NFT: Best 4 wheel drive or all wheel drive cars?

At the top as well along with Audi Quattro. Those are the top three big dogs in the awd arena.

has less suspension issues than Subaru. But the ride on the Honda can be a bit rigid.

Tires are just as important if not more so than any awd system you have.

all over the countryside out here in the desert and the mountains. I like the all wheel drive best. I also like better than normal clearance, and some cars just don't have that.

fantastic with the crazy winters we've had. I liked the CRV a lot as well and only settled on the Forester after I played one dealer off the other and got the best deal on the Forester. I have had a very good experience with it. Plenty of room inside, easy to drive, probably doesn't handle as well as the CRV. I'd say you'd probably be happy with either.

That thing gets through anything, but can be a little uncomfortable on longer trips.

and we both love it.

or a Jeep Wrangler if you want function.

But for street driving, awd is fine. Here in GA when we had snowmageddon and 95% of cars got stuck, my jeep needed to be in 4wd low to drive well. And by well I mean the icy road became a total non factor. It is awd when not in 4wd low and at that time it was sliding around in awd. I had nearly new BF Goodrich Long Trail tires.

If you are looking for non pickup truck 4wd I think the best are 4Runner, Grand Cherokee, Explorer. I also prefer those cars in that order.

I don't know too much about sedan / cross over awd. But personally I chose the Grand Cherokee for ability to go actual hub locked 4wd when necessary and have awd drive otherwise.

Whatever you choose, picking great tires vs meh tires makes a massive difference in traction and handling.

gets my vote too

2 years ago. They say it handles LI snow just fine. They also drive very frequently up to Kingston NY and said they had no issues in that snow either.

both are crossovers, so you may not be interested in those, but as a subaru owner, i couldn't possibly be any happier.

great gas mileage, great performance in pretty much any condition, reliable, affordable, etc.

If budget is an issue look at certified.
Amazing veh.

In comment 11831466 Jon from PA said:

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At the top as well along with Audi Quattro. Those are the top three big dogs in the awd arena.

And I heard that if you drive a Quattro, you're credentials cannot be questioned at local diners.

We have a 2001 Forester that except for a cracked side mirror and broken speaker it run wonderful. Here in DC area we get snow but also get many questionable drivers so we need something that responds quickly.
I agree with long trips it is not all that comfortable.
We have had a couple of Legacys in the past as well. They are also wonderful in snow.

I will look very seriously at the 2015 Subaru Outback. We rarely get significant snow here in Wilmington, NC, but there are a few things that are drawing me to this vehicle. One, it's AWD with X-Mode that supposedly helps with off-road ascent/descent. It can go on soft sand if I drop the psi to about 18 or so. That's important because there are plenty of places I would like to drive onto to both kayak fish and surf. It supposedly rides very car-like. It gets 33 MPG on the highway, and 28 MPG overall 25 city). It has almost 9 inches of ground clearance.

Will it go where a Jeep will go? No, but it would work both in the snow, sand, and minor off-road stuff, and did I mention it get's 33 MPG on the highway with an 18.5 gallon tank?

the Outback and Forrester aren't my ideal cars. Outback used to have a sedan. not sure if they still do. That, I would consider. However. The Acura and Audi are out of my price range. I wasn't planning on a car for another 2 year, at which time, I would have probably been purchasing the A6 without a doubt. However. Plans change sh@t happens. Time for a car within a few months. Handling in bad weather is a key component in the decision making process. (also a sun roof, XM and bluetooth, maybe some heated seats!)

The sedan version of the outback. Sounds like it's right up your alley. You can beat the price for awd with that gas mileage.

like what I would want. What about Cross overs? The Kia Sportage was right up there on KBB top 10 AWD cars. Anyone have one? There a Honda CRV, but it's too mini-van soccer mom looking for me. I think.

if you get a Jeep, just understand what a short wheelbase means on winter roads.

Wrangler Unlimited, a bit of a longer wheelbase, so a much nicer ride, and 4x4 performance that can't be beat. If you every think you want a Wrangler at any time, it's a very unique vehicle. You take its quirks with its advantages. It's not a truck, it's not a car, it's not an SUV, it's really its own genre. I warn anyone who thinks they want a Wrangler to really do their research.

In comment 11831684 Berrylish said:

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the Outback and Forrester aren't my ideal cars. Outback used to have a sedan. not sure if they still do. That, I would consider. However. The Acura and Audi are out of my price range. I wasn't planning on a car for another 2 year, at which time, I would have probably been purchasing the A6 without a doubt. However. Plans change sh@t happens. Time for a car within a few months. Handling in bad weather is a key component in the decision making process. (also a sun roof, XM and bluetooth, maybe some heated seats!)

have you taken a look at the Crosstrek? they used the old Impreza 5-door body and improved upon it a bit. i own one and love it.

i was in the market for one a couple years ago and the Crosstrek is what we settled on.

also looked at the CRV, Nissan Rogue, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport and the Mazda CX-5.

4wd = jeep wrangler.

currently have a 2012. It's my 4th one.

4 cylinder or 6 cylinder. If the 4, is it peppy enough and what kind of mileage do you get.

