Which Toyota Is Right For Your Skiing Needs? Our Guide To Buying A New Car That’ll Get You To The Slopes Stress

Brought to you by Toyota

Whether you’re a regular at your local hill or like to road trip from mountain to mountain, car troubles are the last thing you want to deal with on your skiing adventures. From snowy and slippery road conditions to struggling to fit all of your gear in, winter driving presents many unique challenges that you’ll want to consider when buying a new car that’ll be your ride to the slopes. To help out, we’ve rounded up some of the most important factors to consider, along with our top recommendations from the 2023 line for all of your skiing needs.

First and foremost when it comes to safety on the roads in winter, we need to talk about the importance of winter tires. No matter what vehicle you end up with, purchasing winter tires in addition to all-season tires is the best way that you can protect yourself and others. The unique tread pattern of winter tires is specially designed for gripping onto snow and ice, but more importantly, winter tires are made from a softer rubber compound than all-season tires, preventing them from stiffening up in the cold and losing traction. However, the soft rubber of winter tires will also wear out with significant use on dry roads, which is why changing your tires out between seasons is the best way to maintain the effectiveness of your tires. Even if you’re not buying a new car, if you don't have winter tires yet this is the number one upgrade to make to your winter driving set-up.

Setting aside winter tires, the first feature you need to look for in your new car is the right drivetrain system. In slippery conditions, the amount of power your vehicle has is secondary to how effectively it is distributed to the wheels to control traction. If you’re looking at two-wheel drive (2WD) vehicles, front-wheel drive (FWD) will perform better than rear-wheel drive (RWD) in the winter because the weight of the engine over the front wheels will increase traction. However, for an optimal winter driving experience, all-wheel drive (AWD) systems are undeniably the preferable choice over either 4WD or 2WD vehicles. In contrast to 4WD which splits power evenly over all four wheels, AWD systems continuously monitor the traction of all four wheels and use a torque vectoring differential to automatically optimize traction by supplying more power to the wheels with the best grip.

Other factors that can improve your vehicle's traction and maneuverability include a slightly heavier weight (or packing lots of gear!), a low center of gravity, and a long wheelbase, but these are just helpful bonuses. If you can snag a good set of winter tires and an AWD system, then you’re already prepared to tackle most snowy days.

If you live in an area where you often have to tackle snow drifts or unplowed roads, then the last basic factor you’ll want to keep in mind is your ground clearance height. The higher your vehicle is off the ground, the less likely you are to get stuck in the snow, so for areas with high volumes of snow ideally you want around 7+ inches of ground clearance height. And if you’re going to be headed off-road into deep snow, then a Toyota Tacoma (2022) with a standard 9.4-in. ground clearance could be for you!

In icy conditions, drivers have even less time to react to hazards because of the increased time needed for braking or maneuvering the vehicle. Luckily, Toyota Safety Sense™ (TSS) is standard on almost all new Toyota models and includes powerful driver-assist technology. Depending on the version, the TSS package is equipt with active safety features like:

In addition, every new Toyota vehicle comes with the Star Safety System™ as standard, which provides six key driver-assist systems for additional peace of mind: Vehicle Stability Control, Traction Control, Smart Stop Technology®, Electronic Brake-Force Distribution, Brake Assist, and Anti-lock Brake System.

When it comes to fuel economy, smaller cars will have better mileage, but if you opt for an SUV or truck you still have good options for fuel-efficiency since Toyota now offers hybrids for many of its vehicles. The electrified Toyota line has vehicles for every type of powertrain and includes hybrids, plug-in hybrids, fuel cell electric vehicles, and all-electric vehicles. Plus, since electric systems are able to accelerate instantaneously, they pair incredibly well with AWD vehicles in winter conditions, maintaining traction so you’re never left spinning your wheels as you try to get going.

Here are some additional features that you might want in your perfect ski car:

Visit buyatoyota.com for more information on the entire Toyota fleet.

2023 RAV4 & RAV4 Hybrid – The classic choice, perfect for anyone.

2023 Sienna (Hybrid) – For getting the whole family to the slopes smoothly.

2023 Tundra & Tundra i-FORCE MAX – For the toughest trips and most extreme conditions.

2023 Highlander Hybrid – For the adventurous skier who’ll follow the snow anywhere (AKA the Roadtripper)

Bonus:The All-Electric 2023 bZ4X

Coming Soon:The First-Ever Corolla Cross Hybrid

Got any other tips for choosing your perfect winter vehicle? Share them in the comments below!