Snow place like home

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Snow place like home

I live in a small Devon village at the bottom of a very steep hill that remained ungritted during the recent snow. This has persuaded me that a 4x4 would be advantageous, but I detest the tank -like size of many of them. Something around the size of a Subaru Impreza would be ideal, but I think the design is uninspiring and I've never liked Subaru road noise. I have around £15,000 to spend; can you recommend a suitable vehicle please?

Asked on 21 March 2009 by

Answered by Honest John

4WD doesn't get you out of slippery conditions as well as a set of winter tyres will. But some alternatives to an Impreza are a Skoda Octavia 4WD, or a FIAT Sedici 1.9D 4WD or Suzuki SX4 1.9D 4WD (same vehicle). These latter two have recently been heavily discounted. Tested with the Suzuki badge at www.honestjohn.co.uk But the best 4wd in the snow has always been the FIAT Panda, simply because it is lighter than the others and often drives over snow instead of sinking into it.

Tags: buying 4x4s snow winter tyres winter

Dear Honest John,

Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:

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