Question Used vehicle advice for very snowy conditions

[akcowgirl]

We are probably going to be having our second child within the next year so we will be needing a new vehicle. I currently drive a 2006 Subaru forester. I like the car except when we travel as a family. My 21 month old daughters britax advocate RF has to go behind the passengers seat which puts my knees right up against the dash.

We need a vehicle that is good in deep snow and on ice that we could all fit in with room for stuff as the closest big town is 220 miles away. We live in Alaska out of town so 4wd/awd is a must.
Good on gas would be a plus.

Stats.
Dh: 6'1 long legs, 38 inch inseam
Me: 5'7 33 inch inseam
Dd: age 21 months RF as long as possible. She is tiny.
2 old labs that are used to going.

Ok, lay your suggestions on me thanks in advance.

 

[nospam]

What is your budget?

Here are some suggestions:

Toyota Highlander
Audi Q5
Any Land Rover

 

[akcowgirl]

Oops, meant to add we are hoping to stay under $20 thousand.

 

[nospam]

Toyota Highlander AWD

 

[jjordan]

Honestly, I'd try a little harder with the situation you have now. (ETA: That is, if the only problem you have with the car is that the RF car seat takes up too much of the front passenger's leg room. If you have other reasons you want to replace your car, go for it!) Is the Advocate installed at its most upright angle? The "level to ground" line on the side is just a ballpark; Britax allows an angle as upright as 30* reclined from vertical. So if you're standing next to the car seat, it can be as upright as the little hand on a clock at 1:00. Also, make sure that the front passenger seat is as upright as possible, which will give you more space to move the seat back.

 

[akcowgirl]

I will check and make sure her seat is fully at 30 degrees and make it more comfortable for now. But there is no way dh could drive if there was a car seat behind the drivers seat. When he puts the seat where he needs it there is not enough room to get anything behind him.

 

[tiggercat]

I will check and make sure her seat is fully at 30 degrees and make it more comfortable for now. But there is no way dh could drive if there was a car seat behind the drivers seat. When he puts the seat where he needs it there is not enough room to get anything behind him.

How reclined is his vehicle seat? Many guys drive very reclined, and it is both safer and creates more leg room if they position the seatback more upright.

Sent from my iPod touch using Car-Seat.Org

 

[SafeDad]

If you like the Forester but want a little more room, I think a Subaru Outback would be a good choice. It's a little bit bigger all around, but not much. Since it's not too much bigger, the bonus is that it gets slightly better fuel economy and costs about the same. Be sure to get the dealer to include snow tires or all-weather tires as part of the deal!

The Toyota Venza 4-cyl AWD and Honda Accord Crosstour wagons are similar to the Outback in size and are available in AWD, but they are pricier and not as fuel efficient as the Outback I think. The Kia Sorento is an SUV that is also similar in size and price as well. The Highlander would be the next step up in price and size along with the Subaru Tribeca and a few others.

Maybe this one is negotiable to your price range?

Looks like that dealer has a few similar ones in stock too. A new 2012 base wagon with incentives would not be much more I think if you can find one in stock to compare in size to your Forester.

 

[akcowgirl]

I will look into the outback, it might be an option. Are there any small to mid sized SUV/cuv anyone would suggest? I was looking for a little more space.

 

[SafeDad]

I think you will find the Outback to be a little larger than almost every compact SUV overall. The Kia Sorento is among the smallest and least expensive midsize SUV models that would be a bit bigger than the Forester.

The larger midsize SUVs will definitely offer a lot more room, but are also a lot more expensive and have significantly worse fuel economy, too.

 

[akcowgirl]

Does anyone have experience with the older Honda pilots? I see quite a few on Craigslist in my area in our price range.

 

[akcowgirl]

Or the Hyundai Santa Fe? I am not opposed to something a little larger I used to drive a 2005 Chevy Tahoe that I loved space wise. The gas bill was a little much though. I understand that bigger and more space means a bigger gas bill though.

 

[Ozella21]

I have a Santa Fe, it is a 2007, I am not sure how comfortable it would be for a tall person. I strongly suggest test driving one for a long while.

 

[akcowgirl]

Thank you for the info in the Santa Fe. We had a friend who had a Ford Edge. Are they good for car seats though?

 

[bubbaray]

How was the Subie in deep snow? Because it wouldn't be my choice, I'd want something with more clearance.

Ford Escape? The Pilot will have good clearance, but not good on gas. I would stay away from the Venza and Crosstour due to the clearance issue.

If you are 220m from anywhere, I would probably ask the closest mechanic what he likes to work on and go from there.

