Find us a family 4x4 that won’t let us down in the winter
I live in a part of Scotland where having a four-wheel-drive car is handy when the weather turns wintry.we used to own a Range Rover Evoque and it was excellent, but its poor reliability record has put us off buying another one. We now own a Mazda CX-5, which is a great car, but I wasn’t impressed with its performance in some recent harsh winter weather. Can you advise us whether there are brands that offer better four-wheel drive systems and are also decent overall family cars? Stephen Donnet WHAT CAR? SAYS…
Some SUVS excel on rough terrain and in icy conditions but are a pain to live with day to day. Fortunately, the winter driving capabilities of the best all-rounders can be boosted with all-season tyres.
Our top recommendation among family SUVS is the Volvo XC40, because it has a classy interior, a strong reliability record and, if you choose our preferred R-design trim, comes with sports suspension that gives it a comfortable ride and composed handling. If you’d prefer a large SUV similar in size to your CX-5, the BMW X3 and Kia Sorento are both five-star cars.
Whichever you choose, it won’t provide the best grip if it’s fitted with unsuitable tyres. So we’d recommend picking the SUV that best suits your needs in warmer weather and investing in all-season tyres such as Michelin Cross Climates. These came top in our test to find the best allrounders. They won’t cope with the most severe weather as well as full winter tyres, but you could drive up a snow-covered hillside on them, and they offer far better traction and grip than winter tyres on drier roads.
Opting for all-season tyres is also less hassle than fitting winter tyres; you won’t need to pay to have them swapped over when warmer weather arrives, and you won’t need space to store the tyres you’re not using.