A good car for this snowy weather

[eloisesparkle]

We're thinking of changing our car and with this snowy weather would like to get something second hand that can be driven in snowy/ icy conditions.
We're not up a mountain or anything and generally do suburban driving.
Any suggestions please wise Mumsnetters.

Dh has an old bmw, swaps the tyres for winter tyres every year and it’s been ok in the snow.

Same with my focus, first year we had it it was crap in snow and put on winter tyres the next day and it was ok.

My VW Golf is pretty good in the snow, we've been out and about all week when others have stayed put.

Do not get a BMW or Merc, they are both terrible in the snow. Even 4x4 versions...you can find videos of BMWs in the snow on YT (they're that bad).

Given that our Golf is good in the snow what about the new VW T-Roc? It's a small 4x4, just been released...

@Lonicera
Get those winter tyres on ebay/Gumtree they'll probably be gone today!!
You have to preorder winter tyres.
People panic and want them now!!

I have a 4x4. It's brilliant in the snow. Don't get me wrong it still slides so you have to be careful.. This is the first year we haven't put the winter tyres on it and look at what has happened 🤦🏽‍♀️

Those shouting “winter tyres”, can you keep them on all winter. We’re int eh south and next week temps are around 10/11. Would winter tyres still be ok?

I had a mark 3 Golf that was better in the snow than DFs current 4x4 (Honda CRV). Good winter tyres and a session on a skid pan (I see so many crashes cause by people not knowing how to correct a skid and making a skid worse as a result) are a must.

Lizzie - we generally put then on late Oct/Early Nov and remove them March-ish.

They work best when average temp is below ~8C

Their advantage is not just being more grippy in snow (as they retain more rubbery texture rather than freezing and going more plastic-y as normal tyres do - the have deeper grooves so driving through puddles is a lot safer.

I can't believe the difference they make - when we had our rear-wheel driving (useless in snow) BMW we first used winter tyres and it instantly became far better in snow than our thinner-tyre front wheel drive SEAT Leon.

We do quite long drives in winter with the kids, and I'm so thankful to have them. Highly recommend

(but there's not much point in buying them for this season but just be prepared for next)

(and we're ~30m north of London)

Winter tyres have a different tread pattern and deeper tread that's what makes them better in the snow.

Any front wheel drive with winter tyres. Ideally thin wheels

It’s all about the tyres rather than anything else

Saying that 4x4 panda is ace. Also Skoda yeti.

But any 4x4 with big wheels and skinny tyres will be shit. Our next door neighbour struggled in his Range Rover as had shit road tyres.

pixel have you seen the prices of those 126’s now?

You Kia Sportage 4x4 has been fabulous and has a 7 yr warranty and 3 yr free servicing-highly recommend!

@CakeOfThePan Pixel sighs heavily

Have I and the depressing thing is when I wanted to trade it for a new Peugeot 106 they offered £50! It only had 14K on the clock! I refused until they offered £500
I took the 106 home the following Saturday and kept it for just shy of 20yrs. Never broke down once, spare tyre had never been fitted!
God I miss my 106, as basic as a tractor and as reliable as too :)

My winter wheels+tyres cost about £330. I can change all 4 myself in about 1 hour. Braking is when I really notice good performance on them.

I wouldn't trust my car in deep snow. I've seen 4x4s manage that, and big trucks, but a little car is still a little car compared to big drifts.

My Range Rover is a beast, but a bit excessive to buy one just for snow if you don't need it.

All those that say BMW and Mercedes are crap.. you know they're German cars, right and Germany gets a LOT more snow than us. It's the tyres, winter tyres and something heavy in the boot of a rear wheel drive and you are fine.

I also know that every single car I saw sliding about in the snow was BMW, except for one Audi.

An alternative to winter tyres is the Michelin Crossclimate tyre. It's an "all seasons" tyre, so you can use it all year round. Older all seasons tyres are based on winter tyres and summer performance is severely compromised. The Michelin Crossclimate is based on a summer tyre, so it performs well in summer, but it still has a load of grip in snow and ice.

I have had these since November and they have been great in wintry conditions. Obviously I haven't used them in summer yet, but the reviews say they are little different from the Michelin Premacy summer tyre.

Thank you.
Those Michelin tyres sound great Cruel