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mataliandy t1_j7lzilr wrote

Reply to comment by Swolltaire in Any experience with AWD minivans in mud season? by hucklecat721

Yep. Our 2 soccer-playing kids grew up being driven around in a Honda Civic. Our hill is notorious for mud and ice & we used to entertain ourselves laughing at the 4WDs getting stuck, or sliding backwards down the hill. Lightweight cars are your friend in mud season and GOOD snows are your friend in winter. That's all you need.

All the soccer stuff fit fine in the trunk, the kids fit fine in the back seat, the car sailed through mud and was rock solid in snow. There's a lot of mythology around what you need for driving in VT. A whole lot of people waste a lot of money on big vehicles (and fuel for them) that they simply don't need.

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zarnov t1_j7n46ts wrote

What about clearance when you fall off the ridge and into the ruts? Have Civic. Never attempted my hill during mud season.

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mataliandy t1_j7y38fr wrote

I never had an issue. There is a balancing game between maintaining a speed that will float you through anything if you fall off the ridges, and going slow enough to be able to steer well enough to ride the ridges. It took some practice, but it was quite doable. I never got stuck on a road (don't ask about getting stuck my driveway on the days I didn't leave before the sun thawed it).

My current car is electric, and since the battery is on the bottom and the car weighs a lot more, I wouldn't take it on bad roads in mud season if you paid me, even though it has more clearance.

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