Ranger compared to Subaru in snow

[Wes Siler]

Your understanding of Subarus AWD is at best ill conceived.

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/not-every-subaru-all-wheel-drive-system-is-created-equal/


Speak for yourself.

Surprised he didn't link to an article he himself wrote to back up his opinion.

So what makes a Subaru "good" in snow?

Sponsored

 

[D Fresh]

So what makes a Subaru "good" in snow?

What makes a Subaru better in moderate snow than a Ranger?

Depends on the Subaru. In the Subarus I've driven in the snow it's the diffs. Locked center diff, plus LSDs front and rear is better than locked center and open front and rear. Combine these diffs with snow tires and you're much more capable than a Ranger in all but the deepest snow.

Your assertion that a Subaru cannot spin all 4 tires in absence of traction is patently false.

Just a basic FXT.

 

[Wes Siler]

Whether it’s a misconception or not, that’s above my pay grade. I’m new to “car culture,” other than the fact that I’ve driven a vehicle for 24 years now, 11 of which are in a considerable amount of snow/ice.

What bothers me, I guess, is that I have to be in 4WD (I don’t have dedicated snow tires/studs) if I want to drive quickly from stops. If there is any amount of ice (usually in neighborhoods) the truck drives fine if I’m just coasting or not turning. If turning onto another street or road I must take it extra slow unless I want the backend to kick out. Sometimes I do, it’s fun. But If I don’t I must either go really slow or be in 4WD. I don’t mind being in 4WD, except for when I get into parking lots. I am much better now at turning it off before I get to said parking lot, and I park fine. If I forget while in 4WD, the turning radius and sound/feel of the truck quickly reminds me, and I adjust by not turning as I would like. Sometimes I do a three point turn in order to avoid what sounds like grinding.

Back to AWD, I drove for a handful of years with bald ass tires, never any studs or chains and I was always able to get around without issue. There was some backend kicking out as a result of me having some fun, but never issue with parking or forgetting to take it out of 4WD, etc.

These issues aren’t major to me, but just my general observation from having my first truck in the wintertime of Alaska.

There has been a few times where (for fun) I drove my truck into deep snow and it performed very well, places where I never would have taken the Subaru, so that’s great. I imagine it I used my truck more as a toy and had off-roading as a hobby my opinion would probably differ, but this is my everyday truck. I use it around town to transport kids, dog, stuff, etc. so it’s worth it to me as I’m able to transport and use my truck for things I always wished I would have had, when I drove an AWD.

Anyways, that’s enough from me for now. Take care.

Right, so the Ranger operates nominally in 2wd. You need to turn the dial to 4h or push the TM button. By locking the axle speeds together, you've gotta break traction to turn in 4wd.

No AWD system of any kind is capable of matching the traction provided by plain Jane 4wd. The ONLY advantage is they don't require driver input.

Enable 4H when you're on snow, switch back to 2H when you're on pavement, and enjoy superior traction.

Or, better yet, take advantage of the terrain management system by enabling on of its modes on snow, the turning back to 2H on pavement (or to park). It's that simple.

Again, AWD sends all power to the wheel with the least traction. Yes, Subaru and other makers try to real this back in with various systems, but without a locking center diff, which is not a feature available on any recent model Subaru, they cannot completely match axle speeds, so can't provide anything like the traction provided by any 4WD system.

Make sense? All you need to do is switch between 2 and 4wd to take advantage of all that extra traction.

 

[Wes Siler]

Yeah I’m getting better about going back and forth, and it has helped and given me more confidence while driving, for sure.

Sadly I don’t have TM, I have an 20 XLT SPORT… I may be upgrading in a year or two, it’s just not in the cards at the moment.

That's ok, just using 4h is going to do so much. Just watch all those Subaru stans who can't even explain how their cars work, and understand you have more traction than anything they can even hope to approach.

For the guys that are upset by facts: try and be more open to real knowledge. That will empower you, I promise. If you try to learn a little more every day, you will become a better driver, and be able to enjoy it more as a result.

