OK, I'll add another target for the beat-down.
I learned to drive in the snow, in Chicago, in my teens. (In the mid-1990s.) Admittedly, we were learning on front-
wheel-drive subcompacts, but I literally took the entire road portion of my driver's ed and the final road test in multiple inches of snow, sometimes plowed, sometimes not.
My first two cars were rear-
wheel drive. I remember fishtailing that '77 Malibu like a madman -- luckily, people around me (by then in eastern Pennsylvania) were smart enough to give me two lanes to wrestle with.
My Genesis V6 marks my return to RWD after an over-a-decade hiatus. It also marks the first time I've had a tire profile under 60-series on any vehicle.
Initially, I had some trouble in the snow -- it took me a while to readjust to winter driving. I don't have snow tires, and admit this as my own failing. (If I am still in a snowy environment next year, they -- on slightly smaller
rims, with higher profile -- will be acquired for the season.)
I now have few to no problems with anything up to about 5". I can handle it while the snow is falling, and I can handle it after it's fallen but not plowed. The only two serious problems I've had were a day where we had nothing but slush (one stoplight the car moved more sideways than forward; that was entertaining) and last week, when my complex's plows decided to shovel 24" of snow into every car in the lot.
Last week, even with trying to shovel the car out, it was thoroughly stuck (half in, half out of the spot; all the rocking and pushing in the world wasn't getting it over the snow -- I personally moved about 20 cubic feet, and ultimately what kept it stuck was what was under the car). I actually had to have it TOWED out of the parking spot.
Are the "all-seasons" that the Genesis came with bad in the snow? Sure. But you're also dealing with a large, heavy RWD sedan with 52% of its weight over the front axle. Good snow tires will fix 90% of your issues, so you (and I) should really invest in them. Good winter driving skills (which I generally have, and assume you do as well) will take care of the other 10% handily.
That said, are these tires absolutely the worst I've ever driven? Lord, no -- I've driven all kinds of cars, and have had way worse issues in the snow than this, both in RWD and some FWD cars. I've found the Genesis, on the stock 18" wheels and tires, to be remarkably well-behaved on wet, dry and snow for what the vehicle is. The only time it really didn't live up to expectations was slush and ice. (I don't consider last week to be within expectations; half the complex was still plowed into their spots at 10:30 AM, when the lot would normally be empty. Heck, the tow truck driver laughed that he should just go door-to-door and get people out; he'd have made a killing. The only ones who did make it out of their spots were true ladder-frame SUVs.)
Ultimately, a good chunk of winter driving comes down to the skill of the driver and the focus on the task at hand. My tricks? I stay off the phone (even via Bluetooth), turn off the sound system (such a crime; that Lexicon is so lovely), and focus on two things: My "sphere of influence" (the 8 vehicle slots immediately around the car, imagine being the center square on one side of a Rubik's Cube) and the horizon -- everything in front of my car, in all lanes going my direction, as far out as I can see. Being cognizant of the task of driving well in inclement conditions is much more difficult and taxing than under normal circumstances; but the reward -- safely getting to your destination efficiently and with as little stress as possible -- is obviously worth the effort.
(Off topic, but my favorite snow car of all time remains my '98 Olds Aurora. For all its other failings -- and trust me, after 75,000 miles, there were MANY -- that car was a MOUNTAIN GOAT. Plows shoved 18" into the car? No problem, just floor it and it's out ... )
