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You Can Rule The Road This Winter In A New Subaru Forester, Outback, Ascent, Or Crosstrek

Subaru has the new 2020 Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, and Ascent all-wheel-drive SUVs. Which is the best for winter driving?

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Winter driving can be scary if you live in a northern cold climate where there are ice, snow and slick roads. If you've ever been in a winter snowstorm and your vehicle left you stranded because of deep snow, you know how scary and frustrating it can be. The Subaru brand is known for its superior all-wheel-drive vehicles like the new 2020 Forester. Outback, Ascent, and Crosstrek SUVs, but which one is the best in the snow?

We have driven all four Subaru vehicles in snowy, winter, icy conditions because this journalist lives at 8300 feet elevation in the mountains west of Denver. If you need a winter vehicle that won’t leave you stranded when the snow flies, the Outback, Forester, Ascent or Crosstrek will all get you to your destination safely.

2020 Subaru Forester

What is the best winter vehicle?

The Subaru brand uses Symmetrical all-wheel-drive that was perfected on the Rally stages over the past few decades. The Outback, Forester, Ascent, and Crosstrek are all highly-capable winter vehicles. They all come standard with AWD all-weather capability and 8.7-inches of ground clearance. We have taken them out in extreme conditions and were never left stranded on the side of the road.

We have driven the Subaru vehicles up over high mountain passes at 11,000 feet elevation on the way to the ski slopes in the worst conditions and we felt confident behind the wheel. Our first experience in a Subaru was in 1979 in the first Subaru ever imported to the U.S., a 1978 DL 4WD Wagon that took us over Rabbit Ears Pass in a blinding blizzard.

2020 Subaru Outback

Subaru owners have typically been an adventurous group who don’t leave their cars in the garage when the snow flies and take their all-wheel-drive vehicles four-wheeling on the weekends and Holidays. Some owners even modify their SUVs with lift kits, bigger tires and wheels, and engine mods. They use their all-wheel-drive Forester, Outback, and Crosstrek to enjoy extreme winter sports in the mountains around the globe.

But you don’t need to modify the Forester, Outback, Ascent, or Crosstrek. A stock Subaru model off the showroom floor is built for winter use and will get you safely to the trailhead for cross-country skiing, over the pass to the ski resort for snow-shoeing, snowboarding, and sledding.

2020 Subaru Ascent

And if you do want to go off-pavement, the 2020 Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, and Ascent all come equipped with the brand’s off-road system called X-Mode that is used in more extreme situations. For the owner who wants a vehicle that will be used for more than a grocery hauler, and wants the best winter SUV, all these models are rugged enough to handle it.

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Photo credit: Subaru USA

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Comments

jg (not verified)    November 16, 2019 - 12:52AM

In reply to by Ruth (not verified)

The implied answer to the authors specifically stated question (which he could not answer himself), is that all Subaru’s are best. Obviously there’s no “best” vehicle because everybody has different criteria and opinions. I’ve had about 10 different new Subarus in the past 8 years or so and they were all great for different reasons. The one I thought was going to be the least capable in the snow was my son’s 2014 Impreza Sport, but I had the toughest time trying to get it to slide around in the snow when I was teaching him to drive — so he and I went to DirtFish for a little practice in rally cars instead. :)