Driving the C-Max in the snow

[ideaman7]

We received about three inches of heavy wet snow today in the Northeaster storm now blanketing New England. I took out my SE on the un-plowed roads of Providence to see how it handles in snow.

 

My conclusion? Pretty damn well. My last car was a 2010 Mazdaspeed 3 with a separate set of winter wheels mounted with a set of Yokahama IceGuard 20 sport snow tires. There was not a lot of difference between the two cars and I do a lot of winter driving in northern New England.

 

I went around corners fairly fast, stopped short several times, and went up a pretty steep hill with good results. I will still buy another set of wheels and snow tires for the C-Max since I ski in New Hampshire each weekend in the winter but I was impressed with how the C-Max handles snow.

[Laurel]

Thanks for letting us know how the C-Max handles the snow without snow tires. The more I read the more impessed I am with the C-Max.

[ideaman7]

I am also very impressed with the car in my first three weeks of ownership.

[salprint]

Snow here also in NY. My SE handled great. Its a heavy car, and it has a "heavy" feel in the snow. I had to pull into a parking lot that wasn't plowed, going uphill, and it did fine....climbed right up the hill without any kind of slipping or swaying.

[bkawaii7]

Thanks for the snow driving update, I am interested in hearing how the c-max does on icy patches on snow covered freeways, We do a lot of mountain driving in the winter. (northern New Mexico) The roads are cleared but lots of slush and slick spots, any update you can provide would be appreciated.

[scooter_scum]

I took my C-Max Energi over I-70 near Dillon, during a snow storm.  Not the brightest move with a new car.  Went through eisenhower tunnel all heck broke loose.  Good snow storm with cars spun out everywhere.  Big 4x4 trucks in the ditch, Chrysler 200 spun out and hit the divider.  Went down the hill slowly into Dillon.  Car did very well.  Did not feel loose at all with the OEM tires.  Was not impressed with the traction control.  Headed up hills and the wheels started to spin.  Did not seem to cut the power to the wheels.  Front end tended to slide sideways.  Was a bit disappointed with that behavior.

[stranger267]

Quick question - any chains other then very expensive K-Summit system? (Chains are required in mountains on non 4x4 cars, sometimes even on 4x4).

(The small wheel clearance is a big drawback of C-MAX, together with _no spare wheel_ feature :)).

 

I made quick research and all I could find is this =- almost $500 total:

 

http://www.backcountry.com/thule-k-summit-snow-chains-for-cars?CMP_SKU=THU0355&MER=0406&CMP_ID=SH_SHP001&mv_pc=r110&003=7163546&010=THU0355&mr:referralID=54e54f7f-3c47-11e2-97b3-001b2166becc

 

(Fortunately, we use Subaru as a primary car for mountain trips, but I'd like to use CMAX at least in moderate weather as these are 400 - 500 miles trips. But 'no snow chains allowed' is really a big problem).

[Fits2at]

We had 2-3" of a heavy wet snow on Thursday night.  Drove the C-Max in to work yesterday morning.  I have the factory tires on it and it did really well.  I played a little bit before I got out of my neighborhood.  ABS brakes work well but I too wasn't impressed with the traction control system.  Tires spun a little and the traction control light didn't even come on.  Same thing this morning.

 

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am terrified of driving in snow/ice. This is the first time I've felt comfortable driving in it since we had our little BMW 325 manual.

[JulieB]

Hey, that's good to know, Fits2at. There's a chance of snow here on Christmas Day, and we may find out (if we get the car by then, that is). 

[Fits2at]

JulieB just play with it a bit before you get out on the open road. I was still pretty cautious but that is just me. I drive like a grandma in snow. I actually drove about 50 miles round trip DURING the storm on Thursday in high winds. It was 35 mph sustained winds with 60 mph gusts. The wind bothered me waaaay more than the snow. Had ridiculous headwinds going and a great tailwind coming home. Winds stayed up the next day too and a huge drop in temps. Highs only in the 20's for 2 days now. Between the wind and cold temps it has killed my mpg. :-(

[Fits2at]

Ok my little C-Max was put to the test this week.  We had a blizzard warning on Wednesday and received 12" of snow.  No, I didn't attempt to drive it in that.  I waited until the following day after the plow trucks came through.  I still had a couple of snow drifts to get through which proved to be no problem.  I still can't get the Traction control light to come on.  I double checked that the Traction Control system was indeed turned on.

 

We are still driving around the neighborhoods and parking lots with lots of ice and slush but I have managed to get everywhere I needed to go.  So far, so good!

[dawnlynn]

Took my c- max out in the snow yesterday…I could not make it up my hill. Just kept spinning so I turned around and took the path with less hills. I am a person who loves to drive in the snow. My Kia soul was excellent in the snow. This car makes me a little scared.

[stolenmoment]

I had a similar "adventure", I managed to pull a K-turn by backing up (down the hill), but there is only the one way in to where I was going.  I have alternatives, so all was not lost.

 

Scary, trying to climb the hill, speedo says 10mph, but we're not moving.