Northern Illinois got blasted with the first snow of the season over the weekend. I am a bit irked by this. It was only a few weeks ago when I last went swimming in Lake Michigan! I currently have one of my summer cars stored outside because I’m repairing something on it. I could have sworn I had more time! Ugh, well, winter is here, whether I want it to be or not. Which has me wondering: What’s the most fun car to drive in the snow?
For the purposes of this question, I’m not asking you about the best car for snow. No, I want you to give me the most entertaining car to drive in the snow, no matter how impractical it may be. Maybe you like drifting in a Ferrari? Or maybe you want to roll around in a Honda S2000 with the top down in the blizzard? You tell me.
While I am not a fan of winter, I do like using the time to do silly things with vehicles that are normally pretty tame.
My old 2005 Volkswagen Touareg VR6 didn’t have enough power for any shenanigans on pavement, and the permanent four-wheel-drive system killed fun when you weren’t off-road. But in the snow? Then it was a ton of fun. I used to wait until a fresh snow, go to an abandoned parking lot, crank the steering wheel over, and then let the throttle rip.
The result was usually that the Treg spun like a top. It was silly, it was stupid, and it was often nauseating, but it made me feel like a dollar store version of the late Ken Block. Sometimes, I’d chain spins together and dance all over the parking lot. But the beauty of it was that my Touareg had decent tires and didn’t have a ton of power, so it was easy to keep in control and easy to stop and regain traction. Once I got done, I just hit the brakes, steered straight, and left the lot.
My second favorite pick for snow fun would be a small, low-power car. Think something like a Dodge Caliber, Chrysler PT Cruiser, or Chevrolet Aveo. Honestly, the crappier the car, the more fun it is.
Back when I was a teenager, it was a total trip going into a snowy parking lot, ripping the parking brake, and then drifting. I was big into Top Gear when I was a teen, and I thought of myself as a bargain Jeremy Clarkson or Sabine Schmitz. The really glorious part is that these cars are so weak that all of these drifts would happen at 20 mph and were, most of the time, within the abilities of an unskilled teenage driver.
It also just felt awesome because these cars couldn’t even spin their drive tires on dry ground. But in the snow? They were epic! I think this is part of the reason why I have an appreciation for the crappy cars of my youth. If you tried hard enough, you could have fun with them! Sadly, I fear that future generations might miss out on this fun. I haven’t yet found out how to replicate the same experience with an electronic parking brake.
So, that’s my story. What about you? If given the chance to drive any car in the winter, ignoring road salt and other nightmares, what would be your winter fun car?
Top graphic image: Dodge
Everything RWD. I managed to drift a Mercedes-Benz 308d van in the snow.
Also, every small and light FWD car WITH mechanical handbrake on rear wheels, preferably with low horsepower. That way you can rev without gaining too much momentum, you can skid with your handbrake and you will stop -eventually- because you are not too heavy. After 30+ years I still like it way too much, i still scare my then girlfriend now wife.
I’ve mentioned this car before, but my ’91 Geo Metro 2-door, 5-speed was a blast to drive in the snow. The little pizza-cutter tires would cut right through the snow – zero flotation issues.
The only problem was once I plowed through a couple of drifts, the engine compartment would fill up with enough snow that there wouldn’t be enough airflow through the radiator and the temperature gauge would start to climb.
That car was fun to drive the whole year round, actually.
I have 2 to offer. First is my 1996 GMC K1500…with Falken Wildpeaks and the posi rear it’s an absolute beast. I won’t say unstoppable but it’s close, and I really have come to appreciate that sense of security. That truck has a pretty good record for pulling out stuck vehicles which comes in handy.
Second is a car I actually hated, my ‘03 Golf. I didn’t enjoy driving that turd anytime except when it snowed. When it snowed, it was surefooted and I felt like a rally driver.
1973, Brand new VW Thing with tires like military jeeps of the day. Driving around Alpine County, CA with the both the top and windshield down in -10F weather. Then came a Cadillac heading right towards us and out of control because no chains. Hit us smack dab in the middle of the front, where the spare tire was mounted to the bumper. Cadillac suffered a ruptured radiator. Us? A bend in spare tire mount.
In the early 80’s a friend’s mother had a 81 Tornado, did really fun donuts in reverse in a field. My first experience in a front drive car.
Fun as in handbrake snd donuts in the snow: E46. Fun in the snow in general: FIAT Panda 4×4, unstoppable
I think a Saab Sonnet or OG VW Beetle would be really fun in the snow.