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Best cars for snow and ice in 2023 and 2024

What's the best car for snow? The real answer is "the one with winter tires." What do we mean by that? You could have the finest, most advanced all-wheel-drive system or four-wheel drive in the world, but if you're running all-seasons (the spork of tires), your fancy four-wheeler won't matter much. The odds are, any vehicle on the road running good winter tires will probably perform adequately in slippery, slushy and/or snowy road conditions. (Here's a more complete explanation of why winter tires are totally worth it). In other words, you don't really need any of the cars on this list. With a set of winter tires, countless others will do the job, and even these will be at their best with proper rubber. You can find a variety of winter tires for your car here at Tire Rack. Keep in mind that you will need a full set of four snow tires for safety and performance, no matter what you're driving. The days of your dad putting just two snows on the family truckster to get it moving in a straight line are long gone. Don't get us wrong, getting a car that performs well in snow and ice is still a worthy criteria for car buyers. According to the U.S. Transportation Department, 70% of Americans live in places that get snow and ice. And much of the country has been blasted with arctic air for much of the new year. So let's look at the cars. First, we're highlighting choices for a variety of buyers and price points. Second, we're not just considering snow; we're considering general wintery conditions people will experience driving to work or school. As such, these are all choices with advanced all-wheel-drive systems, usually with "torque-vectoring" systems that not only automatically shunt power front and back, but side to side between the rear axles. Most have extra ground clearance for getting through deep snow, and we prefer those vehicles with more responsive steering, throttles and transmissions that provide a greater sense of vehicle control in slippery conditions.    Acura RDX Read our Acura RDX Review Acura's Super-Handling All-Wheel Drive system was one of the first to offer torque-vectoring, and besides often being touted for its ability to greatly enhanced dry-road handling, its benefits in the slick stuff can be profound. It's actually surprising that Acura hasn't leaned into this capability further by offering more rugged versions of its vehicles.

2023 Acura Integra w/ CVT starts just under $32,000

Pricing for the 2023 Acura Integra is out, and it's unsurprisingly a fair bit more expensive than the Civic it's based on. The base model starts at $31,895 including the $1,095 destination charge. The base version comes only with a CVT, as does the next highest A-Spec trim. To get a manual transmission, you'll have to fork over $36,895 for the top A-Spec with Technology. Fortunately, the manual isn't any more expensive than the CVT version. The full pricing breakdown is below. Integra: $31,895 Integra A-Spec: $33,895 Integra A-Spec with Technology Package: $36,895 The base model comes well equipped. Standard features include LED lighting, a sunroof, heated seats with power adjustment on the driver side, an eight-speaker sound system, 10.2-inch instrument display, 7-inch infotainment screen and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The standard safety feature list is quite good with adaptive cruise control with lane-keep assist and stop-and-go (the latter on CVT only), blind-spot monitoring and automatic emergency braking. And all Integras come with the same turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder making 200 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. They also have two years of free scheduled maintenance (oil changes, tire rotations and inspections). The A-Spec model mainly adds the sporty A-Spec appearance package, while the A-Spec with Technology Package adds quite a few more features. It includes adaptive suspension with adjustable stiffness, a larger 9-inch infotainment screen, ambient interior lighting, leatherette and faux suede upholstery, power adjustment on both front seats, a 16-speaker sound system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging and more USB ports. And of course that top trim is available with a six-speed manual, which also adds a mechanical limited-slip differential like in the Honda Civic Si. Related Video: 1999 Honda Civic Si | Retro Review

Honda is spending $124 million on a new wind tunnel facility in Ohio

Ford isn't the only company building a multi-million dollar wind tunnel this year. Honda is also getting in on the action. Its new facility will cost less than Ford's at $124 million, and construction begins this summer. It will be built at the Transportation Research Center in Ohio, which is where Honda's NSX proving grounds are located. Honda will install a five-belt rolling road in the tunnel for testing of more pedestrian vehicles, and a wide, high-speed, single belt version for testing of sports cars and race cars. However, it seems the Honda facility will only be capable of testing wind speeds of up to 192 mph, whereas Ford claims a top speed of 200 mph. Cameras and microphones will also be set up inside the testing area at the Honda tunnel to help find wind noise trouble spots. Honda won't necessarily be the only company using the new wind tunnel either. The facility will be available for other groups and companies to use. There are even secure bays those groups can use for their work. Related Video: