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Are Mazda 6 cars good in snow?

I know that AWD are always better to have but could a mazda 6 be good in it?

Public Comments

1. i would thank so my friend drive a fwd car for winter and it does alright
2. Driving in the snow is 95% driver, and 5% car. A good driver could drive a RWD car with no traction control better in the snow than a poor driver in an AWD car with TCS and all the other safety gizmos in the world. And a mazda 6 is fine. FWD is plenty safe, as long as youre not a complete idiot (as in, someone who tries to do lane changes on a bridge in winter).
3. I've asked this question before in a different part of the net- generally the consensus was that AWD isn't particularly useful for small cars UNLESS if you plan to do some off roading activities. Snow's pretty much hell but if you ask me, Antilock brakes are the way to go. If it snows a lot in your area, winter tires arn't a bad option at all. Winter tires give your wheels an extra grip to the snow and may help more than 4x4.
4. All FWD (front wheel drive) cars are good in snow, including Mazda 6. Only a bit worse than AWD (all wheel drive) and substantially better than RWD (rear wheel drive). A German magazine Auto Bild has run some tests, comparing various cars - compact, luxury, SUV - each in two versions - with and without AWD. The most important on snow covered roads are actually the tires. If you have proper winter tires, only a very deep snow (that the belly of the car will "run aground") will stop you with FWD and AWD. RWD is a problem because it is harder to control the rear wheels when they start to slip sideways. All electronic aids - ABS, TCS (traction control), ESP (electronic stability program) - which usually save the RWD cars, have big problems on snow and ice, since the conditions are so extreme that computer finds it impossible to handle. For example: when braking on ice or smooth snow the ABS is puzzled, since even a very small braking force will cause the wheels to block. So you actually get shorter braking distance if you have no ABS and the wheels block and "rub" the surface. All the other electronic aids work on similar principles as ABS, so they get into the same problems. Second issue you must consider is that all AWD drives are not the same. The idea of AWD on proper all terrain vehicles is that even if one wheel out of four has grip, the car can move forward. But for this you need a thing called "differential block" in the differentials. Mercedes on ML is imitating this by using the brakes in a special way, but most of the SUVs have nothing at all. So that is the reason you can get into troubles with them almost as with the FWD car. Considering the price range of the car you are choosing I would suggest to you that you stick with Mazda 6 (you need twice as much money for a proper AWD) and use a bit of extra money you might have to buy really good winter tires (premium brand such as Continental, Goodyear, Michelin) and then you will be safe enough. But don't forget the collapsible showel for your trunk. It comes useful at least when a snow plough blocks your parked car :-) Ah, yes, the driving techique - in short: 1. avoid any sharp moves with steering, brakes or gas pedal - they can cause the car to start slipping 2. where the road is uphill and looks slippery or the snow looks very deep think in advance and try to keep moving! Put in the lower gear in time!
5. Kyle has the best answer. Its all about the driver. Put someone from Michigan in a RWD sports car and I bet they can drive it in the snow just fine. Put someone from Florida in a AWD car in the snow and I bet they crash before they make it out of the driveway.
6. listen to bostjan - winter tires are key. I have an Accord with winter tires (only in winter of course) - great winter car, mazda6 would be similar. People think AWD is safer, but it really isn't, winter tires do more for safety than AWD. Think about AWD - it'll help you go/not get stuck, it doesn't help you stop at all, and has only a small effect when cornering. In contrast, winter tires have a large effect when cornering AND stopping - and what causes people to crash, the inability to go or the inability to stop/turn? Ideally you'd want AWD and winter tires, but your car with good tires will be just fine.
7. I sell Mazda's and the 6 is fine in the snow. They have traction control that will assist you in the winter months. AWD just gives people the false sense of safety. You need to have weight to have traction. The majority of the weight is in the front where the engine is, so AWD is really just overkill.