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

With the heavy front and good snows they work well. Awd is better but
good snow tires and prudent driving you will be fine in the minivan.

Good choice on the Odyssey. Check out odyclub.com for more information
on them.

-Kurt

F. Plant wrote:

F. Plant wrote:

*better* than the Legacy with all season tires.

--
Rob Munach, PE
Excel Engineering
PO Box 1264
Carrboro, NC 27510

F. Plant wrote:

Those are pretty different vehicles, each with its merits and demerits.
So it's hard to compare and decide. What's your biggest criterion?

Until recently, I've been driving Saabs for many years. They are super
in snow, especially with four snow tires. After all, they are from
Sweden. My guess is that my Subaru will be better. My old snows will fit
the Subaru.

Where are you? An Odyssey might suit you fine. It sounds like you'd
rather have the room that a minivan affords. Am I right?

Tom

I have had both. I live on a very steep narrow curvy road in the snowbelt.
It is often glazed or snowcovered in winter and has grade sections of 10 and
11%.

Results:

Ford Aerostar AWD Alway made it on all season tires
Massive carrying capacity
Dodge Grand Caravan FWD Worthless until I put studded snows on it.
Great carrying capacity, quiet, comfortable w. rear heat/AC
Subaru Forester Auto AWD Alway made it on all season tires
Limited cargo, great maneuverability, heater slow to warm
Subaru WRX 5 Sp Went everywhere on Speed rated tires
Forget the cargo, enjoy the ride; great heater

A lot depends where you live, how far you drive, and how often you expect
bad weather.

Last winter we put studded snows all around on the Forester--now it will
climb a tree!! Actually we wanted more stopping power on steep glazed
downhill rides. We also have an 04 Malibu FWD auto with traction control.
With snows on it it does fine stopping and going on our hill.

A minivan with traction control and snow tires should do fine on any road as
long as the snow isn't massively deep.


"F. Plant" <spam (AT) spam (DOT) spam> wrote

"Tom Reingold" <trn07040-nospam (AT) comcast (DOT) net> wrote

snip>
I was not as clear in my post as I could have been -guess I shouldn't be
composing things late at night! I currently have an 01 legacy wagon w
hakapallitas (sp?) in winter and need more passenger space and cargo room
than subaru's provide. We do a lot of skiing so winter handling is
important as we tend to go when the weather is poor. Mainly eastern Ont and
western Que.

Its been a while since I've had a fwd car, and some performed well and
others poor. A while back I had to disable the awd on my legacy due to a
soft tire and it gave me a reminder of how much better the awd handles in
rain and snow. I'm wondering how much of a performance hit I'd be taking
with a FWD minivan given the weight distribution is much different from a
car platform. If I were to go awd, it seems that toyota is the only good
choice, but a used awd Sienna is hard to find and pricey. A fwd Odyssey or
Sienna would be a lot easier to get and cheaper. I'd like to keep the price
down, but by the same token spend what is necessary -that's why I originally
got a legacy and not an Outback.

F,Plant

I have both, a 95 LS wagon and an 02 Ody LX.

The Ody is OK but damn, get rid of the OEM Bridgestone tires if it still has
them on there, they are lousy in the winter (and rain, and dry pavement,
etc.)
Never tired it with snows on the front but I did find that the traction
control to be more of a pain than anything. Since the Bridgestones were
lousy, the traction control did absolutely nothing. I found myself turning
it off and letting the tires spin for that gradual movement.

When all is said and done, I still prefer the subie over the van in the
snow. Just realize that with AWD if you give too much gas the rear end can
lose traction and will swing out just like a RWD vehicle. BUT unlike RWD
you still get the forward motion when you let up on the throttle.

HTH

--
John

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

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:

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