Best 4-wheel/all-wheel drive car?

Best 4-wheel/all-wheel drive car?
Hi,

My wife and I are going to move to either Indianapolis or Kansas City sometime this year. We've been to both cities during winter weather and have found that our 2-wheel drive vehicles (Toyota Highlander and Mazda Protege) don't do well in icy/snowy conditions. (I couldn't get up my sister's icy driveway in my Highlander, but their 4WD CR-V went right up with no problems. We're from the south, so we don't need 4WD like my sister does in KC.) My wife's job (Medical Resident) will mean she has to be able to get to the hospital, so we are looking at getting her a 4-wheel drive replacement for her Protege. The biggest thing she's driven is my Highlander and she's not real crazy about driving it. "It's too big!" She feels like she's driving a truck. What are the best options for a vehicle that will get her to work when there is incliment weather? I'm sure she can learn to drive a smaller to mid-sized SUV like the CR-V or Highlander if necessary. What are your suggestions for our situation?

Thanks,
Keith

posted by  kcooley

Dude! What about a 4wd subaru outback? Its not considered an suv, but the wagon has plenty of cargo room for grocery runs etc.
My dad has a 98 4wd mistsubishi montero sport...its a nice ride, plenty of room, and pretty reliable.
Uhm....and maybe, if you'd consider a truck, tr a toyota fullsize tundra.
Man those are nice.
Well, hope my input helps.
-b

posted by  b_DuB13

Yea, for your purposes I would suggest a subaru, the legacy would probably suit you best. Subarus all come in all wheel drive and are reliable, refined vehicles with many ammenities. Plus they have such a various collection of vehicles that you can find something you really could fall in love with. Good luck, I hope I helped.

posted by  Zalight

There are a few different models of Subarus that would suit you best, all depending on fuel economy, power, offroad capabilities, etc. On the truck side, I would recommend a Toyota Tacoma instead of a Tundra. You can get 4 and 6 cylinder models and they have 4 wheel drive.

posted by  abless

wow, this is rare. an actually educated and well thought out question! kudos to kcooley! :clap:

but yeah, for your wife a Subaru would be your best bet - the Legacy series is a good bet. you can choose if you want the wagon or sedan...but it has everything your wife wants, from what you tell us. good luck with the move! :thumbs:

posted by  SuperJew

Rare indeed. Definetly one of the most productive threads in a while.

posted by  abless

Sweet, a thread I can give first hand advice on. My parents drive a 2001 legacy GT, and I can say that it's definitly worth the money. We're at 60,000 miles with ZERO maintence problems (besides the tires) and the 4wd seriously helps with snow and ice driving.

posted by  Godlaus

WHAT is the diffrence between a 4wd and a AWD?

posted by  CarEXPERT

I made a thread that asked that, apparently its the obvious. awd is perma-4wheeldrive.

posted by  shev

yea, 4wd can be turned on or off, awd is all-time.

posted by  Zalight

holy sheepshit batman no one is arguing in this thread...wow...I am shocked

anywho I have noticed a lot of the smaller SUVs are now coming in AWD rather than 4wd...pretty interesting since like everyone has been raving bout the Suburu haven't they been doing AWD for years with that ugly ass brat (i think it was called a Brat)

posted by  ~SK~

Would it be better to get an 4wd or an AWD car for normal urban driving, with ocasionally going up skiing or what not.

posted by  fatbass

I would think that it really mattered on what type of vehicle you are looking for. It is nice to have AWD cuz you have better traction all the time. If you go with 4WD you have the option to turn it off, however on some hefty trucks you have to walk your lazy butt outside in the freezin cold to lock the hubs on the front tires (if it is manual 4WD)

So to answer your question it really just depend on what type of truck or SUV you want since there are so many differences.

posted by  ~SK~