Q: I drive alot of highway however I also have a job where I will be doing some city driving. Right now I drive a 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe which is absolutely great in the winter when I am up in the mountains on weekends, however the mileage isn't so great. I love all the room and pickup of my Santa Fe. How is the comfort and safety of the Prius?
A: The traction control on a Prius is very sensitive and does not allow the wheels to spin much so many complain that it is a problem in snow when it really isn't. The real problem is the crappy tires the stock Prius comes with which are Goodyear Integrity which have barely acceptable traction in the snow when new and flat out poor traction once they wear some. Many people who live in snowy areas choose to either put a good set of all season tires on the car or run the Integrities in the summer and a set of true snow tires in the winter. A very good set of tires for the Prius with excellent snow traction are Nokian WR as I have heard nothing but good things about them. I am not sure how this applies to the Touring Prius as it has 16" wheels and doesn't use the Integrities.