22 replies to this topic

[rich_959]

My experience of spending time living at the top of Scotland and also Shetland is that small front wheel drive cars with winter tyres are about the best thing for winter road driving - until the snow gets to a point where only a proper 4x4 will cope.

 

I've had a few Landrover's, mainly for towing and they're great when you need the real offroad ability - but they're also heavy lumps to stop in ice or snow. A great all-rounder that very few people seem to buy now is an all-wheel drive estate car like the old XC70 I had. Immensely practical do-all car, with none of the SUV nonsense. 

[unburntfuelinthemorning]

Small front wheel drive cars are great in snow as long as the wheels aren't too wide and the tyres are suitable.

 

Last time we had a few inches of snow I could hardly move in a Focus with 205 tyres.  Being summer tyres didn't help either.  Did better than the BMW though which was spinning it's rear wheels trying to get over a speed bump!

 

I have all season tyres now but it hasn't snowed since!

 

My old Series Land Rover used to be marvellous in snow.  Not that heavy a vehicle when compared to modern cars!  Sure-footed in four wheel drive and it was the only time you could power slide it in two wheel drive!

 

I'm itching to take the Mini out in the snow too.  Used to do that years ago just for fun.  Not in heavy traffic though, that isn't fun.

[panky]

We used to go up to Scotland a lot a few years ago. A guy we got to know said that most of the hill farmers he knew would give their right arm for a mark 1 Fiat Panda 4x4. They would go almost anywhere a normal off roader wouldn't and with the back chopped down a couple of bails of hay fitted in nicely.

[rich_959]

Yeah, they're basically road-going quad bikes with a roof! 

[JXC Mini GT]

I went on an off road driving experience day where they used Suzuki Jimny and Toyota Hilux vehicles with standard road tyres, both cars coped well in all conditions.

[Cooperman]

I don't fully understand the appeal of the so-called SUV. 'Sports-Utility'. They are neither sports cars nor true utility vehicles. A triumph of marketing over capability.

For real utility use I have a 1997 Land-Rover Discovery 300 TDi. I paid £650 for it 4 years ago. It has absolutely no rust and uses no oil. It will go virtually everywhere, even across ploughed fields, which I had to do to tow a glider from a very wet & muddy field in which it had landed. It also towed a Mini from Scotland back to Cambridge in June, a 730 mile non-stop round trip. Expensive to maintain? I had to fit a rear silencer box this week, cost was £40. Next weekend it will be towing my Cooper S to Bath and back. It is not fast, of course, but when the actual figures are looked at it is about as quick as a 998 Cooper was. I bought it because the tow-bar specialist wanted £1100 to fit an electric fold-away tow-bar and wiring loom to my BMW. It has 'All-Terrain' tyres which cost me just under £690 each fitted & balanced (Event 698 tyres - highly recommended).

[Mini Manannán]

My crappy old mk2 Fiat Punto was absolutely brilliant in iffy conditions. It never got stuck in mud or snow, I loved to give the ditched SUVs a little wave on the way past

[johnv]

even if you're driving a tank you'll still be in the queue caused by the slowest car/driver