Bring it on! Winter driving in vehicles that can! We’ve heard it said that Ottawa is ranked second in the world (behind Mongolia’s Ulan Bator) when it comes to cold weather capitals. What better place to conduct serious winter road tests of popular AWD family vehicles? Paul Williams introduces this new series. Read the article

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Part One The weather outside is frightful, but this Acura is delightful, says Senior Editor Paul Williams, who kicks off Autos’s new winter driving series with the RDX. As well, Managing Editor Grant Yoxon reports his first impressions of the Kia Sportage. Read the article

Part Two Severe winter conditions and a transit strike in Ottawa are providing ideal testing conditions for Autos’s “Bring it on!” evaluations of the Acura RDX and Kia Sportage. Paul Williams and Grant Yoxon report on their winter workout. Read the article

Part Three “In severe winter conditions, this is one of the best-handling vehicles I’ve ever driven,” says Paul Williams of the Acura RDX. Grant Yoxon also liked the winter performance of the Kia Sportage as well as its comfy, warm, spacious cabin. Read the article

Related links Buyer’s Guide2009 Acura RDX | 2009 BMW 3 Series | 2009 Kia Sportage | 2009 Chevrolet Traverse | 2009 Jeep Compass | 2009 Toyota Matrix | 2009 Pontiac Vibe | 2009 Ford Flex | 2009 Audi A4 | 2009 Subaru Forester Photo Galleries2009 Acura RDX | 2009 BMW 3 Series | 2008 Kia Sportage | 2009 Chevrolet Traverse | 2009 Jeep Compass | 2009 Toyota Matrix | 2009 Pontiac Vibe | 2009 Ford Flex | 2009 Audi A4 | 2009 Subaru Forester

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2009 Jeep Compass, Part three The Compass’s all-wheel drive system and traction controls are plenty sufficient for urban duty in winter, says Senior Editor, Paul Williams. But the Compass “is not an athlete,” he says. “It’s more of a utilitarian conveyance.” Read the article

2009 Chevrolet Traverse, Part three Managing Editor Grant Yoxon came away with a new appreciation of the Traverse’s safety benefits after he was rear-ended by a driver who was driving too fast to stop on a snow-covered road. The Traverse emerged virtually unscathed. Read the article

2009 Toyota Matrix, Part three While the Matrix AWD drives well in the snow, its ride is harsh and its rear pillars create blind spots, reports Contributing Editor, Chris Chase. For about the same money, a base RAV4 might be a better choice, he says. Read the article

2009 Jeep Compass, Part two Equipped with Jeep’s “Freedom Drive 1” full-time all-wheel drive, and Michelin X-Ice winter tires, the Jeep Compass has proved competent in Ottawa’s winter conditions, says Senior Editor, Paul Williams. “The Compass easily managed unploughed roads with deep, icy ruts.” Read the article

2009 Chevrolet Traverse, Part two The Traverse stops “surprisingly quickly and in a straight line”, and accelerates “with no side stepping and little slippage,” says Managing Editor, Grant Yoxon. But the steering is a bit heavy and lacks road feel, he says. Read the article

2009 Toyota Matrix, Part two The Matrix’s traction and stability in hard-packed snow is very good, says Contributing Editor, Chris Chase, but its Goodyear winter tires aren’t as effective in deep snow, and the car’s firm suspension takes a pounding over Ottawa’s potholes. Read the article

Part One In his first week driving the all-wheel drive Jeep Compass in Ottawa’s frigid road conditions, Senior Editor Paul Williams found that the Compass offers good traction, and can pull itself out of deep snow, but cornering is less satisfactory. Read the article

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2009 BMW 335i, Part one A temporary pause in Ottawa’s snowy winter conditions has left its city streets littered with potholes the size of sub-compact cars. It hasn’t been easy on the BMW 335i xDrive’s suspension, says Managing Editor, Grant Yoxon. Read the article

