While I'm not sure that the 245 is the best poor weather car I've driven, it is far from the worst. Leaving out the family Chevies I drove in the late 60's, that honor - gasp - goes to my '91 Jetta. Even with good snows all around it was a quirky little rascal with a mind of its own. Probably the best snow car I had was an '80 Saab 99 with unfashionably skinny rubber, but with 60% of the cars weight on the drive wheels it knew its way thru snow.

What I can't understand is all the people who had 145's and early 245's who tell me those cars were the worst in snow! While yesterday I could not negotiate one steep, icy hill because my snow tires were in the shed and not on the car, in over 250,000 miles including about a dozen winters I have never gotten stuck in my Volvos.

Re the ABS, I have yet to trigger it on anything except snow or ice.