AWD cars?

[crockpottin]

I'm currently putting away money to buy a new car, probably sometime next fall. I live in a cold climate prone to snowy weather and need to get to work even in heavy storms (teacher at boarding school=no snow days, ever). I'm currently looking at the Subaru Forester and the Suzuki SX4 Crossover. Does anyone have experience with either car? What do you think? Also, if there's another AWD vehicle that is moderately priced (BMW isn't in the budget) you've had a decent experience with, please share! Thanks in advance!

[zibazinski]

Subaru

[constanz22]

I bought a 2006 Toyota Matrix AWD last April. I, too, live in a snowy climate and commute 18 miles one way to work. I was a little nervous giving up my 4 wheel drive Jeep, but, I LOVE MY MATRIX! It has done really great in the snow, although I have not tried driving it in a foot of snow. I just have a good all season tire on it...it'd probably be even better with snow tires. I have absolutely NO complaints about how it's performed in the snow. I considered the SX4 cuz I used to have a Suzuki Grand Vitara that I really liked, but, it was just too small for me to really feel safe.

[MN-Investor]

I've really liked my Toyota RAV4 with awd. The original tires, though, were horrible on snow. So my DH ordered Blizzacks mounted on steel wheels from TireRack.com and put those on my car (this was 1996). That really made my car a joy to drive in the snow! Every spring / fall DH swaps out the tires. My brother does the same with his vehicle, having the dealership do the work. The TireRack has excellent information online about tires; I highly recommend them.

[Deleted]

Looooove my Subaru Outback... I would definately vote for Outback over Forester... no comparison...

[Deleted]

Looooove my Subaru Outback... I would definately vote for Outback over Forester... no comparison...

[mesquite77]

I really like my '02 Z71 with just over 170k miles. She got me to work and back in 17" of snow in January. I just made my first repair - the windshield washer fluid hose had a crack in it between the headlight and the battery, so I put a little duct tape on it.

[DVM gone riding]

I have an outback love it. The other one i was looking at was the RAv4 I have a friend that has one, it has a lot of cargo area which I think is really great. in subaru awd is std in rav-4 it is an option you pay extra for but in the end I think the prices are comparable. Depends where you are, subarus are really big in the nw so there are a lot of them, less so in other areas.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I have a 2007 Forester that I bought new. Love it and it drives beautifully in lousy weather. AWD is standard option in Subarus, not so in RAV 4 or the CRV, which were the models on my short list.

Just be aware that AWD vehicles do not have the best in gas efficiency.

[kimber45]

I'm going with Subaru as well. DS has had a couple and he loves them.

[Colleenz]

I have had a CR-V, RAV4 and a Forester. Hands down the Forester is better in the snow - lower center of gravity and great ground clearance. I prefer the Forester to the Outback but that is just a personal comfort level. All three were very reliable safe cars.

[phil5185]

We have the Toyota Minivan AWD. I have pushed thru 18 inches of new snow to get to a cow stuck in a cattle-guard. I was actually expecting to need help getting out - but I wanted to hurry back to the cow and worry about getting out later. When I got there, I had to back up about 10 feet and then swing the frontend to the right so that I could open the driver door to get out.
When we were done, I lined up the mirror with the 18" deep channel in the snow and backed out, maybe 150 yards - it barely spun the tires, pretty impressive - goes thru almost as much snow as our 4WD Ram 1500.
Noticed on a trip to Breckenridge and Keystone a couple months ago, that Subarus are especially popular in ski town parking lots.

[ziyia]

We also live in a snowy climate, and I love my Subaru. It's great in the snow - wouldn't trade it for anything.

[souldoubt]

I'd 2nd, 3rd or whatever it is a Subaru. Know a few people who have had the 2004/2005 WRX's and those cars were awesome. One buddy had a sedan and the other had a hatchback. I'd love to say say I'll get something like that for my next car but living where I do I never need AWD and I'd just end up paying more for gas. Since I'm hopefully 5+ years away from needing a car I've got time to think about it.

[whoisjohngalt]

Never had a Toyota, so can't comment. We had 6 or 7 Subarus and they were all good except '08 Outback which we exchanged for '11 Outback. My DH likes it a lot better. I don't "love" any cars. As long as I am not spending half my life in a repair shop, I am a happy girl. Subarus been pretty reliable.

Lena

[katedenorm]

I have a 2003 Subaru Baja - BF and I call it the "little girl truck" because that is how it's classified. Rides like a car. They no longer make them, but as far as AWD - go with Subaru. I get excellent gas mileage (average about 23/25 MPG) and they usually load up their cars with a lot of extras that come standard. The only thing that we do different in the winter (Western PA) is put Blizack tires on. Between the tires and the AWD - I can go ANYWHERE.
Happy purchasing

[Opti]

No experience with either vehicle, have a BMW with AWD but its a sedan and
therefore not as good in snow as something with a higher ground clearance.
Two things to remember about all wheel drive in general: 1) you will go through tires faster on an AWD vehicle versus any RWD and FWD. 2) your traction is only as good as your tires and having a set of winter tires will improve your ability in snow.