2009 Ford Flex, Part one The distinctive Flex attracts admiring glances, and is well-equipped for winter driving with features like all-wheel drive with AdvanceTrac traction and stability control, Pirelli Scorpion winter tires, and heated seats in the first two rows, says Contributing Editor, Chris Chase. Read the article

2009 Pontiac Vibe, Part one In his first week with the Pontiac Vibe AWD, Senior Editor Paul Williams found it “a stable and practical vehicle with decent power, good forward visibility, and responsive steering.” But where are the heated seats, he asks? Read the article

2009 BMW 335i, Part two BMW’s xDrive isn’t a “nanny,” reports Managing Editor Grant Yoxon; instead, it keeps everything steady while still allowing the driver to actually drive the car. With a car like the 335i xDrive, it’s possible to actually look forward to snowy weather. Read the article

2009 Ford Flex, Part two Salt-covered roads and rain have revealed flaws in the Ford Flex’s wipers, but otherwise it’s handling winter fairly well, reports Contributing Editor Chris Chase; snowstorms expected to move in will be the final test of this crossover’s AWD winter ability. Read the article

2009 Pontiac Vibe, Part two Winter conditions in Ottawa have produced sloppy, slippery, conditions and heaving asphalt. The Vibe’s AWD “is noticeably effective…when starting from a standstill,” says Senior Editor Paul Williams, and “the ride is good”. But fuel consumption is “greater than expected.” Read the article

2009 BMW 335i, Part three A lack of new snow made it difficult to test the BMW 335i xDrive’s active safety systems, but Managing Editor Grant Yoxon did discover that its headlamp washers, heated windshield washer nozzles, heater, and heated steering wheel, worked very well. Read the article

2009 Ford Flex, Part three Though it’s a big, heavy vehicle, the Ford Flex with all-wheel drive and traction/stability control systems drives very well when the going gets slick. “And even the worst pothole did little to upset this big crossover’s ride,” reports Contributing Editor, Chris Chase. Read the article

2009 Pontiac Vibe, Part three With cold nights and freezing rain making morning roads very slippery, Senior Editor, Paul Williams found that the AWD Vibe really benefits from its “full arsenal” of winter tires, anti-lock brakes, stability control and all-wheel drive. Read the article

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2009 Audi A4 3.2 quattro, Part one Even the “base” Audi A4 is equipped with a plethora of safety features to make winter driving safer including quattro all-wheel drive, electronic stability control, rain-sensing windshield wipers, headlight washers, and even a back-up battery, reports Senior Editor, Paul Williams. Read the article

2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X, Part one Newly redesigned, the compact Subaru Forester is winter-ready with standard “symmetrical” all-wheel drive, stability and traction control, ABS, heated mirrors and heated seats. But base models don’t get the wiper de-icer that other models get, gripes Contributing Editor, Chris Chase. Read the article

2010 Lexus RX 350, Part one A wider track and a new rear suspension improve the new RX 350’s stability and agility, but the most significant change with implications for winter driving is its new all-wheel drive system, reports Managing Editor Grant Yoxon. Read the article

2009 Audi A4 3.2 quattro, Part two Audi’s “quattro” AWD system includes a centre Torsen differential which distributes torque front and rear but the A4 also includes an electronic differential lock that distributes power side to side by braking the slipping wheel(s), reports Senior Editor, Paul Williams. Read the article

2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X, Part two Where many all-wheel drive systems run mostly in two-wheel drive mode and only route power to all four wheels when the going gets slippery, Subaru’s Symmetrical system powers all four wheels equally, all the time, says Contributing Editor, Chris Chase. Read the article

2010 Lexus RX 350, Part two Autos’s winter driving test has been hijacked by unusually mild weather in Ottawa, but Managing Editor, Grant Yoxon points out that, should it snow, the all-new Lexus RX 350 is well-equipped, including an improved all-wheel drive system. Read the article

2009 Audi A4 3.2 quattro, Part three Due to mild Ottawa weather, the A4 had little to challenge it besides some heavy rain and wind, says Senior Editor, Paul Williams. “On that note we can report that the car is wonderfully stable..and the rain-sensing windshield wipers actually worked.” More Feature articles