I haven't owned their SUVs as I prefer a sedan, but I've had BMW and Audi AWD cars for the last 20 years and am impressed with their handling in the snow and on ice. I would assume the SUV's would perform as well. They also have great crash test results. I love my heated steering wheel in my current Audi.

I'm thinking about buying a 'last car' too but both Audi and BMW seem to be stocking only boring colors, gray, gray, gray and black (I have black now but don't want a black interior and it's difficult to find one with a light interior) and white. I think if I spotted a red one, I'd be tempted, too.

Son and DIL live 35 miles from Colorado Springs at over 6000 feet. It snows welll into May -- 6 inches over night on May 28 a few years back. They also drive about 35 miles to work each day I know you said you don't want a truck, but have you ever driven one? (I'm 73 and have only driven pick-ups for almost 40 yers. I feel much safer in a big truck thn in a little sedan.) Anyway, son traded in a Ford Raptor last year and got a F-150 Hybrid. FANTASTIC Truck! I'd get one as my "last" vehicle except I don't need 4W in FL!. As far as a WONDERFUL litle SUV, DIL has a Foed Bronco. It was really fun off-roading through a mountain pass to get to my Grandson's house - at 8500 ft. elevation. He swears by Land Rovers, although they can get pricey if needing repairs.

Patriciae, you mentioned the ease of getting in and out . . . one of the options I was considering was to keep the Subaru and replace the Caprice with a sedan. I've really enjoyed owning two cars all these years and switching off with the seasons. While I was mulling this over I struck up a conversation in a parking lot with a woman whose sedan I admired. She agreed it was a nice car but added, "I'm thinking I should get an SUV because they're easier to get in and out of." With my scoliosis and often aching knees, that really got me thinking!

Olychick, my daughter drives an Audi SUV. And yes, it's grey. lol I like the look, but maybe that's because it would be a beautiful car in any color. White is a popular color around here, but on my dirt road I don't think I'd want white or black.

"He swears by Land Rovers, although they can get pricey if needing repairs."

Will get pricey when needing repairs. I like a lot about it and love the snow handling, but it costs me over $200 to do an oil change... myself. And stupid stuff goes wrong. Takes premium and gets almost as bad gas mileage as my F150. It's my first new car that I don't see myself keeping ten years.

I love my Honda CRV, next Time I think we are moving up to the Honda Pilot. Honda's have a solid reputation and are very dependable.

We tried the Subaru Forrester before we bought the CrossTrek and found it to be too big to drive comfortably. But if it's size you want, Subaru can provide that for you as well.

@Alisande, I believe my oldest boy drives the same car as yours, only his is red.

I drive a 2004 GMC Jimmy Sport 2 door. I love it. I bought it used 10 years ago and put over $3500 into it a year ago to keep it on the road. Turns out: I didn't have brakes and am lucky to be alive..... hahaha! I'm getting new summer tires next Saturday (it helps to have two boys who are tire techs and I get the friends and family deal).

If I were to buy a new vehicle tomorrow, it would not be a SUV. Why? How the heck do you find your vehicle in a parking lot? They ALL look the same. The other day I followed a red one and realized it was a Porche! It looked the same as the Fords and Chevs.

I would buy a small pickup truck or a mid size car. Preferably a smaller truck that sits higher.

Drewsmaga, I don't remember ever driving a pickup truck, although it could have happened. My kids have them, in addition to other family vehicles. I just never had a need for one. My SUVs have always had plenty of cargo space, and I like that the contents are not exposed to the elements. Re the Ford Bronco, my daughter suggested just this week that I might like one. This made me question just how well my daughter knows me. lol I am not a fan of squarish, tough-looking off-roaders, although they do look like fun for other people.

WittyNick, I rarely have trouble finding my vehicles--perhaps because I've long had a habit of making a mental note where I parked. It doesn't work very well in parking garages, however. I don't use them often enough to become familiar with the layout, plus the lighting is so dim it's hard to see my metallic brown car, which glows nicely in the sun. My previous SUVs were easy to spot in a parking lot, especially the 2005 4Runner, which seemed huge at the time. I don't think SUVs were as common back then.

alisande, I was joshing you to tease you, as I have before, about that car. I nearly said it resembled one of the lifeboats salvaged from the wreck of the Titanic but thought that was a bit too obscure.

Oh, Elmer, of course you were teasing me! I get the same from my beloved son-in-law, BTW. I realize not everyone loves that car the way I do. But I'm glad you didn't make the remark about the Titanic lifeboats. It wouldn't have been obscure; it would have been mean.

Obscure? Who wouldn't catch that reference? Too bad you couldn't resist inserting it here.

