This is one of the reasons I own a Wrangler!

[AFD]

I actually would have paid to watch anyone with an automobile, either rear wheel or front wheel drive, try to get out of the street and into my driveway. The video is a bit misleading as I had already driven over the snowbank and then backed through it again so my wife could get the video she wanted. It was quite a bit higher before I drove over it twice.

The issue in this instance is you can't "plow" through this snow. I didn't realize that until I got out my snow blower to clear that snowbank away. The temperature was about 30 degrees so the snow should be soft, maybe even fluffy. Ah, nope. Because the snow was so wet as well as compacted by the snowplow it was HARD. My snowblower couldn't cut through it and my snow shovel wanted to bounce off it rather than dig in. Had to get my spade shovel out to chop it into smaller pieces and then heave the snow into my yard.

What you're saying is 100% correct though, if the snow wants to play along.

Yeah, it really depends on the consistency of the snow, but tbf, my last car was an AWD Evo X with a front spoiler and a snow setting for the ACD. As long as shit wasn't frozen solid, it would eventually push through or over damn near anything that would've gotten my prior FWD cars stuck. Heavy wet snow just took more tries or more speed

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[1Evil55]

Still waiting for the snow here to test it out. I love the winter mainly for the sports. This year has been a bust so far.

 

[1Evil55]

Yeah, it really depends on the consistency of the snow, but tbf, my last car was an AWD Evo X with a front spoiler and a snow setting for the ACD. As long as shit wasn't frozen solid, it would eventually push through or over damn near anything that would've gotten my prior FWD cars stuck. Heavy wet snow just took more tries or more speed

I had an VIII for years. It was a blast in snow covered lots. Basically just point and turn where ever you wanted to go. Or spin in place as long as you didn't run out of gas.

 

[Whaler27]

Doesn't seem too bad. I've plowed through snow that high in my car when the plows blocked the end of my driveway. Usually takes a few tries, though. Once it freezes like that, forget it.

Me too. I drive an AWD, hemi-powered Charger for work. I’ve pushed snow with my bumper lots of times. A little hump like that would be no problem unless it was packed or frozen.

 

[entropy]

Driving home last night after another snowy day which followed another snowy day, my wife called me from her Cherokee. She told me she would not be able to get in the garage as the plow had come by and the snow at the end of the driveway was high. Higher than her, she said, so I mentioned to just leave her Jeep in the road and I'd snow blow so she could get up the drive. I also said I may try to get into the garage before clearing it if possible when I got home.

A few minutes later she called me back and told me to call her when I get home so she can video me if I decide to try to get in the garage through the snow. Her boss didn't make it in that day as his BMW X3 Xdrive couldn't get out of his neighborhood. I think she wanted to prove to him he had the wrong vehicle if he wanted to get around during a Minnesota winter. When I got home I didn't have to call as she was already standing in the front sidewalk waiting to take the video. I drove through the snowbank and up into my garage without any issue, or so I thought.

When I went in the house and asked my wife if she got the video she was discouraged that she did not. Apparently she was already recording when she hit the screen to start it which only ended it. Do you want me to do it again for you? I asked. If you don't mind was her reply. So, I backed out the garage, into the street and went for take 2, which was equally successful.

This was one of the reasons why I own a Wrangler in the snowy state of Minnesota. Not as snowy as Buffalo New York, of course, but this year has been one with more white stuff falling out of the sky than normal. I owned four wheel drive vehicles for a number of years when I was younger but in 1991 I no longer had a 4x4 but rather front wheel drive sedans.

Then Halloween 1991 happened. My kids were trick or treating and when we got back the snow flakes were quite huge so I told myself, yep, the snow is almost done. Boy, was I wrong. It snowed and snowed and snowed and snowed some more. Later that evening I got in my Ford Taurus to go get some soda. I only ended up driving around the block as I knew almost immediately that was not a good idea. Once back home I was stuck there for three days.

I HATE getting stranded, even if it is stranded at home. I made the decision at that time to never be without a four wheel drive vehicle again as long as I lived in the snow belt. For 20 plus years I owned labs for bird hunting so pickups were my vehicle of choice. 4X4 of course. Still got stuck once in a while which required the help of a tractor a time or two. But the option of only 2 wheel drive wasn't going to happen.

