Should I keep my car or trade it for winter driving?

I love my 2021 LE with 40k miles. It’s been reliable, and the quality from Japan-built vehicles really shows. But I’m considering moving from the South to somewhere up North with harsh winters.

The car has AWD, but no heated seats. Here are my options:

  1. Keep it and buy heated seat covers online.
  2. Trade it in for something with serious off-road AWD, like a Subaru or a RAV4. But that would hurt my wallet.

What do you think I should do?

If you’re heading to extreme cold, remember that people in Montana plug their cars in during winter to keep the engine warm. You might need that too.

Miller said:
If you’re heading to extreme cold, remember that people in Montana plug their cars in during winter to keep the engine warm. You might need that too.

Yeah, plugging in the car overnight makes a big difference in extreme cold. You’ll probably also want good winter tires.

The LE has cloth seats, which are actually fine for winter. Leather seats get super cold and take time to heat up. Cloth might surprise you.

I live in Western New York, and we get ridiculous amounts of snow here. My Venza handles it well because of its ground clearance. I see plenty of RAV4s here too, so you should be good with your car.

Sayer said:
I live in Western New York, and we get ridiculous amounts of snow here. My Venza handles it well because of its ground clearance. I see plenty of RAV4s here too, so you should be good with your car.

Here’s a photo of the kind of snow we deal with. Cars like yours can handle it with the right tires.

Sayer said:
I live in Western New York, and we get ridiculous amounts of snow here. My Venza handles it well because of its ground clearance. I see plenty of RAV4s here too, so you should be good with your car.

Did you stick with the OEM tires, or did you switch them out for winter ones?

@Abi
I waited until the original tires wore out. Even then, I didn’t have issues with rain or snow. Driving carefully in bad weather is key too.

My Venza does great in snow and ice. Heated seats are a nice luxury, but if you upgrade, consider a heated steering wheel too. It’s a game-changer for winter.

Invest in a good set of tires and keep the car. I used to drive a front-wheel drive car to work before the snowplows came through. Tires matter more than AWD for most people.

Justice said:
Invest in a good set of tires and keep the car. I used to drive a front-wheel drive car to work before the snowplows came through. Tires matter more than AWD for most people.

Totally agree. I’ve got an ‘21 XLE Venza with Blizzak tires here in Colorado. It handles winter roads perfectly fine.

Your gas mileage will go down in the cold, but the AWD in your car will still be better than many others. Heated seats are just a luxury; you can live without them.

Maxwell said:
Your gas mileage will go down in the cold, but the AWD in your car will still be better than many others. Heated seats are just a luxury; you can live without them.

I’ve driven without heated seats before, like when I had an F-150 in the Alberta Oil Sands. It was tough, but it worked. My RAV4 XLE had heated seats, but it guzzled gas. The Venza is so much more comfortable and efficient. I’d love to keep it for my move north.

Put winter tires on it, and you’ll outperform most people on the road. AWD with all-season tires isn’t as good as FWD with winter tires, and AWD with winter tires is the best setup.

Themech said:
Put winter tires on it, and you’ll outperform most people on the road. AWD with all-season tires isn’t as good as FWD with winter tires, and AWD with winter tires is the best setup.

Don’t worry, all the newer models come with AWD as standard.

When you say North, do you mean Canada or somewhere like New Hampshire? More details would help people give better advice.

Marsden said:
When you say North, do you mean Canada or somewhere like New Hampshire? More details would help people give better advice.

I’m in Florida now, but I might move to Buffalo for a bit. After that, possibly back to Northern Alberta in Canada, where it hits -35 (same in Fahrenheit or Celsius).

@Page
Wow, talk about extremes. Be ready for some challenges with the hybrid battery in that kind of cold. Good luck.

Marsden said:
@Page
Wow, talk about extremes. Be ready for some challenges with the hybrid battery in that kind of cold. Good luck.

Yeah, I’m a little worried about how the battery will handle it. I miss the old gas-only AWDs like the 4Runner. Those things were unstoppable.

@Page
I live in Calgary and drive a Venza. It does really well in winter here with the right tires. Heated seats are standard in Canada, so maybe upgrade if you can.