All Wheel Drive (Vanity)

[toothfairy86]

I also live in western PA. Had a Subaru Legacy from 1995-2007. Then, got a Honda Civic. The Honda doesn’t cut it, even with snow tires. Bought a 2014 Subaru Crosstrek last year. I drive about 35 miles into Pittsburgh for work. I still keep the Honda for running around locally in the warmer months.

[aimhigh]

Toyota 4Runner.

[Vendome]

Ford Edge or Explorer Sport....

[Daffynition]

BMW-X5

AWD...made in South Carolina, of USA parts.

Mine gets 21mpg no matter how I drive. [premium fuel]

Good warranty....holds it value....expensive to repair once the great warranty expires.

It’s great in snow ..... super breaking .....great fun off-road ...great ground-clearance.....other amenities too numerous to mention.

[doorgunner69]

That is m ore the fault of the tires- not the vehicle

No argument, those stock tires (whatever they were) sucked bad in wet weather. We got away with it in SoCal. Good point, but my wife was the one with the phobia, and it is indeed true that AWD is inherently more stable about hydroplaning of the type that she experienced with a RWD SUV.

I needed to get her over the absolute fear of driving in the rain and having the car suddenly go berserk on her. I was in the car, and it indeed did suddenly start pirouetting around at 60mph.

She rarely goes over 50mph now, but we do get flash floods across the road that scare her, so confidence on car stability is crucial.

[doorgunner69]

BMW-X5

..... super breaking .....

So all the reliability reports have said.

/snark

[PA Engineer]

Interesting thought, though, and I’d like to know more.

I not sure I can add much. My experience is based on our down grade (driveway) and occasional black ice experience coming up on stops.

Our driveway averages 15 degrees downslope and 2 degrees graded to a hillside with rip rap for drainage. Never had a slide unless I lost all grip (happened). Just took it down in second and into first if there was a problem. I downshifted using the parking break to prevent sliding when I did shift into 1st.

I could feel the changes in the traction between the wheels and the car would tend to slide. It was a learning experience to understeer versus oversteer as you would on dry pavement.

Going up really was never a problem. The Subarus tend to be underpowered, however always made it up. Always make it down too. That is an occasional white knuckle affair.

[eggman]

I'll second the recommendation of ice and snow tires. I ski so I drive a lot in the winter. I've used the Pirelli Scorpion tires for several winters of driving through some nasty conditions in Ohio, NY, PA, and VT. They wear quicker than regular tires but save you the cost of having an accident or needing to be pulled out of a ditch, snowbank, or median. I90 has some very crowded medians when the snow squalls start puking snow from lake Erie and Ontario. No need for studs and they will perform exceptionally well regardless of the conditions. The all season tires don't come close.

BTW, my AWD vehicle is a Porsche Cayenne.

[Fellow Traveler]

I have a 2014 Subaru xv crosstrek. Fantastic car, I Am 6’4”, plenty of legroom and headroom. About 28 to 30 mpg around town. 40k miles and zero problems. Absolutely the most sure footed vehicle I have ever driven. Good visibility because it sits higher than a regular compact. We have had severe rainstorms and it will not hydroplane. Handles snow and even ice very well.

[Daffynition]

The only SUV I test drove, that had better braking IMO, was the Audu Q7.

In a test drive, you have to do a *panic stop* to see how the brakes perform....to see if they are to your liking.

The X5 had much better visibility out the rear window, which is a factor , for me, anyway.

[Carthego delenda est]

“So far, I only got to check out a Rav4 and a CRV. Between the two I liked CRV better for its looks.”

You won’t go wrong with the CRV. Take care of it and it’ll just keep on going and going! It also has the added benefit of allowing you to be incognito while Subaru has pretty much become the vehicle of choice for the greenie, libtard, homos. That said, its hard to go wrong with a full sized American SUV. I’ve been driving my 4 wheel drive D250 through mountain mud and snow filled double tracks since I bought it in 92.

[867V309]

I have an older all wheel drive Ford Explorer. It has been a great car but gas mileage sucks.

I have an older 2 wheel drive Ford Explorer V8 and gas mileage sucked. Recently had the fuel pump replaced and mileage improved A LOT, like at least a third.

A friend with a similar Explorer just cleaned his fuel filter and had a dramatic mileage increase. Just sayin'

[eggman]

I looked at the BMW X5 but liked the Cayenne better. I also get about 21 MPG which is good for a V8 with 400hp. The amenities are very nice, especially the heated seats and steering wheel when it’s 20 below out.

[doorgunner69]

Perhaps you did not catch my snark at your "breaking" spelling.

I am well aware of the rather poor reliability of the X5, though it distressed me, wanted one at one time. A 4.4i to be specific.

[FreedomPoster]

The allroad has the same mechanicals as the A4. It’s basically an A4 wagon.

[razorback-bert]

ditto

[make no mistake]

Mine is a V8 also with over 200K miles on it. I will have the fuel pump and filter checked. Thanks

[ozzymandus]

Chevy K1500. You want mileage, buy a Subaru, if you don’t mind people laughing at you.

[Daffynition]

Remind me again, what’s the warranty on the Cayenne?

IIRC BMW 4/50,000 [basic] 4/50,000 [powertrain] 12/Unlimited [corrosion] 4/Unlimited [roadside]

[Daffynition]

I guess I got lucky. ;)

If and when I need another SUV, I’d buy another X5 in a heartbeat...but would test drive the heck out of a AudiQ7.