Well, guys...looks like I'm hooked.
 

Like many people, I've known about the benefits of AWD traction in slick conditions for quite some time but have not often actually experienced it for myself....even though I myself review and test-drive a lot of vehicles. Last summer, after 4 consecutive winters of my ABS, traction-control, snow-mode, and all-season tire-equipped RWD IS300 sliding all over the place like a hockey puck ( even though we don't get as much snow here as places farther north ) I felt that the time had finally come for me to have an AWD vehicle, so I got a new Outback. While Lexus, of course, makes the best cars overall, quality-wise, Subaru, for several different reasons, does the best job with under-35K AWD.
It has done very well in rain ever since I got the car in August but last night we got the first significant snow of the winter here in the Middle Atlantic area....about 3" of wet snow here in DC. The roads were just wet last evening but froze up overnight. This morning the AWD and the M+S Bridgestone tires got a real test, especially on long driveways and back roads, and I was amazed. I tested the AWD on grainy ice even starting and stopping on grades, and not one ounce of wheelspin or slide. Not even close. Little wonder that Subarus have become the official cars of the U.S. Ski teams. This car literally laughs at slick roads, but of course you still have to drive with common sense.....I wasn't going to try anything stupid. Every time there is a storm we have accidents with people who push their 4WD and AWD vehicles too hard and end up in the ditch, but driven with any common sense whatsoever you just can't beat it for slick roads.
So....like I said, I've often preached the advantages of AWD but after experiencing it on a car I personally own in actual snow and ice conditions, I can reaffirm even more what I've said earlier about it...and I think from now on I will always own at least one AWD product....though not necessarily a Subaru. Other automakers, especially Toyota and Honda, make durable AWD systems as well....but they are more complex.

I totally agree - my daily driver will always be a small AWD vehicle - too bad Toyota doesn't have anything newer like my old 'Rolla (RAV4 is close, but not the same...). We need all-trac Corollas and Camrys again. My next one may have to be a wee Subie too - like an Impreza wagon.

Toyota and Pontiac do the AWD Matrix / Vibe, based on the Corolla platform and drive train, but it has very low ground clearance and may not be suitable for deep snow. Suzuki also does the AWD Aerio ( one of ther own designs, unlike their other rebadged Korean Daewoos ) but it is rather quirky and like the Matrix has little ground cleararance.

For a list of reliable, inexpensive snow machines see my previous post:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...+snow+machines

Unfortunately the AWD Matrices and Aerios are also auto's only. Nope, can't do it - has to be a shifter car. My Corolla is very low (relatively) too, and I have literally driven it through a foot of snow - no problem... I could feel hear the snow swooshing under the floor-boards! Right now the only option for me would be a bare bones older 2.2 Impreza wagon 5-speed. Hopefully my lil' 4 wheeler hangs on to life for a few more years and then the Imp's will be in my under $5000 for a daily driver range.

Congratulations on the purchase.

Did you keep your IS?

M.

I can definitely understand how you could get hooked on AWD. Although I don't have nearly as much experience with AWD (SoCal has never really been big on AWD cars) my recent excursions in Evolutions and the new IS250 AWD have definitely helped open my eyes. The stability and confidence the chassis exhibits is amazing. Being the light-weight vehicle fiend that I am I never really considered ever owning a Added Weight Drive equipped vehicle, but my opinions have definitely altered. I, for one, am quite curious to see what kind of vehicles this new Toyota/Subaru relationship brings about. Perhaps my next car will be an AWD Toyaru. :D

Originally I wanted to but where I live ( condo town house ) having two cars with only one person in the house is impractical....plus in VA you pay a personal property tax each year on the assessed value of each car you own. The Subie / VW salesman....I've known him for years, my brother bought an Impreza from him, two of my neighbors bought Foresters from him.......he offered me full KBB for my IS ( very unusual on a trade ) because of its superb condition ( I take care of my cars ) , so I took him up on it. In addition, he gave me the new car almost at invoice.

Anyhow....that was last summer......I've been waiting 4 months to test it on the ice. I was not disappointed. It has also been superb in the rain. Of course, it lacks a little of the IS300's refinement and the Lexus mirror-smooth paint jobs. Toyota / Lexus, unfortunately, does not build anything that competes directly with the Outback......the RAV4, Highlander, and RX330 are too SUV-ish for my tastes, the GS300AWD and IS250AWD are superb machines quality-wise but are expensive, sit too low, and have the wrong tires for bad weather, the AWD Matrix is too small, too Spartan, and sits too low, and the AWD All-Trac Corollas and Camrys ( foolishly ) are not offered in the American market.

Rad.
Now our in-house auto journalist is better protected against foul weather and dangerous road conditions.

Mark me down as another big fan of AWD in snow and rain and a big fan of Subies. :thumup:

Owned a Legacy wagon years ago in Pennsylvania and then in Atlanta, and it was awesome.

mmarshall - I know what you mean about not being 'stupid' in bad conditions, but do find a nice empty parking lot full of snow some time and 'play' with your Subaru - it's HUGE FUN! SO controllable and predictable.

My cousin up in Montreal bought the new Legacy 2.5GT this past summer & i fell in love with it. He put some nice snow tires on it now & he's untouchable.