What can I say but Im somewhat impressed.

We were due to go to Newcastle today & decided to do part of the journey last night.

The car was exceptional but the roads were awful, It took 7.5 hours yesterday to get from Winchester to the hotel near the A1/M18 junction, We had spent hours on the M1 & had an interesting backstreet run through Chesterfield around midnight in I guess around 1.5 feet of snow having finally escaped the M1. People were driving like total arses in the town, too close up hills, getting stuck in convoys or sliding sideways going down hills trying top miss the car in front but the Scout on virtual tickover just kept going. I was absolutely staggered how well it could pull away on hills, OK it wandered around a bit but once rolling just kept going. It was only thanks to a few "entrepenuers" in there 4x4's earning a few quid towing the idiots out of the way that we managed to get through. Its a lovely feeling when once the hills cleared a Skoda just effortlessly drives up it

We got up at 7 today to find I guess another 8 inches of snow had fallen & a **** in an Arctic had tried to turn round in the hotel entrace & got stuck, the road into the hotel was downhill & he had driven in forwards FFS intending to back out. After about an hour with shovels & grit it was obvious he was going nowhere. A1 & M1 north blocked so we werent going to make Newcastle so it was case of stay put or try & get home. We decided on the latter & to really test the 4x4 ability of the Skoda, even on road tyres it was pretty impressive, managed to use what I think was the verge or flower beds, who knows, it was all under about 2 feet of snow & it just drove its way out on virtually tickover. We got around a couple more jacknifed trucks & onto the M18, Road virtually empty, just a 30 mph crawl until the conditions slowly improved as we came down the M1.

For anyone with a Scout on "summer tyres you should be Ok in most conditions getting going assuming the snows not too deep but be warned. stoping can still be "interesting" , just leave big gaps in front, use engine braking as much as possible & keep the revs down going uphill

I agree. I took my 2010 1.8 tfi Scout out at 6.15 this morning to get to work in Doncaster. The conditions (around 10" of snow and plenty of ice), were easily as bad as anything I've experienced in almost 40 years of driving and there was no evidence of gritting or snowploughs in Rotherham at that time, even on main roads..

I drove easily past three fwd cars that were going nowhere, wheels spinning furiously (some drivers seem to think that the more they rev the better). I was impressed with the Scout but reminded that even 4wd cannot defeat the laws of physics. I had a worrying minute going down a steep hill, as even in second gear for engine braking I was going faster than I would have liked. Abandoned cars at both sides left enogh space with not much to spare. I was acutely aware that if I had used my brakes it would have been a disaster. I resisted the powerful urge to brake and made it OK. Traction whilst setting off was excellent, even on inclines, but having attempted several routes, I was stopped by other cars getting stuck wherever they met an incline. After trying three routes I gave it up and came home. Too many poor drivers or those with ill equipped cars out there.

Overall, the Scout was very impressive indeed but was limited a little by the summer tyres. Even so, I am confident that it would have got me to work and home safely. With decent winter tyres fitted I would go absolutely anywhere in this car. I have been thinking of changing the Scout for some time so may not be able to justify winter tyres as I am unlikely to keep it for long.

I agree with all of this - my thread describes my foolhardy attempt to get up the nearest steep untreated hill - and it nearly did it on summer tyres. On the level and less steep hills, it was fine. Scouts are a good piece of kit.

I'm finding winter tyres are fantastic on my estate, but the snow's getting so deep that I will soon have no clearance. The extra height and front/underside protection on the Scout would be really useful :yes:

I'm finding winter tyres are fantastic on my estate, but the snow's getting so deep that I will soon have no clearance. The extra height and front/underside protection on the Scout would be really useful :yes:

Know what you mean - I was watching an Audi A3 snowploughing to a standstill this morning - Audi should make their splitters retractable for countries with unreliable weather!

I live in a fairly hilly area southwest of Newcastle and getting around our estate has defeated a heck of a lot of cars. But not my Scout. Conditions have been atrocious but the scout has managed everything so far. Mind you I haven't been tempted to drive up untreated 1 in 6 hills on dunlops unlike some on another thread.

I did manage, in a snowy road and a blizzard, to get the ESP going on a tricky u turn in a one way system where the apex of the turn was at the bottom of the slope before steeply going back uphill again. OH very impressed (again). Must get winter wheels fitted if I can find any!

I made it in the end though!

Know what you mean - I was watching an Audi A3 snowploughing to a standstill this morning - Audi should make their splitters retractable for countries with unreliable weather!

I'm rather glad I haven't lowered my car now

Watching BBC last couple a days i am astonished at most UK drivers, let alone the incompetence of authorities to clean up and grit the roads after last years catastrophic snow blackout.

I can reason with poor drivers not having money to purchase winter tires, but seeing A8, Mercs-S, BMW 7, and many luxury cars with obvious rich drivers stranded on the road and abandoning cars, trying to go uphill on summer tires and revving to death the engines is painful. As said here, driving back to back with 2-3 metres of space between the cars on inclines is a disaster.

I would make it a obligatory educational lessons for people who pass driving exams, at least theoretically reading and showing some videos of how does one behave on snowy/icy roads.

And i will not talk about Insurances charging more for fitting winter tires. That is a scandal unheard of, except in "Rip off Britain".

I've been very impressed by my 4x4 over the last 2 winters. I've never bothered clearing the drive, just drive on, reverse back, drive on, park. The cleared tracks are enough to allow it to get back out in the morning. I posted about the 4x4 vs winter tyres (our other car a fabia is on winters) and agree that the breaking and steering would be better with winters, but at the moment its superb on its summer michelins.

I can reason with poor drivers not having money to purchase winter tires, but seeing A8, Mercs-S, BMW 7, and many luxury cars with obvious rich drivers stranded on the road and abandoning cars, trying to go uphill on summer tires and revving to death the engines is painful.

It's ignorance, not a question of money. Many people have never heard of winter tyres.