So, I just moved from the city to the desolate backwaters of western Norway, and I've noticed a distinct change in what people say about my GT86.
In the city, the pervading "Nice car, man!" usually was followed up by "How many horsepower" or "What did it cost".
Here, it's usually followed by "What's it like in the winter?"
And it's a fair question. I grew up and learned to drive in these parts, and it's no coincidence most people here have some kind of 4-wheel drive.
The Subaru Outback, Forester and XV are very popular cars, and rightly so; very capable cars in all but the the very worst of winter conditions.
And immensely boring to drive the rest of the year.
In normal, cold inland winter conditions, the GT86 is absolutely fine. Fun to fool around with, and safe enough on the roads for a reasonably skilled driver.
But around here, where the sleet flies horizontally, packs in heaps and worst case freezes to solid ice over night, the winter roads can be periodically problematic.
The public roads can get quite bad, but private roads and driveways have a tendency to become real obstacles. Mine is a gravel path with sharp bends on a steep hill.
I share it with a retired neighbor who plows it with a tractor. He's not getting younger and I intend to take my turns from now on, and that's not going to improve the conditions.
I drive the 86 up and down the rest of the year, no problem. But, come february, it's gonna be... let's call it impractical. Or we can call it likely to get stuck and damaged.
So I said to the Ministry of War and Finance:
"I guess I'll have to trade in the 86 for a Subaru Forester or something equally sensible, so I can get around safely when the roads freezes over.
<sigh.> I am going to miss it, though. We've had some good times in that car, you and me. That summer when we drove it to Italy, that was an epic roadtrip, wasn't it? Oooh, remember that night in Dijon...?"
Thing is, I'm married to an angel. This is what she said:
"Nah... Let's keep it. I like that cute little car too, you know. It can sit snugly in that old barn until spring, right?
So maybe you can find a car you can use as a daily driver all winter, something rugged enough to replace that ugly, rusty piece-of-junk pickup truck
you use in the woods and the bogs. Something used and not too expensive, but reliable and safe." And she gave me a budget.
Now, when people look at my GT86 and ask "What's it's like in the winter?" I'll tell them "Stationary. Dry and dark."
I plan to drive this 2010 Nissan Pathfinder 4X4 through the roughest months. It has a 2.5L turbodiesel producing 190hp and 450Nm, and high/low range.
Picked her up this morning. Had a nice, long drive back here and we're already on friendly terms :-) In RWD on dry paved roads it handles like a perky bus. Sounds like one, too :-)
And here's the question. This being a 5-door 2-seater, would you call it a truck, an SUV or a van? Please enlighten a confused foreigner :-)