Car or SUV (for Colorado)

[LifeHappens]

My DH is now at Buckley AFB in Aurora, CO (near Denver).
For those that have lived in the area or a similar area, I have a question - what type vehicle would you suggest for someone that has very limited experience driving in snow? I prefer smaller type cars and hate big SUVs but I admit that I am lacking the situational awareness to help me pick out my next vehicle. (I have never even owned snow tires.)
I am wondering, is an AWD SUV type thing better than an AWD car in that climate?
I am needing a car for normal driving, NOT forging trails up mountains.
Any advice is appreciated.
THANKS!!

[Heisenberg]

I’ve never lived in Colorado but I am moving to Boise, ID and although AWD isn’t a necessity, it’s nicer to have. I’m pretty sure all of Colorado gets more snow than Boise so I’d def look for something with AWD. If you’re gonna be dealing with a lot of snow, from what I understand as a Floridian, SUV type vehicles are better than cars there because of the ground clearance.

[rayfinkle]

Subaru, Subaru all day. I love our Subaru Forester!

[brahette]

Haven't lived in CO but I bought my Ford Escape when I moved to Syracuse and still have it 9 years later, I love that thing. It handled fantastic in the snow up there! There are a lot of compact SUVs in the Ford Escape range you could look at. I recently took an Uber in a sub-compact SUV which is a new category and it was a great little car. Toyota and Honda both make them, may want to look into those if you're wanting a smaller SUV. I personally could never go back to a car after owning an SUV, I love it so much.

[Heisenberg]

Haven't lived in CO but I bought my Ford Escape when I moved to Syracuse and still have it 9 years later, I love that thing. It handled fantastic in the snow up there! There are a lot of compact SUVs in the Ford Escape range you could look at. I recently took an Uber in a sub-compact SUV which is a new category and it was a great little car. Toyota and Honda both make them, may want to look into those if you're wanting a smaller SUV. I personally could never go back to a car after owning an SUV, I love it so much.

Yeah those tiny SUVs are getting so popular! Basically every brand has one now. Honda hrv, Toyota chr (which is super fucking ugly), the Hyundai kona, Mazda cx3, Kia has one idk what it’s called. I really like the hrv and it’s available with AWD, it’s a *perfect* size but all the controls inside are touch screen and that’s a no from me.

I just bought a new car, I ended up going with the RAV4 but if the hrv had some knobs and buttons I probably would’ve gotten that instead.

[TheSisterWife]

As long as it's not rear-wheel drive, anything is really fine. The biggest idiot drivers in CO are the ones who think because they have 4-wheel drive, they don't need to be cautious on the ice. It's ridiculous. As long as you are cautious, slow down, keep a longer following distance, and avoid driving as much as possible when it's really icy, you'll be fine.

[Medic2Doula]

Don't do a truck. If the snow gets bad, you have to pack the snow in the back to make sure it gets traction on the back wheels.
Or at least I've known several people who claim the need to do this with their trucks in the winter.

[brahette]

Yeah those tiny SUVs are getting so popular! Basically every brand has one now. Honda hrv, Toyota chr (which is super fucking ugly), the Hyundai kona, Mazda cx3, Kia has one idk what it’s called. I really like the hrv and it’s available with AWD, it’s a *perfect* size but all the controls inside are touch screen and that’s a no from me.

I just bought a new car, I ended up going with the RAV4 but if the hrv had some knobs and buttons I probably would’ve gotten that instead.

LOL it was the Toyota CHR that I rode in! When it pulled up, I was like WHAT IS THIS THING. I was Googling the heck out of it while I was in the car because I had never even seen these before! It was pretty roomy in the back considering how small it was.

[germy]

Hi

We’re moving to Buckley this month and I drive an Outback.

[idratherbehiking]

As long as it's not rear-wheel drive, anything is really fine. The biggest idiot drivers in CO are the ones who think because they have 4-wheel drive, they don't need to be cautious on the ice. It's ridiculous. As long as you are cautious, slow down, keep a longer following distance, and avoid driving as much as possible when it's really icy, you'll be fine.

I agree with this. I drove a compact hatchback the entire time i lived in New England and did just fine. You will quickly learn how to drive in snow, and they are pretty good about clearing the roads even as the storms are happening.

That being said, I do love my Subaru. It's a great small SUV.