Big caveat in all the above: use real snow tires. 3PMSF is virtually meaningless. A Blizzak or hakkapaleta (sic) is going to be the most important thing you can do to make winter driving safe. Again, not just for you, but for the rest of us too.

 

[Joeiconic]

One good thing about the Ranger is that the shift on the fly from 2wd to 4wh is almost instantaneous, which makes it pretty easy to transition on patchy roads. But, I am glad to see that the next gen will have a 4 Auto setting in addition to 4h and 4l. That’s the best of both worlds, IMO. Here in the south, when it snows we often end up with ice in shady spots and dry in the Sun. So, 4 auto is a big plus in those conditions.

 

[Joeiconic]

This is a little long winded, but is topical to the conversation.

 

[dtech]

What an ass.

+ one on that, major league dufuss

 

[dtech]

It's a shame our car culture isnt more knowledge based. What mechanical features drive your misconception, and if they work as you claim, how do they work?

Stick to your reviews on stuff like how the KIA Telluride is the perfect off road vehicle, you are clearly in over your head here.

 

[halligan1201]

Ground clearance of an Outback is I think better or the same as stock Ranger.

Depending on the Ranger, the Outback actually has more. Ranger starts a 8.4 inches. Outback is at 8.7.

 

[D Fresh]

Stick to your reviews on stuff like how the KIA Telluride is the perfect off road vehicle, you are clearly in over your head here.

To be fair I'm sure he was paid handsomely by Kia for said review.


Just a paid reviewer at Amazon hiding as a Journalist. Every single article he's written in Outside is a commercial.

Hack.

 

[VAMike]

Again, AWD sends all power to the wheel with the least traction. Yes, Subaru and other makers try to real this back in with various systems, but without a locking center diff, which is not a feature available on any recent model Subaru, they cannot completely match axle speeds, so can't provide anything like the traction provided by any 4WD system.

Make sense? All you need to do is switch between 2 and 4wd to take advantage of all that extra traction.

I get the feeling that you're trying to optimize for a different thing than most people in the real world. "Maximum traction" isn't generally the goal so much as "how does the car handle when driving on-road, especially in mixed conditions". Lower weight and lower center of gravity are more relevant than ability to power through deep snow (many people already stipulated that the ranger was better for that, it's just not necessarily the most important thing). Stopping is usually harder than starting, and being lighter is an advantage there. Maybe, instead of being so condescending about 4wd capabilities (which aren't really that hard to understand), you should try to figure out why awd systems are so popular? I mean, I guess it's possible that it's only because all the awd users are too stupid to figure out how to use part time 4wd, but maybe not?

 

[halligan1201]

I have a similar situation but with my wife’s volkswagen, after driving both my ranger and her Tiguan, I have to say the VW was very impressive. The one thing that really stood out to me though, was the ground clearance. It really makes a difference with all of the snow banks and messed up plowing jobs here in the DC area.

My Tiguan smokes my Ranger on snow and ice covered roads. I haven't been into anything deep enough yet this year to allow the Ranger's clearance to come into play yet. We had an ice storm this weekend and the Ranger wouldn't go up my ice covered asphalt driveway without being in 4L. My Tiguan went in and out of the driveway all weekend without issue (and it's still wearing it's summer tires).

 

[dtech]

To be fair I'm sure he was paid handsomely by Kia for said review.


Just a paid reviewer at Amazon hiding as a Journalist. Every single article he's written in Outside is a commercial.

Hack.

He could fit right in with the TFL guys, or the guy at click and clack might be looking to replace his brother with an industry expert like Wes.

 

[halligan1201]

BTW Subarus have a permanent AWD system, not part time, which is part of what makes them awesome.

Yep, same with VW 4Motion. Full-time AWD is the gold standard for on-road traction and control.

 

[halligan1201]

Yeah they've really filled their niche nicely. Around the '13-14 model years they caught up in interior quality too. No more flimsy tin can doors, either

Must not apply to the Crosstrek lol - my girlfriend's feels just like the Subarus I sold in the late 90s - tinny, cheap, and delicate. She might have gotten a lemon but she's got 2018 and it's been in the shop at least 4 weeks a year since she bought it.

Sponsored