Recent content by caverunner17

Eh, AWD or 4WD won't do much if your tires aren't any good. My GF's Forester got stuck once last winter in the mountains whereas my FWD CX5 with chains made it around the ski village (not plowed) just fine. Saw plenty of SUVs getting stuck. For Denver, I just got myself a good pair of...

Of course the funny thing is my FWD CX-5 handled this winter fine in Denver. The two times I went into the mountains, I threw my chains in my trunk as a just in case.

The current CX-5 can already tow 3500#. The 2.0 petrol is rated that in Europe. US regulations won't allow it though due to our higher highway speeds.

The AWD in the forester is full-time, same as Audi Quattro. https://www.subaru.com.au/car-advice/awd-vs-4wd The AWD in the Forester can send more torque to certain wheels when needed, but it is a full-time AWD system where all 4 wheels receive power. The Mazda system can overheat in extreme...

Test are always dependent on what tires are used. You can bad tires on one car and have it fail and better tires on another and have it "win" Toyota's, Honda's, Mazda's etc all have part-time AWD and are primarily a FWD car. They aren't meant to be AWD for long periods of time. This is fine...

Sounds about right. GF has a 15' Premium Forester, i have a 6MT Sport CX-5. The Mazda interior is superior in pretty much every way, but the utility and AWD of the Forester is superior, without question. My CX-5 feels a lot more sporty and maneuverable than the Forester does, but we'll take...

Agreed. With the 6MT, I've never had an issue with my 2.0. Never felt I needed any additional power. Just want AWD.....

Works out to about $100/year in fuel costs more than the CRV. MPG doesn't matter, its L/100KM or Gal/100Mi that does.

Mazda 3 has less storage space and less ground clearance. For those of us who do frequent back-country trips, the ground clearance is very important -- it's the single reason why I sold my Hyundai Elantra GT for the CX-5. Hearing your car get scraped going over rocks is a nail-biting experience.

That's quite normal if your DOT salts roads during the winter. I don't think I've ever had a car that didn't have rust on suspension parts after a few months of winter. You can always wash the car after snow storms to remove salt residue.

Not that I noticed, at least. I only had them on for probably 5 miles or so total (back country area by a ski resort), but didn't notice any issues during or after putting them on.

Well, I ended up finding a pair on Craig's List for $25. Put them on and went up into the mountains. Got places that others with AWD couldn't get!

I recently was in Taos, NM with my 6MT 2.0 and had no trouble on a backroad road that had a 10-16% varying grade in a residential area, with snow chains and about 4-5" of hardpack snow. That included stopping multiple times to let other traffic past that was going downhill. Taos Ski Valley is...

Have a FWD CX-5 with All weather tires. Don't have room for a special set for winter in our apartment. CO often requires snow chains in the mountains for our 2-3x year ski trip. Are there any limitations on which chains I can get as far as clearance goes? Found a few on Craig's List for cheap...

I think one needs to sit down and actually define "luxury" It's not always the car itself -- Lexus are upgraded Toyotas, Acuras are upgraded Hondas, Lincolns are upgraded Fords, etc. Sure, the leather is better, the fit and finish is better, more tech, better suspension, better sound...