While getting around in the snow is not nearly as dramatic as rock climbing, it is a life requirement, not a life option for me at this time. Probably not many have to crawl over rocks to get to work or grab groceries but that nasty white stuff is around in the winter getting between me and my errands quite often. I'm very satisfied with my decision to choose a Jeep Wrangler for my snow adventures.

not to be a dick but a cherokee could easily go through that.

Years in Vermont with a Jeep Patriot I went over way worse than that.

But yeah Jeeps are beasts on deep snow because of high clearance, big tires, 4WD, etc... Very difficult to get stuck with a Jeep specially if you have a winch too. But IMO they're not great for 99% of winter driving. High center of gravity, narrow and unstable in general. I hate driving my Jeep on icy roads and such. I'd rather have a sedan with snow tires or a subaru.

My old Jeep patriot, which is basically a crossover, with winter tires, 4WD and indendepent suspension was unstoppable during the winter commutes. My corolla with winter tires was also pretty safe to drive around unless there was a lot of snow which needed the higher clearance of the patriot. I would take both those options over my wrangler for winter conditions.

 

[INCRHULK]

not to be a dick but a cherokee could easily go through that.

Years in Vermont with a Jeep Patriot I went over way worse than that.

But yeah Jeeps are beasts on deep snow because of high clearance, big tires, 4WD, etc... Very difficult to get stuck with a Jeep specially if you have a winch too. But IMO they're not great for 99% of winter driving. High center of gravity, narrow and unstable in general. I hate driving my Jeep on icy roads and such. I'd rather have a sedan with snow tires or a subaru.

My old Jeep patriot, which is basically a crossover, with winter tires, 4WD and indendepent suspension was unstoppable during the winter commutes. My corolla with winter tires was also pretty safe to drive around unless there was a lot of snow which needed the higher clearance of the patriot. I would take both those options over my wrangler for winter conditions.

Yeah, I loved my Patriot in the winter, but it never felt as capable as my Neon, and the KL Trailhawk was a beast in heavy storms.

 

[CreepyCrepe]

Her boss didn't make it in that day as his BMW X3 Xdrive couldn't get out of his neighborhood. I think she wanted to prove to him he had the wrong vehicle if he wanted to get around during a Minnesota winter.

My employer says her boss has good taste!

 

[Heimkehr]

My old Jeep patriot, which is basically a crossover, with winter tires, 4WD and indendepent suspension was unstoppable during the winter commutes. My corolla with winter tires was also pretty safe to drive around unless there was a lot of snow which needed the higher clearance of the patriot. I would take both those options over my wrangler for winter conditions.

The Ridgeline that preceded my Wrangler was the best vehicle I've ever owned for inclement driving conditions; specifically, accumulating snow. It required a weight class sticker (now eliminated by PENNDOT, of course) due to its GVWR. More to the point, the complex VTM-4 4WD system did all of the thinking in terms of how power was intelligently delivered to each tire.

When driven in the same conditions, the Wrangler's analog part-time 4WD function requires more care and advance planning. That's not a concern; it simply resets my expectations to be in line with those vehicles that preceded the Honda. (I know the Brake Lock Differential feature is technically electronic and thus not "analog", but its relative transparency and limited usefulness means I don't really give it a place at the table here.)

 

[Hogdreamer]

not to be a dick but a cherokee could easily go through that.

Years in Vermont with a Jeep Patriot I went over way worse than that.

But yeah Jeeps are beasts on deep snow because of high clearance, big tires, 4WD, etc... Very difficult to get stuck with a Jeep specially if you have a winch too. But IMO they're not great for 99% of winter driving. High center of gravity, narrow and unstable in general. I hate driving my Jeep on icy roads and such. I'd rather have a sedan with snow tires or a subaru.

If my wife's Cherokee didn't have adaptive cruise with the electronics located under the front license plate I would agree with you but the chance of doing expensive damage would not be worth it in my opinion. This was not fluffy ski hill type snow but rather hard packed snow about as fluffy as a brick.

