As the winter weather starts pummeling the Midwest, East and even the Pacific Northwest, it seems an appropriate time to take a look at winter weather vehicles. We're not talking about beaters or hoopties that you pick up for $500, throw some kitty litter in the trunk and then feel OK about piloting around town with no worries. What we mean here are new vehicles that can handle the adverse conditions with aplomb, and still have good enough road manners come Spring that you won't have delayed buyer's remorse.

We could probably come up with a good list of such vehicles if we had the time and inclination (starting with the SEMA steed above), but fortunately for us, BusinessWeek has done the legwork for us. And an admirable job at it too. Compiling a list of awd and 4wd vehicles from across all socio-economic segments, they present a top ten list that we can wholeheartedly endorse. After the jump, you'll find the BusinessWeek top ten, winter weather warrior list.

[Source: BusinessWeek via Winding Road]


The list:
  • Acura RL
  • Audi A3
  • BMW 3-series 328xi
  • Ford F-150
  • Land Rover LR3
  • Lexus RX 400h
  • Subaru Legacy
  • Subaru Outback
  • Toyota RAV 4
  • Volvo XC70
While all of these vehicles are worthy of a spot on the list, we wonder what you might have added or omitted had you been on the editorial staff at the time the list was compiled. A little Monday morning quarterbacking seems appropriate during football weather. Feel free to tell us what you think, but first make sure you click through to the BusinessWeek article for their explanation of their selection criteria and to see some of the choices that just missed their top ten.