Sorry to miller.

I bought my son a Legacy with the 4-cylinder. He loves the car, but I wouldn't do it again--I'd go with the 6. The 4 is noisy because the engine has to work too hard.

My wife has a 4 cylinder and gets about 26 MPG.

I would agree that the car could benefit from having the 6 cylinder instead

In comment 11831808 MOOPS said:

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4 cylinder or 6 cylinder. If the 4, is it peppy enough and what kind of mileage do you get. Sorry to miller.

The 2.5L 4cylinder in my 2006 Impreza kicks ass. That car does well in Northern NY lake effect squalls. I'm not sure how it translates in a heavier car like the legacy, or how to less powerful 2.0L in the current Impreza stacks up.

My advice always is get good snow tires. 4WD is useful for getting you out of snowbanks or mud but is not useful for stopping faster or avoiding fishtailing on wintry roads. We laugh/curse at all the flatlanders in their SUVs who go roaring by in the winter only to be found farther up the road in a ditch because they thought their 4WD made them immune to winter driving issues.

Good snow tires and attentive driving are your best means to tackle winter conditions.

My wife will be needing a car next year and the Outback is is the running. We haven't owned a 4 cylinder in years and just wanted to get a sense of how others feel about them.
We'd love getting the increased mileage with the 4 but think we'd miss the power.

Read the reviews for the 2015 Outback. The dang thing w/AWD gets 25 city, 33 hwy, and 28 overall. Unless you are mountain climbing the 2.5 w/ 175 HP should be fine. Also has a 18.5 gal tank.

Also, the reviews claim that Subaru has deadened the noise of a straining 4 cyl much better than in the past.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-subaru-outback-first-drive-review

http://www.edmunds.com/subaru/outback/2015/?tab-id=reviews-tab#overview-pod-anchor

pretty comfortable, lots of space, enough cool things to keep me ok (HDD, touch screen, NAV, an actual power outlet, bluetooth, etc.), and I actually get 20 mpg on all hwy driving.

Acrua MDX, well made care, very good performing in slush and snow, only complaint is the price.

when we get out of the mini-van stage which should be in the next couple years as my kids get older I'm planning to replace the minivan with a subaru 4w/aw crossover.

like the forrester.

My wife has one and really likes it. For bad weather, Subaru is better than Audi and BMW - at least that's my experience. The Rogue is the closest to a Subaru that I've driven in bad weather and I see a lot of bad weather in WNY.

about 5 years old. I had a Subaru wagon about 25 years ago that I traveled from LI to Vermont in. It had great traction in snow. My new one leaves me very uncomfortable in snow, it doesn't grab at all like the old one did. Plus, as compared to some other 4WDs, the road clearance is kinda low. Despite 4 cylinders, the mileage is average to poor, probably 10-12 mpg. I would not buy a Subaru again.

Isn't as good in snow as the Legacy or Forester.

Volvo. XC-90. Great in the Adkins winters

fans here? Well the gas mileage sucks, but it's an extremely reliable vehicle..i've had one for almost 8 years.

Been driving it on the beach all week in the outer banks and it handled great

Tribeca gets the worst reviews. When I was looking for a car for my son after he got into an accident on snow (he was going too fast, especially as a relatively new driver), I was warned against the Tribeca by several Subaru owners.

In comment 11832561 manh george said:

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Tribeca gets the worst reviews. When I was looking for a car for my son after he got into an accident on snow (he was going too fast, especially as a relatively new driver), I was warned against the Tribeca by several Subaru owners.

Oh, sure, now you tell me :) I don't think snow will be much of a factor in the future, anyway

In comment 11832105 Aloha Alan said:

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Read the reviews for the 2015 Outback. The dang thing w/AWD gets 25 city, 33 hwy, and 28 overall. Unless you are mountain climbing the 2.5 w/ 175 HP should be fine. Also has a 18.5 gal tank. Also, the reviews claim that Subaru has deadened the noise of a straining 4 cyl much better than in the past. http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2015-subaru-outback-first-drive-review http://www.edmunds.com/subaru/outback/2015/?tab-id=reviews-tab#overview-pod-anchor

Caught your response Alan. Thanks.

you're not going to be doing any racing in them with their 2.0L engines, but they handle snow well, and get fantastic gas mileage (low 30's around town/upper 30's on the highway - had made it to 40 mpg on my trip to CT a couple weeks ago until a half hour of 5 mph stop and go snarl dropped me down to 38)

It might be the impreza.

Has an Impreza and an A4 Quattro and he likes the Impreza better. Great gas mileage and excellent in the snow. I think they're nice looking cars. Good luck!

check out the Kia Sorrento. Drive it too. You can get it for under $30k and it has the amenities of a car worth $10k more. Comes in AWD or 4WD.

sorento. Maybe I'll drive it. The Impreza is more cost effective for me right now. though. Thanks!

In comment 11834162 EricJ (formerly Tyleraimee) said:

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check out the Kia Sorrento. Drive it too. You can get it for under $30k and it has the amenities of a car worth $10k more. Comes in AWD or 4WD.

Been listening to Carl Banks, huh?