It's time for me to get a different vehicle. I am confused as to what I need. I am open to all types of vehicles like foreign, domestic, etc. I need an SUV or truck that drives through snow, handles inclines, has good seating area for kids, and has the trunk space for hockey gear. Suggestions please.
Thank you.
My Grand Caravan handles really nice on the snow and ice here. Great seating and tons of storage with the stow-and-go seats. We don't have many inclines on the prairies, so I can't speak to that.
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My Grand Caravan handles really nice on the snow and ice here. Great seating and tons of storage with the stow-and-go seats. We don't have many inclines on the prairies, so I can't speak to that.
What you buy depends upon what you can handle!!
How many people do you need it to fit?
AND the most important?? HOW MUCH are you willing to spend??? After Cash for Clunkers, the prices of used cars has shot up...A LOT...
If I were in Michigan and had 2 or more kids that played Hockey? I Suburban...
http://www.carsforsale.com/used-cars-for-sale/2015-chevro...
Their clearance for snow is great...it's a 4x4...and has enough room for everyone...I KNOW this will be my next purchase...I have wanted a Suburban for years....
When I lived up north I had a Ford Expedition. It had lots of room and was great in the snow. I didn't like it because of the size, I never felt comfortable or in control.
Before I had my daughter I drove a Ford Escape 4x4 and that was so much better. It is a small SUV and was a better fit for me, it also had a lot of room in the back.
I don't know how hilly MI is (I have never been there), but if you get an average of 6" of snow at a time then go with a 4x4 (4x4's are better in deeper snow). Areas with smaller snow fall averages AWD or even FWD are fine.
You should go look at different vehicles and test drive them. See what you feel comfortable driving before you purchase.
FYI: Pick ups are nice too but if the bed is not weighted down it will not have good traction. It would be best to keep something back there for weight or pack it with snow (when you are not hauling hockey gear).
Stay away from any kind of van, they handle terribly in the snow. In fact, my Ford Focus handles far better in the snow than any other vehicle we've owned. That said, I don't particularly like SUVs since they are such gas hogs, so I've never owned one. A friend of mine just got a Forester and swears it's the best snow vehicle he's ever had. We've already had over a foot of snow this year and he loves it.
Good luck finding something! Car shopping can be so stressful. When I went to look for a new car a couple of months ago, I went to this site to compare: www.edmunds.com
driving in snow is more about knowing how to drive in snow rather than the type of vehicle.. we had a 4 wheel drive truck that we probably put in 4 wheel drive one time per winter.. (during a really snow blizzard).. other than that we drove it in regular old 2 wheel drive.
a taller truck will allow you to drive through deeper snow and not get stuck.
I have a 2 wheel drive trailblazer.. seats 5... has a good size area in the back.. I have lived in Michigan my entire life and I drive in snow.. no big deal..
One of my daughters had a Subaru Forester and it wouldn't have enough room for the hockey gear. Nice car and great in the snow. Currently she has a GMC Acadia which is roomy enough to put a full size wagon (with the wooden sides) in the back while having all the seats up and used. She's in the medical field so when the weather in crappy she still has to go to work. She loves it.
I loved my Nissan Armada. We have also had a Ford Expedition and Yukon Denali XL as our other large vehicles. Overall, we loved the Nissan best.
It drove the best and honestly handled the snow better than the other ones, but the person who purchased it originally may have put something on it. We had 6 or so different options for driving.
The Denali XL was the best for gear. That was our travel vehicle because everyone still have plenty of room and the trunk was big enough for our stuff. So I'd look in to that with hockey gear.
They are probably not big enough for you, but in my opinion the Subaru Forester is the best for driving in ice and snow. I lived in Alaska 14 years and have driven all kinds of crazy places and they are so safe and drive so well when it's snowy/icy.
We owned a Ford Expedition for 12 years, and went skiing many, many times in it (around here they don't allow salt on the roads, so when it snows, the roads are very sketchy). It was great! Heavy enough not to slide around in the snow, seating for a whole carpool of kids (easily seats 6 kids and 2 adults with room in the back for sports bags). I drove it for well over 200,000 miles and it was still running great. It NEVER had a mechanical issue in all those miles. Finally, just because I know nothing lasts forever, I reluctantly traded it in and was sad to see it go. I now drive a Ford Explorer, and although it's not The Beast (our affectionate name for our Expedition), it's good, too. I bought it in September and we are taking it up to Tahoe next week for its first trip into the snow. ;)
I live in the PNW and we get our fair share of snow ~ I've owned 2 Nissan Pathfinder's 4WD and love them! We have used both to pull snowmobiles and no issues going through snow, ice or on inclines. My husband has had trucks all his life and currently has a 3/4 ton Dodge but uses only to plow and drives his AWD Ford Escape back and forth to work. He says it handles great in the snow and ice. There is no 3rd row in his so it depends how much seating you need but his hatch is really roomy.
My Pathfinder has an optional 3rd row and when it is up the storage is only okay but you could still possibly get a hockey bag back there, but when the 3rd row seats are folded down there is a ton of room.
I had a honda pilot and it was a BEAST in the snow. I tried to get it stuck and couldn't. It got decent gas mileage (around 19/20) and it does have a third row. Now I drive a subaru outback and i got my first taste of winter driving last week and it did awesome as well. I get better gas mileage but I lost quite a bit of sitting space. Both of those are great. My husband has a ford f150 and it does good in the snow but then you have to get sand bags to help weigh down the back. He will take my car if its available on snow days.
I wanted a Suburban when the kids were doing a lot of sports that required equipment. The area behind the back seat is massive, roomy enough for 3-4 bikes.
But due to gasoline costs hubby said no. So if you're looking for fuel economy too then you have to actually go and look at the vehicles and see the room behind that back seat. I have a Dodge Crew van and we keep at least one of the seats folded down in the back row all the time to have enough space just for the stuff the kids are doing now.
I drove it all over OKC this last weekend and slid some, not much at all really but some.
When it's snowy and icy everything is going to slide sometimes if the person driving isn't driving right. I saw wreck after wreck but I never came close to anything like that.
I saw a video on FB last year where some S E state had snow and ice on the highways and the drivers had no idea how to drive on it. They were having massive wrecks, one after the other after the other sliding into the pile. Because they were driving like normal on ice.
Learning how to drive on ice and snow was one of the first things my dad taught me. I'm sure you're learned how to drive on it too since you live so far north.
So, again, IF space behind that back seat for hockey equipment is important I suggest you just go look at the vehicles you're interested in and see, physically see, if it's enough room. If it's not enough room then that vehicle won't work for you even if it's a hover craft that never touches the ice/snow.....lol.
If you want one that's only purpose is to be more steady on the ice/snow then you might have to go drive one on an icy day and see how it feels.
I always keep a tire in snow if at all possible so I have traction.
