I can speak to normal ass sedans with manuals driving right past fancy 4 wheel drive vehicles in the snow.
That’s always been more about skill and tires than drivetrain I’d say. The excess weight of a 4 wheel drive SUV actually puts it at a disadvantage in most situations that don’t involve acceleration, too. They still have the same amount of braking wheels, but more weight to brake, etc.
The problem usually was acceleration though. Specifically way too much gas and spinning their tires until they’re on an ice patch instead of snow. But yeah, definitely a skill issue. Still hilarious.
Your manual transmission might also have helped there tbh. It gives more granular control of acceleration at low speeds if you know what you’re doing - which, if you drove a manual transmission for years, you probably do.
That’s always been more about skill and tires than drivetrain I’d say. The excess weight of a 4 wheel drive SUV actually puts it at a disadvantage in most situations that don’t involve acceleration, too. They still have the same amount of braking wheels, but more weight to brake, etc.
The problem usually was acceleration though. Specifically way too much gas and spinning their tires until they’re on an ice patch instead of snow. But yeah, definitely a skill issue. Still hilarious.
Your manual transmission might also have helped there tbh. It gives more granular control of acceleration at low speeds if you know what you’re doing - which, if you drove a manual transmission for years, you probably do.