FWD minivans vs AWD Subaru legacy?

#11

Ken & Rese <ken50397 (AT) rcn (DOT) com> scribbled:

Quote:

I know this is an old thread, but I am new to the group.

I just purchased a used Outback and still own an 04 Odyssey. The
Honda is okay in the snow and ice, but my driveway is steep and I had
to blow it before we made it up. I also have an old 4x4 PU and it
went up fine. I am betting that the Subaru will far exceed the
winter capabilities of the Honda, but there is no question that the
Honda has a tremendous amount of room compared to the Subaru.

You could also buy a Winnebago, you'll find that there is no question that
the Winnebago has a tremendous amount of room compared to the Honda.

Quote:

We constantly praise the Honda for all the versatility that it offers
us. We went for a ride today in the Subaru and definitely noticed how
much less room there is in the Subaru.

Doh!

I went for a ride on a bus once (or twice) too and I found there was much
less room in a car...

Personally, I'd rather throw my Impreza around the road bends than drive a
bus but to each their own I guess.

#12

I do not own a Ody, but have driven many FWD vehicles without snows on
the front. Driving backward up the hill does not help as you have no
control over the direction, you can turn the steering wheel going
backwards however the the tail end will not respond to the direction as
the driving wheels are already overloaded with trying to move the car
backwards that it does not have the ability to really dicate which
direction the tail end will go, ie too much is being done already by
those front wheels.

FWD are inherently poor vehicles going up any hill. Why? As soon as you
touch the gas to move forward the weight transfer unloads the front
wheels. The main benefit of FWD over RWD is more control as the weight
is sitting on top of your steering wheels.

Carl 1 Lucky Texan wrote:

Quote:

Have you tried backing up the drive in the Honda?(puts more weight on
the driving wheels - not much help on ice but maybe enough with snow?)
Also, you may be a good candidate for the new Subaru Tribeca van!

Carl

Ken & Rese wrote:

I know this is an old thread, but I am new to the group.

I just purchased a used Outback and still own an 04 Odyssey. The Honda is
okay in the snow and ice, but my driveway is steep and I had to blow it
before we made it up. I also have an old 4x4 PU and it went up fine. I am
betting that the Subaru will far exceed the winter capabilities of the
Honda, but there is no question that the Honda has a tremendous amount of
room compared to the Subaru.

We constantly praise the Honda for all the versatility that it offers us.
We went for a ride today in the Subaru and definitely noticed how much less
room there is in the Subaru. Chances are if we are in NEED of travel on
VERY bad roads, it will be the Subaru, but all other cases will be the
Honda.

As said by someone else, you need to really weigh your needs and make a
decision and understand that there will be sacrifice with either. If I had
to choose one for my needs, I would choose the Honda. If it is really that
bad, I just won't go or I will plan ahead and leave early. One more note.
The Honda does just as well as any other FWD vehicle I have driven. We did
drive in much snow and didn't really have an issue.

Hope this helps,

Ken.
"F. Plant" <spam (AT) spam (DOT) spam> wrote in message
news:6hWge.41138$B82.1233111 (AT) news20 (DOT) bellglobal.com...

Considering getting a used minivan, and never having driven one in the
winter, I'm wondering how well a fwd minivan performs, as I really prefer
the awd legacy to a fwd car platform. I have my doubts, but a few people
have told me that with the heavy front and good snows that they work well.
If this is true, it opens up the selection by quite a bit, especially
since
I like the Honda Odyssey. Otherwise I'd be limited to the AWD which is
makes it a bit more difficult.

Thanks for your opinions,

F.Plant

--
to reply, change ( .not) to ( .net)

#13

"Tom Reingold" <tlr.usenet.0525 (AT) spambob (DOT) net> wrote

snip

Quote:

Renting is yet another way of "having it all". The Subaru is versatile,
but it's not that comfortable for long trips. But I see no sense in
buying a function I don't use often.

Just saw your post, and this is actually what I may do for the time being.
The legacy suits a lot of my needs, and makes due for a bit more. For the
remainder I might just suffer or rent as required. It's tough to justify
changing vehicles when there isn't one that makes me really want to dump the
subie yet.

F.Plant

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FWD minivans vs AWD Subaru legacy?

Subaru Subaru vehicles (alt.autos.subaru)

Re: FWD minivans vs AWD Subaru legacy? - 06-13-2005 , 05:56 AM

Re: FWD minivans vs AWD Subaru legacy? - 06-13-2005 , 06:43 PM

Re: FWD minivans vs AWD Subaru legacy? - 06-23-2005 , 01:02 AM