This is the list from AAA - interesting that so many of the ones mentioned have already been recommended on this thread. The only one that I've ever driven is my DD's Rav4. But she doesn't get to drive in snow nearly as often as you do.

https://magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/life/cars-trucks/best-cars-for-winter-driving/

Good article, Maire_cate--thanks! The comments were interesting and/or amusing too. So many people (yes, including me) have strong opinions about cars.

When I bought my Outback 9 years ago I test-drove several others. The Rav4 wasn't a good fit for me physically because I had poor visibility in it. I didn't like the way the Subaru Forester took curves and corners; I was always aware of its high center of gravity. But those were 2011 models, and I'm sure a lot has changed since then.

You might recall that I wanted a brown car because I liked yours so much. Except yours wasn't a Subaru. And then you went and got a white one. :-)

Sad to say my white car is gone and I now have a beige car. Talk about a boring color. Well, they call it cashmere beige to make it sound a little more upscale. It's the same model as the brown one you liked.

I hadn't planned on trading it in but the owner of the dealership wanted a diesel so his son could tow his boat. They had stopped making diesels and mine only had 49,000 miles. His offer was hard to resist - either $$$ or a great price on a car from one of his 5 dealerships. The only downside was this was at the height of Covid and they only had 2 colors to pick from - beige or black with a black interior. It was an easy choice.

Maire, you made a good choice. Living on a dirt road, I never wanted a black car as they're supposed to show the dirt so much. Although when I was watching the first season of The Diplomat on Netflix last week and admiring all the beautiful black official cars arriving and departing the embassy in London, I didn't see a speck of dirt on them. :-)

Covid certainly had a huge impact on the car market. I was all set to trade in the Outback and sell the Caprice in the spring of 2020, but we all know what that was like. I was also scheduled to have my gallbladder out, but that got canceled too.

Not a northerner, but my sister-in-law walked away from a rollover accident after she was T-boned in her Subaru Outback. I don’t know what year it was.

I live in Massachusetts and we hardly had any snow this past winter so it may be a thing of the past. t am on my ssecond Hyundai Tucson. The last one was sapphire blue and the new one is ruby red. Love cars in jewel tones. I was going to look at the 'subarus but Hyundai was having this great 0% financing sale and I succumbed. I've been very happy with both of them.

I have a GMC Yukon XL. It is similar to a Chevy Suburban. I like because being high up I can see, and the towing, passenger and storage capacity. It is a 4x4 but has an auto selection which operates similar to all wheel drive.

If you want a smaller vehicle, DS and DD who live with us have 4x4/AWD's. DD has a Chevy Equinox and DS has a GMC Terrain. They both commute backroads and interstates for work and have no problems.

All are great in the snow and ice. We have a 600' dirt driveway that goes up a hill and DH plows it last if ever and we can get in and out no problem.

My granddaughter who lives in PA has had many issues with her two Jeep Grand Cherokees. I'd say Subaru Outbacks are the most common car I see in the places I go. But then again they are outdoor places like the parking lot at the Appalachian trail where one day there were five in a row. I find the Outback to be very comfortable and of course, love the heated seats. My daughter's family has all Audis except for the son who has his second Mini Cooper. They have two Audi SUVs and my daughter drives an Audi sports car. I don't find the seats in their SUVs nearly as comfortable as my Outback.

i have lived in northern Canada al of my life. My Dad loved his Jeep Grand Wagoneer. he also loved his Toyota pickups, maybe ould have liked the 4runner. My husband and I have always had a Jeep Cherokee or Grand Cherokee, as a family vehicle as well as a pickup.. We only had 1 issue with any of them other than maintenance. That was our’95. it had electrical issues that were easily fixed, but made it unreliable. for my husband who had a long highway commute. They handle great on snow and ice and the r

" my sister-in-law walked away from a rollover accident after she was T-boned in her Subaru Outback. "

I'm glad your SIL fared well. A story going the other way, a friend of my daughter's was driving an Outback on the freeway in the rain. Apparently because of its high center of gravity when she swerved to avoid an obstacle, she lost control and it rolled several times. Three days in the hospital and several weeks of recuperation. Her father declared "no more SUVs for us".

I live in the northeast in Canada in an area where there are a lot of moose and deer, and my daily commute to work is about 45 miles roundtrip. I drive a Volvo mostly because of their safety features, primarily the large-animal detection system. I first drove an XC60 but now drive a 2019 XC90. I will say the first winter tires I bought with the XC60 were the absolute worst I've ever driven on and caused a few frightening experiences (luckily at low speed). I replaced them after about 3 months. Regardless of what vehicle you chose to buy, I think good winter tires can influence performance and how the car handles in snow and ice conditions.

Absolutely shmhinb!

