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Comment by tptacek | Hacker News Reader

You don't want a rear-wheel drive car in a place where the roads get icey.

You don't want front-wheel drive, either. I drove a Taurus in New Hampshire for a couple of years, and it was downright unstable on snow. Geting out of a driveway turned into an adventure too often. A four-wheel drive car is wonderful in a place with some semblance of real winters. Subaru and Audi make great non-truck style cars with four-wheel drive.

BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Saab, Volvo, Chrysler/Dodge and Mazda also offer 4wd on various real cars - mostly performance models.

My parents (and later, me) have driven Sentras, Civics and Accords in suburban Boston with no major problems. We get about 3 times as much snow/slush/wintry-mix as the city itself, close to New Hampshire levels. If you're experienced driving in snow, it's not really a problem.

4WD is, of course, nicer. But I don't want people to think they have to have a 4WD vehicle if they live in a snowy place.

Like Zak said, the drive wheels don't have much to do with actual driving dynamics. That's all tires and differentials.

Four wheel drive is great for a lot of reasons, but in the winter it's only real benefit is acceleration - getting you unstuck or up hills. You're not less likely to crash while moving in an S4 as compared to an M3.

Well, I drive pretty regularly in an RWD M3, an AWD A6, and a FWD Volvo S40, and I'll tell you the M3 isn't my first choice on ice. Yes, tires are important. You still want AWD.

I'm in a similar boat, and as far as I can tell, ability > tires > drive wheels. It isn't that they aren't important, but people tend to place faaaaaaar too high a value on drive layout for winter driving.

Now, on the track, it makes a BIG difference. In the snow, however, your goal is safety... not competitive times.

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