Well, shoot, here in frozen tundra country, people get stuck in SUVs all the time, knowing how to drive in bad conditions is really more important than the vehicle. Driving in ice mainly requires extreme caution, lots of space between vehicles, and a light touch, though anti-lock brakes do wonders too. Traction control also helps. All wheel drive has advantages, but it can get you in trouble too.
A moderately amusing story: My next door neighbors have two Grand Cherokees, the husband traded in a BMW 5-series to match his wife. He says the Jeep drives better, but when I queried him on this, he meant he could see better. Which is true enough, but a problem for everybody else who's not in an SUV.
Minivans are all front wheel drive. My dad hates driving in slippery conditions with front wd, though, you can't throttle steer. My brother lives in Portland, he's amused at what a little ice will do to traffic there, as are most cheeseheads when we see the tv footage when ice hit someplace in the south. You see plenty of SUVs sliding around in that footage too. You just have to know what you're doing, but it's hard when ice hits once every 5-10 years.
Cheers, Dan. |
