarily because it would have been just too wide for the path that had been cleared. That said, the Titan is a nice, heavy truck and has plenty of traction/power to deal with winter driving (not ice). The biggest problem I have with the Titan is that it's a gas-guzzler. We only use it for its cargo abilities.

How old is your Outback? Subaru recently redesigned the passenger compartment in the Outbacks and Foresters, offering more legroom in the front of the cabin, by raising the seats a bit. If you haven't looked at the current models on the showroom, I would suggest it.

[Pat_13]

Yes, depends on where you live.

I am at the top and have a Toyota Tacoma 4X4 with chains for all four tires if needed. It does great with a little weight added to the back.

[faithwalk]

How old is your Outback? Subaru recently redesigned the passenger compartment in the Outbacks and Foresters, offering more legroom in the front of the cabin, by raising the seats a bit. If you haven't looked at the current models on the showroom, I would suggest it.

Its a 2008. We have planned to go sit in the new ones to see how they "fit". I really like the one i have and like i said...it's great on gas mileage (relatively speaking).

[oldmandave]

Hey all!

First of all, thanks for all your replies. I appreciate it!

I will be on top of the mountain. I don't intend to purposely go out in bad weather, but I want something with some chance of getting back home if the weather starts in before I can leave work. My present car is less than useless in any sort of accumlation. I don't plan on hauling and large stuff, but would like some cargo room. It is more or less going to be a daily driver during the winter months.

I have heard alot of good things about the Subaru's; everyone I know that has one loves it.

I do plan on getting chains to keep in the vehicle just in case, but in some of my research I found that the latest Subaru's owners manuals say you can't use them. On the other hand, I found a few places that sell them specifically for the Subarus.

My sister in law used to have an Escape and said it was good in the snow, but it died on her.

F150... well lets just say that my present car (possibly two of them) could fit into the back of it, so it might be too big of a size transition for me.

I'll have to check out the Nissans. I am not familiar with the Juke or Rogue.

I saw one or two things about the Hyundai / Kias. I'll have to revisit those.

I did not consider the Tacoma. I'll check it out.

Unimog.... At first it was between that and the Bat Mobile, but my insurance company wouldn't have it!

Once again, thanks for all the replies!
OldManDave

[c_and_j]

we live on gate one bunny lane and in that blizzard thing there wasnt a plow 4 3 weeks so if you dont live on school bus route your cant get out we got our week one on a atc but i got arested ridding it on the way ome how messed up is that