Subaru Impreza and winter driving?

[mommy111]

We need a new car to be our ‘new’ car and ar looking for something that is safe and drives well in New England winter/icy roads etc. our other car is a RAV4 which I really like. We like the Impreza, we’re on a tight budget and this seems to be the most economical of the AWD cars, and seems to meet our specs. Do any of you have it? Would you recommend it? How does it handle on the snow/ice/winter roads?

[SnuggleBuggles]

From experience, I am now in the camp that doesn't think AWD is as important as great snow tires. I haven't been that impressed with my RAV4 in snow.

[Green_Tea]

We passed on the Impreza in favor of the Crosstrek, and love it. We also have an Outback. I don’t think you can go wrong with a Subaru.

[dogmom]

From experience, I am now in the camp that doesn't think AWD is as important as great snow tires. I haven't been that impressed with my RAV4 in snow.

You clearly don’t have to go up hill in the snow, lol. AWD and four wheel drives won’t make you stop any better, but it can get you moving in bad conditions. If you have the luxury of staying home to the roads are plowed and salted you probably don’t need it. My house is up a long driveway, in NE, and I’m essential personal so when an snow emergency is called I still need to get on the roads. I can tell you no one with normal front wheel drive can get up my driveway in some conditions, even with snow tires. I have both.

I’ve owned two Subarus. They are like mountain goats and can get up my driveway 90% of the time in horrible conditions. I fully endorse them. However, there are some extreme conditions that being able to lock in 4WD vs AWD is helpful, like when plowing. But few people need to.

Nothing, however, can substitute for experience. You need to know how to handle the car in the snow/ice when you lose control. Mostly it involves not panicking and waiting until the right moment to get control back. Also learning how to use lower gears, or better yet have a standard, can get you out of some situations. However, like I said few people need to drive in those conditions. I actually wish LESS people had AWD/FWD. I hate it when I see people out in bad conditions that don’t need to be out. They are just making it more like I will get in an accident when I’m trying to drive in a blizzard. If I don’t have to go out I don’t.

[NCGrandma]

My NE family got an Impreza a couple of years ago, their first Subaru and first AWD car. By the first mid-winter, they said it was a big improvement over their previous cars in winter weather.


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[SnuggleBuggles]

You clearly don’t have to go up hill in the snow, lol. AWD and four wheel drives won’t make you stop any better, but it can get you moving in bad conditions. If you have the luxury of staying home to the roads are plowed and salted you probably don’t need it. My house is up a long driveway, in NE, and I’m essential personal so when an snow emergency is called I still need to get on the roads. I can tell you no one with normal front wheel drive can get up my driveway in some conditions, even with snow tires. I have both.

I’ve owned two Subarus. They are like mountain goats and can get up my driveway 90% of the time in horrible conditions. I fully endorse them. However, there are some extreme conditions that being able to lock in 4WD vs AWD is helpful, like when plowing. But few people need to.

Nothing, however, can substitute for experience. You need to know how to handle the car in the snow/ice when you lose control. Mostly it involves not panicking and waiting until the right moment to get control back. Also learning how to use lower gears, or better yet have a standard, can get you out of some situations. However, like I said few people need to drive in those conditions. I actually wish LESS people had AWD/FWD. I hate it when I see people out in bad conditions that don’t need to be out. They are just making it more like I will get in an accident when I’m trying to drive in a blizzard. If I don’t have to go out I don’t.

Lots of hills. And I have almost abandoned my car at the bottom of my street because I couldn't get up. I do hate driving in snow though. I just don't find my RAV4 with no snow tires to be better than our last car with no AWD but snow tires. Snow tires plus the AWD would probably be best.

[khalloc]

i have a Subaru Outback which I love. I agree with everything dogmom said. I live in Vermont (just outside of Burlington and I drive with all-season tires on my Outback. I haven’t needed snow tires. My drive to/from work is not on the highway and it’s only about 8miles and I haven’t missed having snow tires. I don’t have experience with the Impreza but I assume it’s a lot like the Outback. I’ haven’t had a problem getting stuck. I drive slow and know to leave plenty of space in front of me.

[MontrealMum]

The best things you can do for your car in winter is get snow tires. Snow tires + AWD is better.

We used to have a Toyota w/o AWD but with snow tires. Never got stuck going up hills and Montreal is on the side of a mountain. There a reason snow tires are required here by law.

We now have 2 Subarus which are also nice. The main difference we see is when parking or trying to leave a space. I no longer have to dig .


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[mommy111]

Awesome!! Thank you! I’m a fairly experienced bad weather driver but my brother had me convinced I needed to buy something bigger/heavier for safety

[legaleagle]

If you are getting snow tires, I highly recommend getting them on separate wheels - easier to swap out (DIY if you know how to change a tire) and better for the tires themselves. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/glob...ticle36859371/