which non 4x4 cars are best and worst in snow and ice?

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LeneHorse

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As above really. I drove an x reg corsa for years and it was pretty good. Recently I 'upgraded' to an 09 corsa and don't feel it handles so well. Before the corsa I had a sierra estate and it was truly dreadful as it was rear wheel drive. What's everyone else driving and is it getting you to the yard in this weather?
 
Volvo V70 with traction control.

Drove 2 Chicago winters in this.

The scariest I have seen are mercedes with rear wheel drive. best left in garage for winter conditions.
 
My 03 clio has faired pretty well to be honest
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The late 90s/early 00 Citroens aren't so good, too long and low to deal with more than a few inches and we have a foot lying outside - will be interesting to see if there are any recommendations, I could do with something that handles a bit better in snow.
 
My OH used to have a Westfield S8 which was pretty dangerous at the best of times and darned lethal on ice!!
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Now we have a nice sensible Diesel Audi A4 Estate
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My Beetle (new version) is excellent in these conditions but OH's little pink (yes pink haha) starlet is rubbish. Pity I just sold my bug and have to drive his.
 
I have a 2 litre MX5, which is rear wheel drive. I have spent the past 3 days driving mostly sideways! Not so good down the lane to the yard which has a ditch either side. Was laughed at in yard when I had to abandon it anywhere i could in the car park but they'll be jealous in the Summer :-) :-)
 
My Citroen C2 has been fab!!
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Only one small skid when coming down my country road and that was because of a 4x4 ploughing through and not leaving space and me having to do and emergancy stop.
 
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my KA flies over the ice.. I just point it and put my foot down and off it goes - with me gripping the wheel of course. lol

its so light, like an ice skate.

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Does it stop when you hit the brakes if its like a ice skate?
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Quite funny really that some people who think that having a 4x4 is going to help them driving on ice! The reality is that it is not much better than a car and often worse as they are very heavy to manoeuvre if get into trouble!
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My horse is now guarding my Ka tonight as I had to abandon it on the lane next to his field...it's been great until now but with all the rain and storm overhead it's still freezing on the ground creating one big icerink.

So I ended up walking home tonight - at least the horses all had their supper first! Note sure it was a fair test tho, there was a tractor in 4WD also stuck 100 metres down the hill!

Roll on tomorrow!
 
yep id agree with that having written off a lwb landie on the ice a few years ago, going down the lane to the yard at snails pace, thort id just test the brakes at the top before the downhill bit, oops! At least in my little fiesta i havent got the weight behind me if i skid
 
Well the way some people with 4x4 round here are driving they obviously think their vehicles perform better than ordinary cars. My friend had an a**h*le in a 4x4 2 literally inches behind her all the way up the single track road to the yard the other night in very icy conditions - they had absolutely no concept of braking distances.
 
The worst car for the ice was my old Daewoo lanos - was so light I couldnt stop! The Seat Ibiza was good - very heavy so stopped well. Wouldn't be without my 4x4 now tho - has been amazing getting me up and down the hill to the yard
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Quite funny really that some people who think that having a 4x4 is going to help them driving on ice! The reality is that it is not much better than a car and often worse as they are very heavy to manoeuvre if get into trouble!
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I passed several cars wheel spinning today on hills in the ice, I cruised passed in my defender. Four-wheel drive does make a difference. I was in a focus last year and was indeed stuck on the same hills during the icy weather luckily a 4x4 driver towed me up the hill.
 
I have a Mk I Punto that has been lowered and has lovely fat low-profile tyres on it. It is like driving a sledge and I have had a bit of a play. I still see people driving like it's a dry day - they're kn@bs who are too impatient to drive according to the conditions.
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I used to have a 51 reg Corsa and reckoned that was quite good in this weather, now have a Golf and have parked it on the drive until it clears a bit. Was sliding all over in it. Been borrowing hubbys Shogun and although as a car I dont like it to drive, its coped brilliantly.
 
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Quite funny really that some people who think that having a 4x4 is going to help them driving on ice! The reality is that it is not much better than a car and often worse as they are very heavy to manoeuvre if get into trouble!
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Too true!! 4x4s only give you additional traction over a normal car (so getting up a slippery hill will be easier, for example) They do NOT give you any improved steering or enhance your brakes. On ice they may help your forward propulsion but will certainly not help with skidding
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That said 4x4s are generally more robust that 'normal' cars, so if you're going to crash a 4x4 would be preferable
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I've got a 55' BMW 1-series.. bloody nightmare. Its rear wheel drive. Missed 4 hours of work this morning as i got stuck at the yard. AA had to tow me out
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My Vectra is brilliant, I reversed up an icy hill yesterday round a bend to give way to a van, said van had major wheel spin and couldn't manage to drive forwards up the hill, he had to reverse down and give up. It's got really good grip and manages to get up roads I've seen quite a few give up on - I live on the side of a hill and have a grandstand view of it.

My Mum's astra is pretty good but not quite as grippy as mine, drove it last night and could feel it was a bit slippy on the hill. It's tires are smaller and low profile but it still handles better than most.
 
I had a ford capri that was lethal on ice!!!! and wet to think of it!! My volvo was fantastic in most conditions, and my OH's vectra copes really well in these conditions, my Fourtack is also great - but care still has to be taken as 4x4's are not invincible!!
 
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, now have a Golf and have parked it on the drive until it clears a bit. Was sliding all over in it.

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We always had golfs until recently but have found both my vectra and mum's astra cope much better.
 
My Ford Mondeo (diesel) is coping brilliantly in the snow and ice, very impressed.

Mr FigJam's VX220 (silly little sports car like a Lotus Elise!) hasn't even been given the opportunity to embarrass itself or put him in a ditch/wall, it's abandoned in the driveway!!!
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My Corsa cc has been c**P, first day in the snow I couldnt get up the hill and had to leave it at the yard, next day got it up the hill with a struggle and hasnt been down the yard since but managed to get it to work as all main roads and gritted. Had a couple of skids. Mum has a peugeot 206 and its been brilliant.
 
I agree that front wheel drive is best. For a while I had a high
powered rear wheel drive bmw and it scared me witless in
anything other than perfect conditions. I remember trying to
drive back from Wales in icy conditions and I was scabbling about
at the bottom of a hill and was overtaken by a very smug citroen
Diane
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It was so bad a had to try to find a route out of wales
that didn't have any hills (you can't). Took hours of terror before
I got to main road that had been gritted
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Sold it soon after
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My defender has been good but even that has felt a bit
scary the lanes are so lethel
 
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