I live in northern Alberta and have driven an assortment of vehicles over the past 52 years and the most important thing about winter driving or any driving, is common sense and having a properly equipped vehicle.

Your story doesn't make sense to me, Elmer. I came to my Outback from an SUV, and the difference in height was dramatic. The Outback drives like a car. If I stop for a light next to an SUV, I find myself looking up at it. I was aware of this just today, even with the compact SUVs. Subaru calls their Forester an SUV; the Outback is a wagon. As I think I mentioned above, the Forester's higher center of gravity was noticeable to me when I test-drove it. However, even given that, the Boxer engine in most (or all) Subaru vehicles is said to provide a lower center of gravity and makes them less likely to roll.

I'm not sure how to respond to you, A. I was sharing an event that happened, whether it makes sense to you or not. The only thing I can add is that this was a young woman my daughter met at college who was home for the holidays. They met at school although this girl was from a part of the Bay Area about 30 miles from where we live.

You don't have to respond to me, E. I just wanted to add some additional and factual information about the Outback's "high" center of gravity.

Yeah I was surprised to see that comment about an Outback, which is pretty car-like as SUV's go and has a 5-star rollover rating. Plenty of cars roll in accidents, also. BUT, while I believe the anecdote, it's just one person's response to an accident; doesn't mean it's a rational response.

What are you saying isn't rational? I factually described an event, nothing more. Cars with a higher center of gravity are more likely to roll in a swerve, that's simple physics.

I'm interested in this thread as I'm going to start looking for one myself. At least I think I'm going to get a small SUV. My daughter has a used Nissan Murano and she likes it. The plan is for us to swap vehicles for my cross country trip this fall, unless I buy a new one before. My Nissan Altima has around 246,000 miles on it and I'd be a little worried about driving through sparsly populated areas in it, out West. Also, drove down south in the hills of KY recently and it really didn't like those little hills. The air conditioner was really struggling until we got to mostly flat land. Will be going over a lot of mountains on my trip.

My son, who is back in Nebraska has a new Hyandai Tucson. Within a day or two the check engine light came on. I think he said it was a sensor but it was brand new!

I'm going to test drive Toyotas, Hondas, Subarus and Mazdas. I've read reviews on Fords and they have a lot of paint peeling issues. Kias have a lot of bad reviews.

Outbacks don't have a high center of gravity. They are way more like a car/station wagon than an SUV. You do look up at SUVs at a stop light.

I don't live near snow so can't advise on that. We have both a Honda Pilot and a Honda CRV. Both are upgrades as far as maneuverability from what we had in the past. Parking spaces are getting smaller around here so the CRV is great for that. It has safety options the Pilot doesn't, but the Pilot has a side camera. The Pilot is quieter and more comfortable and drives smoother. The CRV is easier to zip around in. It also gets better gas mileage. I think it got like 37.5 mpg and the pilot was closer to 25 mpg. Both have seat warmers.

I live in New England and drive a Honda CRV. Before I retired I worked a job where I had to be on the roads before the plows made their first pass. The CRV was good on snowy roads but the Subaru Outbacks used to pass me all the time and everyone I know who drives one loves their car. My CRV has a mediocre defroster and I get windshield ice build up with resultant limited visibility in snowy weather which is a major drawback for me. My summer AC is subpar as well. I think my next vehicle will be an Outback.

Elmer, I'm not disputing that SUV's are more prone to rollover, but ruling out an entire class of vehicles due to one type of accident doesn't sound like the best thought process, especially when there are options out there such as the Outback that are less prone to this issue. Accidents between "mismatched" vehicles will often favor higher, heavier vehicles which SUV's tend to be, and given the prevalence of these vehicles on the road today I think this should be another real consideration. I'm not here to say what's the safest vehicle, but ruling out a class of vehicle because of one accident in what's actually rated a very safe car, sounds like an emotional response to me.

I had 2 Outbacks , then a Forrester...and now have a Nissan Rogue. I hate it. I think I am too short (5’2”) and find it extremely difficult to see when I am making a turn (because the side mirrors block so much space). I don’t find it as good in the snow as the Subarus.

i can understand why cars have warning systems because the very back side windows (really just slits in the glass) are useless. I would buy another outback, if I could , The other extremely annoying thing about the Rogue is the very deep front window well. I park outside and in the winter all the snow and ice collect in the well. It took me 45 minutes one time to defrost the ice that collected in there. I never had that problem with any of the Subarus. I once towed a FORD F150 out of the snow with my Outback -lol

My son-in-law, a devoted Porsche owner, said he found the perfect SUV for me.

And here it is!

