Thinking of buying a CX9 AWD but have heard mixed things about its ability to handle snowy conditions. Other car is a Subaru Outback so the bar is set high, but I'm curious what others have experienced in rough winter driving conditions.

 

CX-9 is only part time 4WD system unlike Subaru's full time 4WD. Its a big fat, high riding lump of metal too. Tyres make a huge difference.

 

We just tried ours out after a blizzard of 10+ inches in Wisconsin. Our CX-9 performed brilliantly. Stopped at a red light uphill with nothing but white stuff under the tires and the car didn't sweat one bit.

 

We live up by the Arctic Circle here in Sweden and have winter conditions for five months every year and we are mostly very happy with our 2011 CX-9 even though it is not a "full time 4WD system".

We have even pulled a trailer in quite deep snow without any problems what so ever.

The only winter issue we have seen is that the windshield wipers have a tendency to get stuck in some (rare) situations and I have been forced to pull over a few times to loosen them (I have a theory that the defroster vents are aimed a bit too high up on the windshield and water from melted snow freezes down where the wiper blades "rests"....).

We have 20" rims for the summer tires and 18" for the (spiked) winter tires and the latter have a tendency to have snow packed inside the rims now and then resulting in imbalance / steering wheel shudder and one has to clear away the snow - nothing to blaim the car type for though - just a drawback with these "modern" open type of wheels. Even the 20" summer wheels get this problem now and then when driving on really muddy roads...

But all in all a very competent winter car in our opinion!

/Rikard