If I buy a 2017 DJ AWD SXT, can it get up my hill in the snow?

[Mr. Dobalina]

I searched the forums, but wanted to ask a question and try and get some confirmation.  I bought a 2009 DJ FWD 4cyl new off the lot, and I've been extremely happy with it, with one exception.  I live on a steep hill, and with even a little snow, I can't even start to climb it.  I have tried snow tires, and chains, even tried to go backwards with chains to keep the weight on the drive wheels, and nothing got me up the hill.  There is a used 2017 DJ SXT AWD, and I'd love to buy it, but I'm concerned that I might have the same issue.  Can anyone tell me if my concerns are justified, or if I should roll the dice and get it before the snow comes?  FYI, I have 2 roommates, one with a very old subaru forrester, and another with a newer subaru sedan, and they both get up the hill on snow and ice like it was a sunny summer day.

 

Thanks!

[larryl]

Is this for real?

[Armando G]

I don't think anyone can give you the go ahead without knowing, or seeing, the actual hill.  I can say that having AWD should help,  but it is not 4WD. I have a friend with a similar situation with his RAV4 and his AWD DJ never had any issues getting up his driveway. Getting back down was another issue though. 

[Mr. Dobalina]

Yes this is for real.  Just looking for outside opinions.  I apologize if I've offended you with my ignorance.

[jkeaton]

Turn off traction control. It’s useless 

[larryl]

OK then sounds like Subaru is the way to go

[OhareFred]

Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk.....

[larryl]

Massey Ferguson 1533 

[bramfrank]

It is less about the vehicle than it is about the driver tough in icy conditions the traction control the DJ uses sometimes needs to be switched off to climb hills..

 

A story from my past:

 

In those days there was no legislation in my province requiring snow tires, even through we got lots of snow up in cottage country.  Even today my vehicles get their snow tires installed on the last legal day and removed as soon as the law allows.

 

My brother used to have a country house in the lower Laurentians that was at the bottom of a hill.  He used to have lots of guests and the parking situation was that anyone could take whichever vehicle was parked at the head of the line if they needed to head into town - for some reason, my vehicles seemed to always be the ones that people took.

 

One memorable weekend my ex sister-in-law tried to take my wife's van to go into town to get bread and other breakfast necessities to feed the usual weekend crowd.  It had snowed overnight (as usual - and a significant amount, too) and she got about halfway up the drive and bogged down, getting stuck and she stomped into the house, complaining to my wife that the problem was that there were no snow tires on the van - My wife, in turn berated me, so I put on boots and a jacket and went out and drove the van up to the highway, parked it and brought the keys in and handed them to my sister-in-law.

 

That afternoon I took the van and went into town and spend hundreds on 4 new snow tires.

 

The following morning our van was again at the head of the line and my ex sister-in-law again decided to head into town and again (as you can imagine) managed to get stuck at almost the same place on the drive.  She came in. I went out, again drove to the top of the drive and parked the van on the highway and came back in to be berated by my sister-in-law's yelling mixed in with content from my wife.  The topic concerned how irresponsible it was to drive around with all season tires instead of snows.

 

I lost it.

 

I pointed out that the in-law managed to get stuck, not once, but twice and that in each case I was able to rather simply extracate the vehicle and go up the steeper part of the hill - no digging, no great wheelspins required.  I then pointed out that she managed to get stuck twice;  And that the second time she DID have brand new snow tires, purchased at great expense - and that the new tires didn't help, suggesting rather conclusively that my then sister-in-law was the problem, not the tires.

 

In many, many decades of deep snow driving and heading to the ski hills twice a day on week-ends during snow season I have NEVER gotten stuck - in fact, way back in 1971, when the area was hit with snowfall that set a record that survived for many decades I drove from Montreal to Toronto and came back the same day and when I crossed the border into Quebec was greeted by someone driving a snowmobile who informed me that I was the first car through in over 6 hours - and I was driving a rental with the all-season tires of the day.  I did see many vehicles stuck and off the road on the trip back.  Snow clearing was almost non-existent.

 

Over the years we've pulled vehicles as tough as AWD Ford expeditions out of parking spots at the ski hill with vans we've owned and more.  And, with the years even my wife has figured out the niceties of driving in difficult snow conditions.

 

But as you drive up north what you notice is that the vehicles in the ditch tend to be things like Jeeps and so on which OUGHT to do well on snow covered roads.

 

So it is largely about the driver.

Edited November 21, 2018 by bramfrank

[Summer Solstice]

I can't give an opinion on the AWD because I have never owned one. I do think that, with the right tires, the front wheel drive DJ is a decent vehicle for normal driving, including average snow conditions. As bramfrank said above, it is more the driver than anything.

 

Before I bought my current 2016 DJ, I was renting a Crossroad. I had plenty of opportunity to experience traction issues in all weather conditions besides snow. I was particular impressed with the wet traction. The front tires were Pirelli. My current DJ has the stock Kumho tires and they definitely underwhelm traction wise in the snow, as they have a reputation of doing. Traction control, as mentioned above, is worthless on the DJ as well as other vehicles for moments such as climbing a difficult hill. Otherwise, even with the Kumho tires, the DJ holds the road very well.

 

I did consider a Subaru Forester and took one for a test drive. It was not the vehicle for me but I can say that the thing was absolutely planted to the pavement. The grip was impressive, so much so, that I did not care for the feel for everyday driving. As I told the dealer, if I lived in the Great White North, it would have been a no-brainer. I also watched the promo video the dealer had on hill climbing comparisons between the Forester and other brands. Hyperbole or not, the DJ and the Forester are two different segments. Front wheel or AWD will never compare to 4-wheel drive either. The only roll-over accident I have had was a 4-wheel drive was on black ice on the freeway.

 

Before buying, rent or borrow. Compare the vehicles on your time. Many dealers will allow you to take a vehicle for the day. Try it under your conditions before you sign the paperwork.