FWIW, my DH's V8 F150 gets the same gas mileage as my RAV4 V6. Both are good in snow, but we prefer the truck in deep snow.

ETA, the Ford has nifty fold down rear 60/40 seats now, so both my kids and our lab can fit in winter or hot summer. Otherwise he rides in a crate in the box/bed of the truck.

 

[SavsMom]

How was the Subie in deep snow? Because it wouldn't be my choice, I'd want something with more clearance.

Ford Escape? The Pilot will have good clearance, but not good on gas. I would stay away from the Venza and Crosstour due to the clearance issue.

If you are 220m from anywhere, I would probably ask the closest mechanic what he likes to work on and go from there.

FWIW, my DH's V8 F150 gets the same gas mileage as my RAV4 V6. Both are good in snow, but we prefer the truck in deep snow.

ETA, the Ford has nifty fold down rear 60/40 seats now, so both my kids and our lab can fit in winter or hot summer. Otherwise he rides in a crate in the box/bed of the truck.

The Subaru actually has more ground clearance than the Escape and Venza due to the components under the car. It looks like the other two would have more, but they don't. My parents just drove their Outback through a blizzard in South Dakota with large drifts, my dad was extremely impressed with the AWD performance.

 

[SafeDad]

A Jeep Grand Cherokee with the Quadra-Drive option will be an exceptional AWD performer, perhaps the best of anything that doesn't have a truck-based, true 4WD transmission. It's one of the only remaining all-wheel drive systems that can send significant power to any single wheel, even if the other three have no traction, without depending upon the braking and throttle system to transfer power.

Combined with chains, all-weather or snow tires, you'd be going through stuff most traction-control based AWD systems would not be able to pass. It's bigger than Forester but not as big as some of the largest midsize SUVs. Might also be able to find a good price on a used one, since it doesn't have the Honda or Toyota name attached to it.

Unfortunately, Quadra-Drive is optional and only available on some higher trims, so it can be harder to find and more expensive than other AWD systems. Jeep's other AWD systems are more typical of what is found on other brands and models.

 

[canadiangie]

If I lived in Alaska with two old hounds and a baby I'd drive a truck, no question.

I love working in new body style f150's. Quad cab is beyond roomy in the backseat. It's like a living room back there. The dogs could go on the floor with the 60 portion raised. The baby could go on the 40. You'd have the option of getting a canopy for the hounds when baby #2 comes along.

You would have your 4x4 capabiliites, great clearance, and you can look at an EcoBoost edition if you want good fuel economy.

I drive a Honda Pilot. Gas mileage is ridiculous, but otherwise it's pretty dreamy in snow, with kids, and dogs. I live in an urban setting and do a lot of zipping around. A truck wouldn't fit my lifestyle, really, but if it did even remotely I wouldn't hesitate to drive an f150, for example.

 

[akcowgirl]

Sorry for the delay getting back. Sick kiddo/ surgery. The Subaru does great in the snow. I actually owned a 2004 ford escape that while it did good in the snow I had WAY to many problems with that car or I would have kept it. My hubby drives a 2004 GMC Sierra crew cab so we have the truck side covered. It is nice and roomy but I am not to enthused about another vehicle with that gas bill.

I have had 3 different subarus over the years and they have all done great in the snow so I think we will probably test drive an outback and if we feel that is not big enough than maybe a Tribeca if we can find one we can afford. Maybe just a newer forester since I have heard the newer models have a larger back seat.

 

[canadiangie]

Sorry for the delay getting back. Sick kiddo/ surgery. The Subaru does great in the snow. I actually owned a 2004 ford escape that while it did good in the snow I had WAY to many problems with that car or I would have kept it. My hubby drives a 2004 GMC Sierra crew cab so we have the truck side covered. It is nice and roomy but I am not to enthused about another vehicle with that gas bill.

I have had 3 different subarus over the years and they have all done great in the snow so I think we will probably test drive an outback and if we feel that is not big enough than maybe a Tribeca if we can find one we can afford. Maybe just a newer forester since I have heard the newer models have a larger back seat.

Forester made after 09 is great. Very roomy. Tribeca is nice too. One f our members here has one. Screename is Suzabanana. You could always pm her for opinions on it. She has two kids in hers. We briefly considered one because its a rare gem with tether anchors in the 3rd row (on models with a 3rd row) and I liked that it wasn't monstrous in size. Ultimately, with three kids, I got real I realized I needed something at least semi monstrous. So Pilot. But I still oogle Tribecas when I see them.