Best 4-wheel drive

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phoenixy2k

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Since we are looking at a decade of regular snow/ice I think it's time to change car to a 4-wheel drive. Has anyone any recommendations on the best 4-wheel drives out there, that are also suitable to city traffic? And what saloon cars are there that are 4-wheel drive?
 
My boyfriend loves reading the car mags and buys 4x4 mag and told me at the weekend while reading it that the Fiat Panda 4x4 got the best 4x4 car prize. But you should buy 4x4 mag in Easons.
 
Subaru's are 4 wheel drive. Audi do an All-Road version of the A4 which is 4 wheel drive. This is a so called cross-over. Saloon style with some of the properties of an SUV.
Leo
 
Audi Quattro/Allroad A4/A6 would be worth a look. Also, Skoda Octavia 4x4 gets good reviews and their new Yeti is very good. Other crossovers like the Yeti, such as the Ford Kuga and the Nissan Qashqai could also be good. A bit bigger is the Volvo XC60 or you could look at the XC70 estate. Rav4 as mentioned above is OK too.

Personally though, I wouldn't be investing in a particular type of car just because there's a bit of snow and ice around at the moment and the winters might be bad in the future. Buy the type of car you want because it suits what you need it to do (loadspace/ride/handling/looks/economy/tax/etc/etc) for all 12 months of the year. If that happens to be a 4x4, fair enough, but if it happens to be a FWD/RWD then there are plenty of ways to learn how to best use it in all conditions.
 
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phoenixy2k said:
Since we are looking at a decade of regular snow/ice I think it's time to change car to a 4-wheel drive. Has anyone any recommendations on the best 4-wheel drives out there, that are also suitable to city traffic? And what saloon cars are there that are 4-wheel drive?
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Saloon cars I can think of that are 4 wheel drive are Audi A4 quattro, Subaru Legacy and the Skoda Octavia 4 wheel drive. There are a couple more estate cars that are 4 wheel drive such as Volvo V70 Cross country, Subaru Outback.

The drawback with the 4 wheel drive cars is that fuel consumption suffers as does tyre wear.
 
Subaru

If you are looking for a 4wd saloon car i would recommend the subaru legacy diesel. Brilliant car on any type of roads, doesnt really wear tyres (although when you change you change all 4, not 2 like with a 2wd), I get average fuel consumption of 6.2 ish litres per 100km, which i think is v good for 4wd. (no connection to subaru, just happy driver)
 
phoenixy2k said:
Since we are looking at a decade of regular snow/ice I think it's time to change car to a 4-wheel drive. Has anyone any recommendations on the best 4-wheel drives out there, that are also suitable to city traffic? And what saloon cars are there that are 4-wheel drive?
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Ditto. Every year when we get our "two weeks" of snow and ice I start to think 4x4, but which one? I like the Nissan Xtrail but hear it's sore on diesel and the CO2 is relatively high on some versions. I would have thought Toyota Rav 4 would be bulletproof but am hearing anecdotal stories to the contrary. Friend has a Kia Sorento with 300k kms on the clock, so I though it might suit but a visit to www.honestjohn.co.uk put me off a bit. I was also thinking of the Skoda 4x4 estate cars (Combi), Suzuki Grand Vitara, nearly bought one last year. By the time I resolve to buy one, it's Spring and the need has evaporated. Slim
PS: my Mondeo is quite good in the snow and ice. It's diesel 2wd.
 
Mrs Purple has a Volvo XC90 and it is great in the snow.
I’m not a big fan of 4X4’s as they remind me of driving a Transit but she loves her one.

Small front wheel drive cars are usually good in the snow (she used to have a Ford Ka and it was fantastic in the snow).

+1 on Subaru 4X4’s. I got a loan of one to drive to Derry during the snow the week before last and it was great.
 
I think you should consider buying a 4-wheel drive convertible, so you'll be ready for the summer as well.
 
Like this ?
gallardo-spyder-o-1.jpg
 
Front/Rear/Four Wheel Drive for Dummies

I'm the Dummy :D. I understand that one of these is pants in snowy weather. If so, which one and what are the advantages of it at other times of the year, i.e. why get one if it's pants in snow ?

Thanks
 
I drive a Subaru Legacy and live in a snow belt in the US. had a great winter in her last year, and didn't even bother with winter tires.

I was shopping for SUV's earlier in the year and was surprised to learn that a lot of them do not have permanent four wheel drive, they switch from 4 to 2 wheel above 30 mph. the Subarus have permanent symmetrical four wheel drive.
 
Purple said:
The A4 Coupe quattro is a bit small.
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I have the Audi TT quattro and have to say its brilliant in the snow - so I can justify it for about 2 weeks in the year. Hubbie is always stealing it cos his rear wheel drive is rubbish when the weather is like this!
 
I am a very satified driver of a Subaru legacy diesel (150bhp), I previously drove an Audi quattro a really good car but the Subaru for all around handling is far superior.

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In general if you are used to driving a saloon car I would stick with a saloon, larger off road type 4by4's have much poorer mpg and handling (inferior suspension settings) on normal roads than a saloon that has 4 wheel drive.

I once witnessed a tragic accident of a very expensive 4 wheel drive "off roader" that was forced to make a snap lane change on a motorway...the off roader tumbled over with fatal results. For ordinary road use I would reccomend a 4 wheel drive saloon anyday.
 
We've had a variety of 4x4's over the years and the best by far is the Landrover Discovery 3.

Really comfortable air suspension, traction control, terrain response, very good off-road, voted best 4x4 by What Car? Magazine.

If I had the money, I'd buy another one! :)
 
delgirl said:
We've had a variety of 4x4's over the years and the best by far is the Landrover Discovery 3.

Really comfortable air suspension, traction control, terrain response, very good off-road, voted best 4x4 by What Car? Magazine.

If I had the money, I'd buy another one! :)
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+1 The most comfortble 4x4 I've ever driven.
 
I'd like a Disco, but arent they really really really heavy on fuel???? Anyone any suggestions for something slightly more easy going?
 
If I can remember correctly VW offer the Passat in a 4 wheel drive version called the 4 Motion. Just reading an advertisement on the back of the Phoenix magazine this week and it states that all VW Diesel engines including the 170BHP now qualify for €104 road tax. Pretty impressive if thats true.
 
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