[cscott]

We've had our '11 Equinox LTZ AWD for a couple weeks now. We live in the Seattle area, which just got a bit of snow. For those who don't know, snow is treated like a natural disaster in the Seattle area. You can not imagine the chaos that follows a moderate snowfall. That said, our Equinox AWD performed wonderfully! I was pleasantly surprised how nicely the AWD/Stabilitrak handled the road conditions.

 

[nemesis04]

How many inches of snow?

 

[cscott]

2-3" in most places. The issue here is that we don't have many snow plows, so the snow quickly turns to ice even on the freeways.

 

[nemesis04]

2-3" in most places. The issue here is that we don't have many snow plows, so the snow quickly turns to ice even on the freeways.

Did you feel the AWD kick in or the car just felt stable on the roads?

 

[RNOX]

My wife and I both work mostly from home. I don't drive in the snow. I don't want to worry about my vehicle or others in the snow. A lot of accidents in the snow are AWD who think they are invincible.

 

[cscott]

Did you feel the AWD kick in or the car just felt stable on the roads?

Both. At times, the AWD would kick in. The transition from FWD to AWD is almost imperceptible. The only reason I was aware is that I was trying to notice the difference. The only way I could tell is that the chassis' dynamics changed a little bit. I've driven a number of AWD/4WD vehicles, so I can kind of tell when power is going to 4 vs. 2 wheels. The car felt very stable, and poised at all times though.

 

[cscott]

My wife and I both work mostly from home. I don't drive in the snow. I don't want to worry about my vehicle or others in the snow. A lot of accidents in the snow are AWD who think they are invincible.

A lot of accidents are caused by bad luck and/or stupid drivers in any type of vehicle. There are also plenty of accidents avoided in AWD/4WD vehicles that are driven by competent drivers. You are also fall less likely to encounter AWD/4WD vehicles abandoned on the side of the road, which leads to a number of accidents as well. I generally work from home when the roads get bad, but to do so, I first I have to GET home. Getting home is the scenario I was referring to in my original post.

 

[NoobNox]

We got about 2.5 inches of snow the first week I had my Nox, and I also marvelled at how well the the combination of ABS, traction control and Stabilitrac made for a very benign driving experience. Oh, and I have the 2WD model and live in Texas where snow is also considered a natural disaster and there are no crews/machines to clear roads. It could be a combination of the Michelin Latitude tires and the extra ground clearance versus a sedan....but I also notice that the Nox handles puddles of water on roadways better than any vehicle I've driven. very little hydroplaning and fishtailing..

 

[kuppyr]

Last February the day I got my 2010 Terrain we had about 18" of snow in Jersey.
It drove really well had no problems.
I drove to work and local driving in the storm. (work is 60 miles each way)

 

[Bigdog9586]

2-3" in most places. The issue here is that we don't have many snow plows, so the snow quickly turns to ice even on the freeways.

Thats not snow, just a heavy frost ;D

 

[2010Nox]

Good to hear the AWD worked well.

My wife drives our 2010 FWD Nox and she's just gone through a week of first 7" of snow and then another 10" of snow. Believe it or not our FWD Nox with the factory Michelins works very well so far in these conditions. It always seems that a slightly heavier vehicle does the best in winter especially since the Nox has a decent front/rear weight distribution for a "front driver".

 

[cscott]

Thats not snow, just a heavy frost ;D

I know! I'm from Chicago, so the Seattle reaction to a little bit of snow is always entertaining. It would be funnier if I wasn't stuck in traffic though!

 

[NoobNox]

I know! I'm from Chicago, so the Seattle reaction to a little bit of snow is always entertaining. It would be funnier if I wasn't stuck in traffic though!

The thing is, a 2"-3" snow in an area not used to it can be more dangerous than 12" in a northern state. Not only are roads not cleared, but many people don't know how to drive in it, and nobody has snow tires. AWD would still be useful down here from time to time, but with maybe 4-5 days out of the entire year being really treacherous...it makes more sense just to either be very careful or stay off the road for a day or so.

 

[2010Nox]

I always say to people who have to drive in snow or ice is that regardless of whether you have FWD, AWD or 4WD, you need to remember that all of these vehicles still only have four tires and four brakes so they all STOP poorly in these conditions.

 

[NoobNox]

I always say to people who have to drive in snow or ice is that regardless of whether you have FWD, AWD or 4WD, you need to remember that all of these vehicles still only have four tires and four brakes so they all STOP poorly in these conditions.

Yep, people with 4WD/AWD may be able to accelerate a little faster in the nasty stuff, but they're still going to have same problems as 2WD when it comes to stopping...and in some cases cornering if they are going too fast "because they can". Funny thing is, I see just as many jeeps and 4WD/AWD SUVS in ditches and turned over on the side of the road as I do the more obvious 2WD pickups with no weight on the rear wheels.

 

[cscott]

The thing is, a 2"-3" snow in an area not used to it can be more dangerous than 12" in a northern state. Not only are roads not cleared, but many people don't know how to drive in it, and nobody has snow tires. AWD would still be useful down here from time to time, but with maybe 4-5 days out of the entire year being really treacherous...it makes more sense just to either be very careful or stay off the road for a day or so.

I bought AWD because we ski alot. I agree, it wouldn't make sense if the sole purpose was the few snow days a year. I learned pretty quickly upon moving here that no matter how capable the vehicle and driver, there's still plenty of idiots who can run into you!