FYI, I recently called Tire Rack on steel wheel prices and at the moment they no longer carry them as apparently their supplier no longer has them.

[wvugurl26]

I love my Impreza. I've done 3 winters with it and I've been very happy. My highway/trip mileage is right around 27mpg. I'm sure a more conservative driver could get better mileage. I was running it through the mountains in western md sunday and still ended up with 27mpg. My city varies considerably, I think the lowest it has been is 20mpg though. Lots of stop and go around here. When I'm back in WV in less traffic, less stopping I don't notice that much of a difference in my city mileage.

[Jake 48]

DW has a Subaru Forester, absolutely loves it. the only thing I would change is upgrade the interior, leather? I think the premium interior will make for a more quiet ride. DW is hard on her vehicles but still gets 24 mpg in the winter/ 28 in summer. I like the looks of the Outback over the Forester

[crockpottin]

Thanks for all the feedback! Looks like Subaru is the general consensus, though I may look into the Toyota Matrix as well. I had heard that they discontinued making it as AWD, but maybe I heard wrong. I definitely agree with everyone who mentioned the snow tires, it's the only way my current car manages to drive in the snow at all!

[katedenorm]

FYI - the only thing that bothers me about the Subaru is the windows. They don't have frames around them - unless they've changed it.
I can't put vent shields on because there's nothing to attach them too. Still - I've had it since 04 and wouldn't trade it for the world.

[Gardening Grandma]

I have an older RAV4 with AWD. We don't get a whole lot of snow here, but when it does snow, I've had no trouble driving. And we live on a steep hill.
I have two big dogs that go everywhere with me. They enjoy the roomy cargo atea.

[Colleenz]

If you are buying new check out truecar dot com for pricing.

[kgb18]

I had a Subaru Forester for four years, and I loved it. It was a champ in the snow. I just got a Subaru Outback last spring. After we had a baby I wanted more space. But I stuck with Subaru. And I really love my Outback. I have had nothing but good experiences with Subaru. And I've found they get really good gas mileage for being AWD.

kate, I'm in western PA too. You must not be far from me.

[workpublic]

2005 Subaru Forester X. 65K miles. just had to replace muffler from the CC back.

only non maintenance repair cost for car since I bought it new.

And I've found they get really good gas mileage for being AWD.

they are Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD).

Why Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive is Better

www.subaru.com/engineering/all-wheel-drive/why-is-symmetrical-awd-better.html

www.drive.subaru.com/SubaruDrive-Sum02/AWD-Demystified.asp

[TD2K]

I have a WRX and my GF has a Forrester. Both of us like our cars, especially in the snow. As pointed out, gas mileage is their weak point. I've had mine since 2004 and have had no problems. My GF has also had no problems. Her only complaint is that her car doesn't accelerate like mine ;D

The WRX is the most fun I've had with my clothes on.

[workpublic]

you got the racer!

[nrg70]

Add me to the subaru list. Two years ago I got stuck in the snow on Christmas night , and I swore "never again!". I bought an '05 Subaru Baja and love this thing! Snow, sleet, hail, rain, mud and whatever, I dont see me changing car brands any time soon!

[TD2K]

I'll mention that at least according to Consumer Reports has raised some questions with Subaru's reliability. The WRX and STi has dropped in their rating but the standard Imprezza, Legacy and Forrester gets great marks.

My WRX has about 120,000 miles on it and I'm not planning on getting rid of it any time soon.

[wvugurl26]

The only thing I've done besides oil changes, tires, air filters, and wiper blades since I bought the car new in late Oct 2008 is I will need new front brakes at next oil change around ~71k. I think my brother's going to do them. I found a place online that sells subaru oem parts with great prices. I have trouble in the advance autos of the world finding all the filters and stuff for my car. And they don't sell transmission fluid as I found when my dad accidentally drained transmission fluid instead of oil.

Fortunately I was able to wait till the following day (Monday) when dealer was open and go buy the fluid from them. I haven't really checked for anything in this area where there are many more foreign make cars on the road than at home.

I will say get one of the hood guards. I've done a lot of highway miles and have a lot of little rock chips in paint that have rusted. I have touchup paint and I'm going to order the hood guard but I need the downtime to get the chips painted and dried. And I've lost track of how many rock chips I have in windshield. I had one filled with glue to keep it from spreading but the rest are smaller.