FWD CUV in Washington State -Are They Safe?

[Barbisi]

My husband is considering buying a compact front wheel drive only SUV, a 2019 CX-5 Touring CUV.
Does any one know if that would be safe in Wahington state during heavy rains or the rare snow? We would like to take trips to Canada and Oregon and other places but don't plan to go to the mountains or take it off-road any time soon.
Do you need a AWD to safely drive in Washington?

[shipo]

Remember, people drove in the Pacific Northwest for many decades before FWD and then AWD became common. Unless you're talking about driving up in the mountains during a driving snow storm, a CX-5 with FWD will serve you perfectly well.

FWIW, as you know, we live in New Hampshire where it isn't uncommon to get over 100" of snow in a winter, and yet both of our cars are FWD (one of which is a Mazda); and we have no problem getting safely from point A to point B until the snow is so deep the front bumper starts acting like a snow plow. The key here is to make sure you keep good rubber on the vehicle and you'll be safe and secure.

[sophieanne]

Barbisi - whatever vehicle your husband chooses will be fine. In WA state the concern is when there ice because it doesn’t matter what vehicle you have. On those rare heavy snow days, it is suggested drivers stay off the roads. The main roads are maintained during snow storms, unfortunately not so much for the side streets.. just a cost issue.

[Barbisi]

Thank you , shipo and sophieanne!
It certainly makes sense that people drove here in very basic vehicles before both FWD and then AWD were invented.
Also, Zombie 13 doesn't drive that far (maybe 20 miles) to Kent, it is more the sitting in traffic that is the problem.
As for NH, it didn't seem like we got much snow in Nashua when we lived there for three years , but if you resided in a more rural area, you probably would get a lot more!
One thing concerned me was when the salesman said they didn't sell many FWD vehicles in WA - that made me wonder WHY? (Is it too dangerous or what ,LOL?)

[shipo]

AWD is waaaaay oversold. Why? Because the industry wants you to believe you cannot do without the higher cost of the two extra driven wheels.

[Zombie13]

That is good to know. Maybe we can take off the two extra wheels, save ourselves the tire expense too... ... ... ... ...

[flashoflight]

shipo

There is a house we visit every few weeks that is on a moderately steep hill. It does get snow periodically in the winter, but last winter our FWD could not get down the hill safely. Had to ride in the Subaru. This road is one of the last to be plowed. Everyone seems to have a Subaru or truck. It is rare for the main road to have chain controls at such a low elevation, but it happened last winter.

When I was younger, I though AWD was a good idea to get by chain control without putting chains on when going on a ski trip. I avoided putting on chains about 10 times during the lifetime of the vehicle. I tended to cancel ski trips if I knew there was a big storm. Not sure if it was worth it, but nowadays I would not want to put on chains on the side of the road.

Would you get AWD for this? I know if it was flat, I would not bother with AWD.

[shipo]

This is the first I have ever heard of someone needing a different drive layout to go down a hill; my only speculation here is either the hydraulic system for the brakes was imbalanced, or the ABS was non-functional. I suppose the other remote possibility is the FWD vehicle you're referring to had a heavy bias to the front of the vehicle which in turn caused the rear end to unload prematurely and cause the tires to slip laterally; it would be interesting to see what would have happened if you'd attempted to go down the hill in reverse.