They must of really improved on the XI3's. My XI2's are ok in straight driving/stopping, but break traction if you turn too fast.

 

THanks for all the feedbacks, especially fellow Canadians, good to know with good set of snows the G is good for Cdn winters.

I test drove the G the other day and was disappointed in this specific car ... car had a lot of dings, and the interior wasn't really cleaned at all when we test drove it, even found a melted chocolate bar in the glove box (gross). Interior trims were all scratched up and it just wasn't a good impression at all.

Driving-wise, I had mixed feeling. First of all, right off the bat I noticed the clutch was very different from cars I've driven. I've driven plenty of MT's, from Honda to Miata to VW to Audi to BMW, and MT is all I've driven the past ... man, 20+ years! And I almost stalled the car coming out of the parking lot (the sales guy must have thought I didn't know how to drive a stick ... lol). The clutch point is very high, and the pick-up range is also very short. I'm sure I can get used to it, but it takes getting used to ... and when my wife drove it, she almost wrote off the car just because of the clutch.

The shifter is not a lot better. Throws are not that long, but it's not sharp. I can't say it's vague, but it sure isn't satisfying like a Honda or a Mazda Miata shifter. That, combined with the fact the engine's power band is so wide, makes you don't want to shift unless you have to. I can definitely see why even enthusiasts may choose to buy an AT instead of MT G. (or do something to the shifter)

Once I get used to the shifter though, the power is just SWEET. The powerband is very wide, there's SMOOTH power anywhere in the rev range. ANd it pulls so effortlessly. The power is the best part of the driving experience

The steering is nice too. Very direct, very sharp, and I can feel the road. When tossing the car around though, it becomes obvious I am driving a pretty heavy car (cause it is). At no point do I feel the suspension or the tires are not up to par for the weight of the car, but you definitely feel you are driving a heavy car. The car's super-solid though. I am pretty sure the 4 year old car I was driving was as solid as it was day 1.

The car's interior is louder than I expected a luxury car to be, it didn't bother me but my wife made the comment it's loud in terms of road noise.

All in all, when I walked away from the test drive, I knew for sure I wasn't buying this specific G (because of all the dings and interior scratches ... it just didn't give me impression it's a car where the owner took good care of) ... would I buy another G? I sure would test drive it again. On one hand, the power and the build of the car is great. I sure didn't mind all the bells and whistles of the G either. OTOH the clutch and the transmission falls short of satisfying, and the poor fuel economy is something to think about too.

I think I need another test drive (and hopefully of a better condition G)

 

While it wasn't a G I drove a Mustang around one winter. I put some winter treads on the back and put some weight in the hatch and never had one issue. People tried to tell me "I wouldn't go anywhere" with it, or I was just plain stupid for trying.

Needless to say I proved them wrong. I drove past many 4WD vehicles that were stuck in a ditch all the while I didn't slip or slide one bit.

 

I've driven rwd the last few winters in Alberta, Genesis Coupe and Genesis Sedan. Good tires and smart driving you'll be fine. Ground clearance is generally more of an issue than traction here. The clutch is weird in the G, it's not just you. That's why a lot of the 6MT guys have changed out the clutch pedal assembly to the RJM clutch assembly on the G and the Z platform.

 

So I recently moved to Chicago (from Dallas) and am pretty concerned about driving in the snow, as I have never driven in the snow and my commute will be 30 miles each way. I have an G37S and the tires are almost bald. Should I go buy a set of winter tires now and then switch at the beginning of next summer? or will some all season tires be fine?

Also, one guy is selling an stock XS set up with 225/50/18 all seasons that I may pick up to use as a spare set....

What are your opinions?

 

Reread this thread. Your questions have been covered.

An all season tire is not the same as a winter/snow tire. Not recommended. Running winter tires in the summer is not recommended either. Will wear out quickly.

 

I can and will run all seasons on a FWD/AWD/4WD for winter use. I would not recommend running all seasons on a RWD in the winter. Way too many variables that can cause a major accident.

When I had my Mustang I had all seasons when we got our first snowfall. I lived on top of a hill and the car refused to climb it. I went around the long way and tried to come down the hill. Long story short, I was lucky I didn't total the car.

Once I was able to get back out I got the tires put on and weight in the back and never had one more issue the rest of the winter.

 

All seasons will stop and turn the same on fwd/awd/4wd as they will on rwd, the only difference is how fast you can get going. Not sure why you think it's safer running all seasons on something other than rwd? Can't crash if you can't get going....

 

I got going just fine on all seasons on every configuration but RWD. Hell I only put the winter treads on the rear and still had all seasons on the front of the Mustang, and like I said twice already, I never had another issue the rest of that winter. I've run nothing but all seasons on all my other cars, and no issues getting where I needed to go.