looking for MPG and winter safety

[wn1998]

I just accepted a new position 35 miles from my home (one way). The good news is the drive is all farm and back roads (55 mph) The bad news is I hear the roads are not plowed very well in the winter and rarely salted so they are treacherous in the winter time.

I am looking for suggestions of cars that will not only get me great mpg but something that will also be able to tackle snowstorms and winter conditions typical of the midwest.

I have been looking at the direction of the subaru impreza however, I feel I may burn though tires very quickly with full time all wheel drive.

What are your suggestions?

 

[fsdork]

I'm not sure you can get away from the trade-off of tire wear for traction. A Subaru would be my suggestion too, as long as it gives enough ground clearance for the poorly plowed roads you will encounter.

 

[JosephHarmon]

Subaru's although not terrible don't get MPG's to brag about. Great winter snow car though and can be had cheap. Smaller SUV's like a Kia Sportage may be worth looking into.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Impreza would be a nice car for this job. AWD does not eat tires any faster than FWD or RWD. If anything, wear should be more uniform front to back, so you don't have to bother with rotations.

Whatever you get, make sure to get a proper set of winter tires for it.

 

[wn1998]

Winter tires will be the first "mod" I buy for my new car or Truck,

 

[simple_gifts]

Are we talking new vehicle purchase?

 

[SrDriver]

Subaru or KIA Sportage AWD would be on my short list.

 

[Hollow]

If you don't plan on using the Jeep in your sig (bad MPG) are you looking for new or used? If new, the 2012 Subaru Impreza looks to be getting 30+MPG with the new 2.0 engine and CVT combo.

That being said, any non turbo Subaru 4 cylinder should get you 25-30MPG on the highway. You will want winter tires, then the only thing that will be any issue is ground clearance.

 

[sciphi]

What about taking the Jeep with winter tires?

Otherwise, I'd say Subie Impreza.

 

[fdcg27]

As others have said, this is the perfect job for a Subaru.
We have two AWD Subies, and they don't seem to eat tires any faster than any other car.
Fuel economy is nothing to brag about, but current Subarus seem better in this regard.
For 90% of your use, or ours, a Subaru is uneeded.
For the 10% that you'll need it, a Subaru is priceless.
There is no better AWD system than what Subaru uses.
Drive one in treacherous winter conditions and you'll understand.

 

[simple_gifts]

 

[Rand]

the 2012 impreza is near 30-35mpg

I'd get one of those with a second set of rims and snow tires for the ultimate in on road traction and safety.

 

[eljefino]

So is it flat there? If it is you don't need AWD. I'd look into skinny "pizza cutter" tire/wheels that fit either your Versa or jeep.

Would you consider another car, like a used one, just to use as a winter beater? A midsize sedan from 1995-2000 will have 195/65/15 ish tires, a good track width that fits the ruts in the road, and will be light enough to get 25-28 MPG.

Are you handy? Would the upkeep be something you could handle?

The new impreza meets an impressive price point. They are going to sell a lot of them but I wonder if they decontented something that will later bite a bunch of people in the rear.

 

[Bandito440]

Mazda CX-5, but wait until the fall when the diesel model is available.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
So is it flat there? If it is you don't need AWD. I'd look into skinny "pizza cutter" tire/wheels that fit either your Versa or jeep.

Would you consider another car, like a used one, just to use as a winter beater? A midsize sedan from 1995-2000 will have 195/65/15 ish tires, a good track width that fits the ruts in the road, and will be light enough to get 25-28 MPG.

Are you handy? Would the upkeep be something you could handle?

The new impreza meets an impressive price point. They are going to sell a lot of them but I wonder if they decontented something that will later bite a bunch of people in the rear.

+1 on the skinny tires, for hwy driving I prefer the Neon with 155 width snows over the 4wd Tracker with 205 width identical snow tires. The Tracker gets pulled around more moving more snow/slush with the wider tire even though its 600lbs heavier. Also at hwy speeds the difference in 4wd and FWD in stability is pretty much zero in my experience. Unless you plan on passing people alot, driving 2 or 4 wheels isn't an issue.
I'd research the smallest rim size that fits on the Versa and then get the skinniest and snow tires you can for the first winter, also the studable winters aren't the best in ice traction but they last along time driving on pavement which probably you will be doing 90+% of the time anyways.

 

[johnachak]

What about the regular little jeep with the smaller engine?

 

[Bluestream]

Ford Escape with the 4 cylinder engine

 

[oilmaven]

I have to say that my Kizashi AWD is phonemenal in the winter. I like the fact that I can run it in FWD or AWD...or just leave it in AWD (mileage is supposedly incrementally better when in FWD...also understand that a small amount of power is directed to the rear wheels even if AWD is not engaged but much less than when engaged). Although we had a mild winter here, the couple of snow dumps we did get didn't seem to faze this car...I tested it out on a couple of snow covered hills (started in FWD until I started spinning and then engaged the AWD...car walked up the hill like I was on flat pavement). Also, I've gotten as high as 34 mpg with the car on the highway (although 31-32 is more common at higher speeds). I REALLY like the car for it's economy, comfort, handling and versatility. What I DON'T like is the dearth of dealerships (fortunately I haven't needed one since our local dealer lost their franchise...next nearest dealer is over 200 miles away). The dealership issue is a deal breaker for a lot of people. Still, I'm happy with the car and would buy another.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Any of the smaller SUVs with AWD option and good winter tires will be hard to beat in snow. If you're driving unplowed roads often, you need ground clearance in addition to forward traction. In fact, ground clearance may be more important than the nominal number of wheels propelling the car forward. If you're trying to push through 6" of snow or more, something with less than 6" of ground clearance is going to float on top of the snow and you won't go anywhere. More wheels driving the vehicle will help, but if the snow is too deep, you'll be stuck at home.

If you are looking at Subaru, I would look at one with a good amount of ground clearance. Some of them are pretty low-slung, and end up as snow plows in deeper snow. A smaller SUV will give you 25-30 mpg under your stated driving conditions, but will still maximize your ground clearance for deep snow travel.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

A front wheel drive car with good snow tires has never let me down. I wouldn't think twice before making your commute with with my 2011 Focus. I have a set of slightly skinnier studded snow tires that do great in the snow.

I also much prefer FWD instead of traditional 4wd in the snow.