Why a Jeep Wrangler for Winter? Because You Can’t Plow With a Crossover

Jeep’s Wrangler is a rough and ready body-on-frame SUV. That type of vehicle comes with some compromises, but it also comes with abilities and capabilities that no crossover can offer.

Here at Car Talk, we think a lot about winter driving and winter vehicle ownership. Mother nature delivered a whopping two feet of heavy wet snow to our fair city of Cambridge this past weekend. No biggie, we’re used to it. We all learn to adapt and overcome. One way we do that is by making smart vehicle choices.

There are a handful of amazing vehicles for winter that are popular in New England. Every Subaru crossover, for example. The best of the bunch is the new Forester Wilderness which comes right off the factory floor rolling on snow-rated tires. This is a first for Subaru which took a surprisingly long time to happen. Subaru is a company that built a brand around being the best possible choice for a tough New England winter.

Joining the Forester on our list of the very best vehicles for winter is another crossover, the new Ford Bronco Sport Badlands. Like the Forester Wilderness, this is a vehicle that you can buy right off the showroom floor (or order from your computer) already wearing snow-rated tires.

All-wheel drive crossovers are the gold standard for on-road winter driving. They offer the ability to move forward on any surface, be it icy, snowy, wet, slushy, muddy, sandy. You get the point. And they also have a few added inches of ground clearance. So when the snow piles up, you have enough room under the car to go over the snow until it’s time to ride up over the snowpack. Throw in an approach angle that will help you drive up and over your plowed-in driveway and you have checked off all the winter driving boxes. Except one.

You can’t attach a plow to a Forester or Bronco Sport. There is no “frame” so to speak, to which one might attach the plow. Nor are there any handy accessory buttons on the dash to operate the attachment. So, if you want to plow your property you need to own a snowblower, plow truck, tractor, or some combination of the above. Or… You can buy a Jeep Wrangler. Unlike the crossovers we know and love for on-road winter adventures, the Wrangler can be fitted with a snow plow.

This is not a theoretical plow. Our neighbors in New England use Jeep Wranglers with them. Two fans of Car Talk, Pete, and Lucy, were kind enough to share some images of the plow they use with their Jeep Wrangler. The plow works great, even in the tenth-worst snowfall in recorded history their area experienced this past weekend.

We all think of Wranglers as the go-to off-road adventure vehicle, but Wranglers can do a lot more. They are convertibles for back-country and beach adventures. They can tow (a lot). You can get one with a HEMI V8 engine and drag race muscle cars. Or you can opt for the 4xe powertrain and drive to and from work using only electricity.

Jeep has evolved and adapted the Wrangler in a way that no other brand has any other vehicle. So although we will keep recommending Foresters, Outbacks, Bronco Sports, Cherokees, and Compasses for those who need to go in the snow, when it comes to being the king of the snow mountain, it's Jeep Wrangler for the win. Because Foresters don’t plow.