I had a near miss in my CrossTrek. I was on a highway and some jerk was trying to make time. He was in the left lane behind a truck, so he passed me, but not completely before he pulled in front of me to pass the truck on the right, cutting me off. I had to swerve to the right to avoid getting hit, into the rumble strips before I was able to pull back in my lane. Thank goodness, my sure-footed CrossTrek stuck to the road like glue. I can imagine a far worse outcome...and he would've gotten away and we would've suffered the consequences.

That must have been scary, Annie! So glad the Crosstrek came through for you. Your driving skill probably deserves some credit as well.

Four minutes left Alisande are you bidding?

LOL Food . . . I told him I don't know how many times I've said it over the years: "If only I had a snazzy vinyl wrap!"

I didn't see any 0-60 info. That would have been interesting.

There you go 🤣

LOL, Sephia!

I was all set to by a Forester (a little higher than the redesigned Outback,) due to its safety features; the more there are, the happier I am. I took two test drives to come to the realization that the high, firm bolstering on the sides of the seats rolled my hips inward, creating intense back pain I didn't sit on the bolsters but they do tip the hips and legs inward. I was so disappointed.

I've been worried about that, Sjerin. A desk chair I used to have put my hip in pain because of that design. The design certainly is popular; it wasn't easy to find a chair with a flat seat. And as I'm looking at various vehicles online I'm checking out the seats. They all look bolstered on the sides. I hope they're wide enough not to have much of an impact on the hips.

My other back issue is scoliosis. The C-curve in my spine has pushed my left ribs out into a "rib hump." (I think it looks as bad as it sounds.) Because it extends outward, that's the first thing that comes in contact with the back of the seat. Driving has become uncomfortable. I'm thinking maybe I should try a thin cushion on the right side of my back to even things out. It sounds awkward, and might not be easy to do. Maybe I can come up with another idea.

Have you looked at other cars that have better seats?

We have a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, Yesterday we were on a major highway doing very near the posted speed of 110 kph, (about 70 mph) when we were rear-ended by another car, a Ford Escape.The road was dry and there were no there cars involved, she said she wasn’t paying attention. But, my point is that even though we were hit very hard, enough to leave us sore afterwards, there was very little visible body damage to our car. But, we have a trailer hitch on the back and that may have taken the majority of the impact, but we were impressed with the safety of our car.

I'm not down on Subarus, completely the opposite....but...in really bad snow and ice everyone here/Colorado, drives a Jeep Wrangler. They are fully loaded Rubicon's. In really bad conditions, I've never seen one broken down either. I have a 4 cylinder little Benz 4matic. Which means it's 4 wheel drive. I got it with a lot of features....and if the weather's bad I just stay home.

IMO, you can't go wrong with a Honda CRV.

I love my Audi seats; they have lumbar adjustments which are great. I would assume the SUVs also have that, but mine is a sedan. The seats are curved a bit on the sides but are amply wide.

Alisande, I gave up the search because it does seem like what we used to call bucket seats, but are now considered just seats, are all bolstered. I’ve been driving a CRV since 2010 and find it very comfortable. My dh is bugging me to get a new car, before something major goes wrong with this car, so I guess there are more test drives in my future. He was reading about a comparable Hyundai SUV that I will probably try.

Lulu, I'm glad your Jeep came through for you. Distracted driving has become a thing, unfortunately. Speaking of which, I've noticed among the mostly positive consumer reviews of the 2022 Outback a number of complaints about the touch screen. Apparently Subaru has buried the climate controls under a couple of layers, so that a significant amount of attention has to be paid tto making heating/cooling adjustments, often while driving. The point was made that for all of Subaru's emphasis on safety, they've managed to create a dangerous situation. I need to read up on the 2021 and 2020 models, and see if the problem exists there too. I feel like I'm always adjusting the temperature and fan, especially when I leave the house in the morning when it's chilly and am still driving later when the weather warms up.

Sjerin, I don't know if you've been looking at brand new cars, but you might find more satisfactory seats in other model years. I hope so. I have the feeling I'm going to encounter the same situation when I start car shopping. I'm putting that off until after I've recovered from my May 15 gallbladder surgery.

Good luck on your surgery @Alisande.

We have a Crosstrek (DH) and Legacy (me). We don't actually get as much snow or ice anymore so can't vouch for the handling. Overall we're pleased.

The only thing I 'll add, which is not a deal maker or breaker but goes along with your comment about the temperature controls------.

I am used to referring to the manual. For all our other past cars, Toyota, Honda, Volvo,the manual was easy to follow and just overall super helpful. For Subaru it's a joke. It will tell you that such and such button (for which they have an illustration) is the one to press or locate.

I will look in my car and there is no such animal. Talk about frustrating.

I've shared this with other Subaru owners and they've agreed.