To me a Jeep Wrangler, properly equipped, is great for 99% of winter driving. 4 inch lift with 37 inch tires? Probably not the best for normal winter road driving. But slightly lifted or stock height with tires adequate for snow they are pretty darn good. The full time 4 wheel drive option like mine is also an asset.

Putting 150,000 plus miles on my Jeep Liberty I never got stuck in the snow, once. Mud? That was a different story and I upgraded to a Wrangler to help with that type of situation. I wasn't out having fun in the mud which would be my fault. This was just normal off road driving on my property to get prepped for deer hunting. A Ford F250 diesel 4X4 couldn't get me out but luckily my neighbor also had a front end loader which did the job. After first pulling his Ford out.

Driving on icy roads with my Wrangler? I just make sure I'm in full time four wheel drive and slow down a bit. I'm more worried about stopping than I am being unstable. Just this week I drove by a car going slow in the left lane of a three lane road. I was in the center lane as I passed it. When I looked in my rearview mirror I noticed the SUV behind me doing a 360.

Granted it wasn't a sedan but with a sedan, the lack of ground clearance can be a real issue with deeper snow. Ever high center a vehicle in deep snow? Not much fun as the only way to get unstuck is usually getting pulled out. My Jeep CJ never got stuck in snow until I had it sitting high on a cushion of snow. Never wheeled alone so I always had help to get a nice tug.

 

[Hogdreamer]

My employer says her boss has good taste!

Of owning a BMW X3? The funny thing is, I could buy a decked out BMW X3 for cheaper than I could purchase a new Wrangler with the options mine currently has. I never expected my Jeep to cost less than a BMW.
My wife's bosses BMW also needs a new turbo. That's a four to five thousand dollar expense I wouldn't want to put out.
My sister bought a used BMW X3 a couple of years ago. Guess she didn't test drive it long enough as she ended up disliking it so much she sold it back to the dealership at a loss about a month later.

 

[CreepyCrepe]

Of owning a BMW X3? The funny thing is, I could buy a decked out BMW X3 for cheaper than I could purchase a new Wrangler with the options mine currently has. I never expected my Jeep to cost less than a BMW.
My wife's bosses BMW also needs a new turbo. That's a four to five thousand dollar expense I wouldn't want to put out.
My sister bought a used BMW X3 a couple of years ago. Guess she didn't test drive it long enough as she ended up disliking it so much she sold it back to the dealership at a loss about a month later.

I work at the Spartanburg Plant, so I pretty much have to say it. We build the vast majority of the X series vehicles (X3, X4, X5, X6, X7 and the XM)

 

[sentience]

You want a real good vehicle for the snow? Get a Subaru! However, a Subaru is nowhere near as awesome as a Jeep. That's why I traded mine for a Wrangler!!

I do miss the comfort and fuel economy of my Subaru and I'd buy another one for sure but the wife is instead set on a Rav4 hybrid. So, when Toyota stops talking crazy about charging people MSRP or go away, I think we're going to end up with one of those.

Driving in the snow is still fun in the Jeep and now I have a winch and a bunch of other recovery gear so I can help people out in snow storms who get stuck, couldn't do THAT in my Subaru!

As someone who owns a RAV4 Hybrid, it’s eh… fine in the snow. CVT simulates gear shifts, eAWD simulates awd. There is an off road mode, but in my experience all it is doing is holding “gears” longer, and cutting throttle input. Lacks the precision of a part time system. Stock Michelins are good enough for about 4” or less.

Maybe try buying her a Subaru with a Toyota badge slapped on?

 

[MRH512]

Meanwhile, in TX, we're all like, "ooooh, it's gonna be cooler on Monday!"

 

[Hogdreamer]

Meanwhile, in TX, we're all like, "ooooh, it's gonna be cooler on Monday!"

Yep, but you REALLY MEAN that comment in the summer time!
Unless you're a snow bird which means you get the best of both worlds.

 

[Hogdreamer]

Please, someone react to my post. Right now my reaction score is 666. That can't be a good thing!

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