I just like sitting higher up and also prefer to slide in and out rather than slip down and pull myself out.

Focus is a nice car though.

Winter tyres especially in the midlands. You'll get colder winters than people living in coastal areas. Temperature is the biggest factor determing the advantage of winter tyres.

The sea acts to moderate temperatures - so the further you live from the sea, the colder it is in a hard winter and the hotter it is is a heatwave.

And the extra weight you're lugging around, affecting economy, ride and handling.

Indeed. 4WD in a road car is little more than a sales gimmick. FWD dominates for good reason. As far as safety is concerned, it could be argued that 4WD makes things worse. In very slippery conditions, your biggest problem isn't getting started but stopping. A 4WD can't really stop any quicker than a FWD car-but it it can accelerate into trouble much more easily!

FWD + snow socks in the boot is probably the most efficient solution for dealing with most any road conditions you'l find in Britain.

There's a reason that most authorities don't spend much on snow clearing equipment; it just isn't cost effective.

So Subaru's and Audi Quattro's are rubbish?

I think you'll find it's the driver who causes "acceleration into trouble" - not any of the features of the car.

If you "need 4WD to negotiate your commute from milton Kenes to leicester" then it's pretty obvious:

1. you should not travel

and

2. you will not get there anyway as most 2wd vehicles will be stuck , and the roads blocked.

II recall an Audi 90 quattro just cutting through snowdrifts when my Granada basically was useless. But that was a country road with no traffic. On the other hand, I recall driving from Stonehaven to Aberdeen in an Austin A30. I got through a snowdrift. The Rover 2000 behind me did not. The road was announced blocked an hour later..

We have lots of ice in the moors above us. My fwd Fiesta managed to travel - slowly and gingerly. BMW 520s were undriveable (literally)... the perils of rwd with summer tyres...

4wd is great if you travel country roads in winter and you HAVE to. Otherwise an expensive luxury..

Edited by madf on 15/12/2011 at 20:37