What is the Best SUV for Snow?
Alexandra Maloney
· 3 min read
As the winter season is fast approaching, your mind might be drifting toward the best car to handle winter conditions—especially if you live in an area that gets a lot of snow.
So what is the best SUV for snow? According to
Kelley Blue Book (KBB)
, a top pick for winter driving is the 2021 Acura RDX. Here, we’re going over what KBB liked about this car (plus what
Consumer Reports
didn’t) as well as some other viable options for snow driving and a few bonus driving tips
for the winter. 
Pros of the 2021 Acura RDX
Like we mentioned earlier, Kelley Blue Book has rated the Acura RDX as a best SUV for snow. KBB recommends adding on all-wheel drive to the basic model for optimal snow driving, which brings the starting price to $41,225 for this car.
Kelley Blue Book likes this car with all-wheel drive for snow for many reasons. Those include but aren’t limited to tricks like a clutch park, an accelerator on the driveshaft between the axles, and its ability to apply as much as 90% of torque to one single rear wheel.
The 2021 Acura RDX also earns points for being a best SUV for snow due to features like automatic emergency braking, LED headlights, forward-collision warning and, of course, heated front seats for those cold winter mornings.
Not to mention, this car has a cool and sleek exterior that will make you turn heads as you drive it down those icy winter roads.
J.D. Power
describes the 2021 Acura RDX as having, “exclusive bumper designs, smoked lighting treatments, dark chrome trim, black window surrounds, and prominent exhaust outlets.” Let Jerry find your price in only 45 seconds
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With some negatives, is the Acura really the best SUV for snow?
Despite all the positive features of the 2021 Acura RDX, it has some negatives. According to Consumer Reports, the car has “annoyingly complex controls.” While all of the snow-ready features of the 2021 Acura RDX are great, they aren’t much use if the driver can’t figure out how to use them.
Consumer Reports also finds the infotainment system to be “distracting and unintuitive.” Drivers can only control the system via a touch screen that sits between the front seats. As we all know, distracted driving isn’t a joke, and if drivers are busy fiddling with a difficult infotainment system it could prove to be a danger on the road—especially in winter conditions.
Other SUVs for Snow
If after weighing the pros and cons of the 2021 Acura RDX you decide the car just isn’t for you, there are plenty of other options. Consider these alternatives for SUVs that handle rough and wintery conditions the best:
- 2021 Chevrolet Tahoe with Four Wheel Drive: starting at $53,295 this car has rain-sensing wipers, front emergency braking, and optional blind spot monitoring.
- 2021 Honda CR-V with All Wheel Drive: The CR-V is less expensive than others on the list, starting at $26,525. It comes equipped with extra ground clearance, forward-collision warning, front emergency braking, which are all great to have in the snow.
- 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee with All Wheel Drive: This Jeep model is great in the snow due to its ability to evenly divide torque to each axle at all times, a brake lock, heated mirrors, blind spot monitoring, and rear cross traffic alerts.
Driving tips for winter
MORE: 7 Winter Essentials Every Driver Needs
No matter which SUV (or other type of car) you choose to drive in the snow, it’s always good to be prepared for driving in winter conditions. Here are a few important things to keep in mind to ensure you and your car
stay safe
when the temperature drops:- Reduce your speed.
- Be alert of your surroundings.
- Accelerate and decelerate slowly.
- Allow ample room between yourself and other cars.
- If conditions are treacherous, stay home if possible until roads are clear.
- Stay calm and collected while driving.
