Snow Country, Mach-E, and AWD

[macheek]

i live in snow country, Northern California, and am considering the Mach-E for my next EV. I have had a subaru for the past 30 years, and they are amazing in the snow. never had a spinout or accident! I currently have the Subaru solterra, and am looking at the Mustang, cuz it is so darn cute!
What has everyone's experience been the last few winters, driving in slush, a little snow, and sometimes at least a foot of snow on the unplowed roads, just to get home after work?!

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[markboris]

i live in snow country, Northern California, and am considering the Mach-E for my next EV. I have had a subaru for the past 30 years, and they are amazing in the snow. never had a spinout or accident! I currently have the Subaru solterra, and am looking at the Mustang, cuz it is so darn cute!
What has everyone's experience been the last few winters, driving in slush, a little snow, and sometimes at least a foot of snow on the unplowed roads, just to get home after work?!

I cannot speak from experience on this subject but I have heard and read that the Mach-E is a great performer in the snow especially with dedicated snow/winter tires. I am sure you will hear from a lot of members how happy they are with this car during the snowy winter months.

 

[MABachE131]

I've only driven the Mach E in a few snow storms and it's been flawless.
A lot of people will tell you to turn off one pedal driving in the snow, but I think it actually helps give more control.

 

[tbrumleve]

I live in the PNW and drive almost every weekend to Mt Hood and Mt Baker from Jan to March. Snow tires make all the difference. You’ll find stories from Scandinavian and Canadian owners as well. It’s a great winter car.

 

[Billyk24]

i live in snow country, Northern California, and am considering the Mach-E for my next EV. I have had a subaru for the past 30 years, and they are amazing in the snow. never had a spinout or accident! I currently have the Subaru solterra, and am looking at the Mustang, cuz it is so darn cute!
What has everyone's experience been the last few winters, driving in slush, a little snow, and sometimes at least a foot of snow on the unplowed roads, just to get home after work?!

there is another issue to be aware of if....the outdoor temperatures get into the single f and colder on a regular basis. The 2021, 2022 and 2023 job 1 had a 5kW rated heater. During extreme cold the heater may not be able to both keep the cabin and battery warm. A lower state of charge in the battery pack can induce limited output for the vehicle. The newer vehicles have a 7.4kW rated heater. The 2025 has a heat pump. Check out Mach Lee's threads.

 

[music_cities]

I love my MachE in the snow. The Michelins X-Ice tires are great, and the front bumper is shaped to push away the snow. The AWD is very nice, make sure you get AWD for winter.

If it gets very deep I use my ICE 4Runner instead, because of the higher clearance. I also have studded tires on the 4Runner, which are handy for icy conditions, especially at lower speeds, such as the first and last mile. (At higher speeds I think studless winter tires are just as good as studded tires, even on icy roads.). So, no, the MachE will not handle all the winter conditions that a truck (or "real SUV") will handle. But as a winter "car", it's fantastic.

 

[music_cities]

Also I know you didn't ask about winter range, but the most range loss I've ever seen is about 40%, twice, once at -30C due to extreme cold, and once due to very high winds. My "normal" winter range is about 15% or 20% lower than my optimal summer range.

Mind you, I also avoid pushing the battery below 20% on winter trips: if I get stranded on the side of a road, I want to have enough power to run the cabin heat for hours! As a result, I'm usually planning to charge after about 200km in the winter, at a charger near a heated bathroom (usually at my house, which is very comfortable as a charging stop.)

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

I live in AZ at 7000 feet near one of the snowiest cities in North America: Our 30-year average snowfall amount used to be 100 inches. It’s down to about 90 inches now, but it’s still a snowy place.

We love the Mustang in the snow. We do wish it had another inch of clearance, but that’s all. It behaves fantastically.

We haven’t even bothered to get a set of winter shoes like we used to for every vehicle. This has saved us yet another $3000 in wheels and tires.

 

[Colorado MME GT]

Colorado MME GT driver here. I had an Outback before I went EV. The MME AWD is great on snow - with the right tires. Mine came with the Continental All-seasons, which are better than I expected on snow and ice. For my next set, I will probably opt for the Michelin Cross-climates for a slightly better grip. The X-Ice is also a solid choice if you want to rotate between winter & summer tires. Keep in mind that MME is a performance vehicle, so you will want to use Whisper mode when conditions deteriorate so you're not "hot rodding." Coming off a Solterra, you will enjoy the additional acceleration, so be careful and drive safely.

 

[dalola]

Proper tires will make damn near any vehicle capable in snow. The MME has the advantage of fairly balanced (heavy) weight, and nicely tuned TC/AWD parameters. But ground clearance is not great, so deep snow (12+") will be an issue.

OP, I would consider two sets of wheel/tires, and you'll be golden. If you get 2 feet, stay home.

 

[nzwayne]

Our 2022 MME GTP has been terrific in the snow, ice, freezing rain around the Toronto area. Also equipped with Winter tires for this period (also get 5% insurance discount because). Been in some deep snow, you’d think your on a dry road. Wife has same opinion.
Car keeps aligned, firm, secure on roads and curves. Our 2024 Lincoln Corsair GT right up there too.

 

[Silver Pony]

I live in upstate NY and take my Mache x 4 (extened battery - AWD) up to Vermont often to go skiing. It handles the shnow just as well as my wife's subaru forester. You just have to be prepared to get less range in the cold weather so line up your charging stations for winter travel over 200 miles.

 

[Doobster6]

i live in snow country, Northern California, and am considering the Mach-E for my next EV. I have had a subaru for the past 30 years, and they are amazing in the snow. never had a spinout or accident! I currently have the Subaru solterra, and am looking at the Mustang, cuz it is so darn cute!
What has everyone's experience been the last few winters, driving in slush, a little snow, and sometimes at least a foot of snow on the unplowed roads, just to get home after work?!

I have owned numerous AWD Audis (awesome in snow), two AWD Bimmers, A Pathfiner and a Mountaineer. My wife owns an Infiniti QX50 AWD. My 2024 Premium 4-ER is a match for any of them! As always, tires are important but the factory all-seasons acquitted themselves wonderfully in the times I tasked them with snow, once including 6”. I would recommend it to anyone who has to drive on snow-covered roads……with reasonable slopes. It is not, after all, a ski-slope snow-cat!

 

[Mach-e4x]

The traction is good if you have good snow tires, cold weather reduces range, not good in deep snow because of the ground clearance as you don't want to be using the bumper as a plow because it has active shutters in the front, snow can get caked up inside the wheel wells. Have Fun

 

[Tosh]

I got a Rally because I wanted to be able to cross the Cascade mountains without having to drive my F-150. Haven't had any snow since I brought it home, but I expect it will handle the passes just fine.

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