Best Cars for Winter Road Trips

Dashing through the snow, in a 200-horsepower sleigh. What could be better than making your way to Grandma's house this winter in a car that's truly adept at getting you, your family and a sled full of presents there in one piece? Sure, it would be easy to say that the best vehicle for the task is a big, burly V8 powered SUV, but then what would you drive to work on the weekdays? You aren't carrying a boat to grandma's, after all. What you need is a car with the space and entertainment features that the family wants combined with the safety systems and fuel economy you need for everyday driving. It doesn't hurt that these are some good-looking cars, either.

Subaru Outback
From $23,295

The Subaru Outback is a car built to play in the snow. It features symmetrical all-wheel drive, a system that automatically distributes power to the car's wheels when they have grip, rather than allowing the wheels to spin on slick surfaces, which can cause spins, particularly on icy road conditions. In addition to this, the Subaru Outback also features Vehicle Dynamics Control, an advanced stability control system that responds to driver inputs to the brake pedal and steering wheel in order to keep the car on the intended path, rather than off the side of the road. The Outback can be purchased with either a four-cylinder engine or the Boxer six-cylinder engine.

The Subaru Outback also includes amenities such as heated seats and a windshield wiper de-icer, the latter of which is helpful in preventing damage to the wipers from freezing up in extreme cold temperatures. The rear seats on the Outback can recline, providing a comfortable seating position for napping family members. Finally, the Outback features a total of 34.3 cubic feet of cargo volume, more than enough to bring all of grandma's gifts.

Audi A4 Avant
From $36,400

The Audi A4 Avant may have a transmission that's a bit of overkill at eight speeds, but the rest of the car more than makes up for the odd transmission choice. The A4 Avant features loads of luxury features like heated windshield washer nozzles, sport front seats and Audi's adaptive cruise control. The 2.0 liter turbocharged, direct-injected engine delivers 211 horsepower for effortless passing ability along with a respectable 21 miles per gallon in the city and 29 miles per gallon fuel economy on the highway.

The A4 Avant utilizes the same Quattro all-wheel drive system that has brought Audi such prominence in off-road rally racing, so you know that your cross-country winter road trip will be as safe as Audi engineers can make it. Folding the rear seats of the A4 Avant provides you with 50.4 cubic feet of cargo room, and a little more than half that with the seats up.

Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen
Starting at $19,995

The Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen was awarded the IIHS top safety pick for the 2011 model year, so you know that what you're driving down the road with is one of the safest and most practical vehicles on the road today. In addition, you can purchase your Sportwagen with Volkswagen's available 2.0 liter TDI diesel engine. Safety features of the Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen include a full compliment of front and side air bags, as well as Volkswagen's intelligent crash response system, which senses an airbag deployment and cuts off the vehicle's fuel pump, unlocks the car doors, and turns on the hazard lights.

The Jetta Sportwagen features a number of traction control systems, all designed with the intention of keeping you on the road and avoiding using the intelligent crash response system. Unlike the other two vehicles mentioned above, the Sportwagen is a front-wheel drive car with no provision for an all-wheel drive system. However, because it is roughly $10,000 less than the other two, the oversight is understandable. That doesn't mean that the Sportwagen is any less safe for a long winter road trip, however. In addition, you'll find that the Jetta Sportwagen has a total of 66.9 cubic feet of storage room with the rear seats folded, making it the leader in being able to deliver holiday gifts.


Sources:
Subaru.com: 2012 Subaru Outback: http://www.subaru.com/vehicles/outback/features.html
Audi of America: 2012 Audi A4 Avant: http://models.audiusa.com/a4-avant
Volkswagen.com: 2012 VW Jetta SportWagen: http://www.vw.com/en/models/jettasportwagen/gallery.html