Now that a good chunk of the nation has gotten its first hard slap of winter weather, we’d bet there are more than a few motorists out there who’ve already grown weary with their vehicles’ inherent slipping and sliding though the snow. And don’t think those residing below the Mason-Dixon line automatically get a pass in this regard.
In fact, all 50 states receive some measure of snow in a typical year, and even those basking in the warmest climates could well encounter the worst Mother Nature has to offer during the course of their holiday travels.
Rear-wheel-drive, typically favored by luxury automakers for its more refined ride and handling qualities, inherently fares worse in the white stuff than does the more-common front-drive configuration, which places more weight over the drive wheels. Pulling, rather than pushing a car more effectively helps dislodge a car from snow-challenged parking spaces and helps negate a rear-wheel-drive vehicle’s tendency to lose traction when entering a curve too quickly. Still, a front-drive model can be confounded by snow if it’s deep enough, and may not be of much help traversing slick inclined driveways or unpaved roads.
Of course the best solution would be to purchase a full-size pickup or big and heavy truck-based SUV and equip it with four-wheel-drive with selectable low-range gearing that enables it to plow through the deepest snow drifts, but that’s not necessarily the most amenable or affordable way to go.
One alternative would be to install a good set of snow tires for the winter months, which feature large, deep tread blocks to provide the greatest traction over loose surfaces. Unfortunately, having to store and swap tires twice yearly is an inconvenience, and it’s one that could well leave procrastinators and the otherwise unprepared stranded with the first major snowfall of the year.
That’s why automakers are now offering all-wheel-drive (AWD) on their rear-drive sedans and sports cars – not to mention crossover SUVs, wagons and even a growing number of what would otherwise be front-drive autos – for improved foul-weather traction and added peace of mind.
Some AWD vehicles will drive only one axle under normal circumstances, while others will operate permanently in all-wheel mode, usually on a 50/50 front-to-rear split, with the ability to send additional torque to the wheels that need added traction, again when sensors detect wheel slippage. Many AWD-equipped sport sedans bias the engine’s power to the rear wheels, typically on a 40-front/60-rear ratio, for livelier handling that replicates a rear-drive vehicle, but with added wet-road traction and enhanced stability through the curves.
Read more of the original article to see the best 20 cars and crossovers for snow in Forbes.
