A car for driving in snow

[Ron99]

Due to the recent weather it got me wondering......

Which of the following cars would be better getting through a week of snow and bad winter weather?

Assume all cars are mid-spec models from the same time era, all front-wheel-drive, all fitted with the same brand of tyre, all have wheels and tyre sizes typical of a mid-spec model in their range.

VW Up
VW Polo
VW Golf
VW Passat

There is no public transport but you really have to make that journey every day through a week of bad winter weather. Which car would you choose and why?

Moderators have moved this topic but I should add I am not looking for a car to buy!

Edited by Ron99 on Wednesday 12th August 10:37

[JakeT]

Probably an Up! With heated seats and the like.

[LasseV]

Golf or Passat. For me Passat. Longer wheelbase and little bit of more weight helps in snow. Fwd cars are great in snow. No problem at all to drive those cars in winter.

[Ron99]

Jasey_ said:

Whichever one has the thinnest tyres.

That would be the Up.
Probably something like 165 width in the Up, 185 on the Polo, 205 on the Golf and 225 on the Passat.

[Over over under steer]

Anecdote: My old Lupo with its skinny tyres was pretty unstoppable in the snow.

So.... If you're going to be dealing with serious snow and work depends on it, then just get some cheap winter tyres on some steel wheels. You'll find VAG fitting ones on ebay no worries.

If you don't want to do that then either get an up, or get a 4 motion golf and go easy!

[HasToBeV8]

If fitted with CrossClimate+ or similar, I'd imagine they'd all do pretty much cope the same. Which ever one had the best ground clearance maybe, although I'd imagine all similar.

[smn159]

[Jakg]

Assuming none are 4wd or Alltrack variants - probably the Lupo due to the low weight.

But of course what you really want is the Golf Country...

[itsnotarace]

The one with the winter tyres fitted

[Ron99]

Over over under steer said:

So.... If you're going to be dealing with serious snow and work depends on it, then just get some cheap winter tyres on some steel wheels. You'll find VAG fitting ones on ebay no worries.

I should add that wife has a Zafira with Goodyear Vector 4S Gen2 and we share a Viva with Michelin CrossClimate+. I have a 4wd (Haldex) Insignia which is run on sporty summers but could be changed.

The topic was mainly to ponder over how lots of ordinary people who prefer ordinary cars might get through winter with public transport disrupted by Coronavirus, and whether small, medium or large cars would be better (assuming same type of tyres on each car).
Looking out my window, nature is signalling that the coming autumn-winter is likely to be worse than average (cooler/duller/damper).

Edited by Ron99 on Wednesday 12th August 11:30

[AJB88]

Any of them with winter tyres fitted.

I ran my Stage 2 Cupra 280 with Michelin PS4's fitted through snow. I got where I wanted just took me 20 minutes longer than usual.

[300bhp/ton]

Ron99 said:

Due to the recent weather it got me wondering......

Which of the following cars would be better getting through a week of snow and bad winter weather?

Assume all cars are mid-spec models from the same time era, all front-wheel-drive, all fitted with the same brand of tyre, all have wheels and tyre sizes typical of a mid-spec model in their range.

VW Up
VW Polo
VW Golf
VW Passat

There is no public transport but you really have to make that journey every day through a week of bad winter weather. Which car would you choose and why?

Moderators have moved this topic but I should add I am not looking for a car to buy!

Edited by Ron99 on Wednesday 12th August 10:37

So you really want a VW then

How about none of the above.

Best VW in the snow would be a classic Beetle with the rear engine.

Best vehicles in the snow are 4wd's equipped with good winter/snow tyres. Something with locking diffs or limited slip diffs and low range even better.

[Ron99]

300bhp/ton said:

So you really want a VW then

No. I hate VWs. But they seem very popular cars.

I'm not looking to buy a car! I didn't post this topic in 'car buying' - the moderators moved this topic here!

I'm curious whether people think large, medium or small cars are better in bad winter weather.

If it pleases you, how about choosing between small/medium/large cars, with mid-specs and same brand of tyres on each, from Ford:

Ford Ka
Ford Fiesta
Ford Focus
Ford Mondeo

Which would you choose?

[Mr-B]

Back in 2010? when we had that big whiteout winter I had to make a long journey and only had a BMW with wide rear tyres at my disposal, tried to hire a 4x4 but couldn't get one anywhere. Looking at cars driving passed my house in very deep rutted snow, they were all lightweight front driven cars, Fiesta, Polos, 206's, lightbulb moment, hired a Fiat Punto on summer tyres, perfect, no issues whatsoever.

Edited by Mr-B on Wednesday 12th August 11:40

[Ron99]

Mr-B said:

Back in 2010? when we had that big whiteout winter I had to make a long journey and only had a BMW with wide rear tyres at my disposal, tried to hire a 4x4 but couldn't get one anywhere. Looking at cars driving passed my house in very deep rutted snow, they were all lightweight front driven cars, Fiesta, Polos, 206's, lightbulb moment, hired a Fiat Punto on summer tyres, perfect, no issues whatsoever.

Edited by Mr-B on Wednesday 12th August 11:40

Thanks.

This is the kind of response I was hoping for, either drawn from what people have seen/experienced or from sensible theoretical ideas.

[itsnotarace]

Ron99 said:

Thanks.

This is the kind of response I was hoping for, either drawn from what people have seen/experienced or from sensible theoretical ideas.

This is known as positive confirmation bias

[300bhp/ton]

Ron99 said:

No. I hate VWs. But they seem very popular cars.

I'm not looking to buy a car! I didn't post this topic in 'car buying' - the moderators moved this topic here!

I'm curious whether people think large, medium or small cars are better in bad winter weather.

If it pleases you, how about choosing between small/medium/large cars, with mid-specs and same brand of tyres on each, from Ford:

Ford Ka
Ford Fiesta
Ford Focus
Ford Mondeo

Which would you choose?

In the absence of picking a more sensible vehicle for the use.

The a small lightweight car with skinny tyres, is generally likely to perform better than a big heavy car with fatter tyres.

A smaller car will have more room to move about and be more nimble. Lighter means less inertia to deal with. Narrower tyres will cut down and give better traction. Shorter wheelbase gives a better breakover angle, so less chance of being beached.

But there are lots of other variables. If any have a limited slip front diff, this could make a huge difference. As could the type of traction control system in each vehicle and of course the amount of ground clearance, which can be very important if the snow is deep.

Ultimately I suspect it would come down the driver as much as anything.


The reality is, anything 4wd/AWD on the same or equal tyres will easily out perform anything 2wd.

RWD can also work well in the snow. A bit harder to get moving and not so good on steep hills. But you can have a lot more control by being able to steer with the throttle more easily compared to a FWD car. A limited slip diff makes a massive difference with a RWD car in slippery conditions.

[CJ1]

A friend in Norway has an Up! It’s a HighUp with heated seats and studded winter wheels.

When she lived in the UK she used to have to ask strangers to park her car for in public car parks as she was such an incompetent driver! Nowadays she’s plowing through snow drifts in -10 Oslo winters at 3am to the airport where she works in an Up!

[halo34]

I have a 2013 passat. It has to be the single worst car I have had in the winter on its 18s - heavy does not help going down slippery hills.

I caveat this by saying I stubbornly didnt fit winter tyres but its not an experience I will be repeating this year.

[itsnotarace]

Overcoming traction to get moving is only one of three essential parts to the journey

Stopping and turning are the other two

Dry or wet roads during winter periods are not really relevant, any tyres can cope with these surfaces

For driving on actual snow and ice you want winter tyres