Car for Queenstown Winters

May be moving to Queenstown soon. Will I need a car with 4wd for the winters! If so will something like a 4wd Caldina be capable in icy roads (have chains as well) or is it not a noticeable difference over a fwd!

IMO it's hardly worth the hassle of a lightweight 4WD, running on ordinary road tyres, for snow/ice.If the conditions are so bad that chains are needed or marginal on 2wd cars, then while you'll get more traction with 4WD, accidents don't usually happen because of loss of forward traction, but no braking, and a 4wd lightweight car really isn't much better than a 2WD car for that. A big heavy 4WD with AT tyres is going to be okay - without the hassle of fitting chains - in far worse conditions than a 2wd car or lightweight 4wd will be, but for the few days a year where you need it, there's the other 350 or so days a year where you've got to pay the price for that convenience.A hazard with lightweight 4WD cars is over-confidence.Not unusual for skiers to fly up the mountain road in hard snow / icy conditions in their subarus and RAV4s with no problems, only to drop over the edge or into ditch (if they're lucky) when they try to drive back down.The 4WD method of planting the boot to regain traction when you're already sliding downhill toward a cliff edge because you were going too fast in the first place is fine in theory, but counter-intuitive, takes some guts, and can still come to a nasty end.
So bottom line IMO, if you really need a 4wd, get a real one - but it's going to cost you as a daily runner, or stick with what you've got, keep chains in the boot - and make sure they fit and aren't a complete PITA to fit when you need them.

Queenstown is a bit tricky - probably not cold/snowy enough to make dedicated winter tyres a good idea, but also occasionally bad enough to make normal tyres a pain in the arse.

I reckon a caldina type, with 4 sets of chains will be fine. Chains will perform better in snow/ice than any AT tyres (or muds for that matter)

So will be a hassle to fit the chains, but for the rest of the year will be easier to live with. (Unless you actually want to buy a proper 4wd type wagon, then go for it!)

Biggest point is to buy 4 sets of chains, (not 2) any you'll be fine.

Yeah, but reality is that if general road conditions are so bad that you need two sets of chains on a lightweight 4WD car, the grader won't have been through, but some larger 4WDs and trucks probably will have been - and the car won't have the ground clearance to get through it anyway.
Perhaps for skifield access roads the 4WD car with chains would be okay, but I think I'd rather catch a bus than fit/unfit 4 sets of chains on a regular basis.

You don't actually want the bus
http://www.youtube.com/watch!v=WX0x_Q3fcDg

We agree then!

Hummer

Jeesh, not that one.You need one with windows that open to get rid of the schmell coming from the other passenger seats.

Pretty much the best answer that could be given.I have a 2wd with chains and on those days in the winter where it is that bad on the roads here the roads get closed pretty quick however most the time I dont find out until I find the checkpoint at the other end.lol.

It does make me laugh when you get the 4wd, AWD bullet proof owners club thinking that they have the best traction in the world on snow/ice and most the time it is actually ice they are driving on.How many times have I tried to explain the laws of physics to them that once they touch that brake pedal on a hill with any speed it will be all over.You can pretty much guarentee someone without snow/ice driving experiance will touch the brakes!Even the experianced ones get caught out at the beginning of every winter.
Set of chains in the boot and knowledge of how to fit them quick even the seasoned workers on the ski areas will tell you that.

Tyres are more of an issue around Central Otago than the vehicle they are on.It's not the big snow days or trips up the mountain that give you grief, rather the unexpected patch of ice in autumn that send you tits up in the ditch.Patches of grit catch quite a few as well, and keep the panel beaters and towies busy.

Down here you need tyres that can cope with road temps from -20 to 40 degrees on an annual basis, and it's not unusual to have a daily range of -5 to 20 degrees.It can be really hard getting info on tyre temp ratings in the NZ market but with a bit of digging and asking around you can get an idea.

We get around in a light FWD hatch and have no issues what so ever, appropriate tyres and a pair of really good chains for when the snows a bit thick, which is usually only a couple of days a year.This year was about a 1 in 20 year snow year and we fitted chains about 5 days.

So for the OP, just keep your current vehicle, but make sure your tyres are appropriate for Queenstown rater than Auckland, and get some good chains, you'll be fine.

another good point made!

Even here in the central North Island the City folk from up North think the just about legal tyre treads they have will cope on the icey roads to the snow.Low profile tyres on a Subaru 4wd defeat the object of having a 4wd.

Yeah, but reality is that if general road conditions are so bad that you need two sets of chains on a lightweight 4WD car, the grader won't have been through, but some larger 4WDs and trucks probably will have been - and the car won't have the ground clearance to get through it anyway.
Perhaps for skifield access roads the 4WD car with chains would be okay, but I think I'd rather catch a bus than fit/unfit 4 sets of chains to start and finish a day's skiing.