... in that no matter what I tried, there was no fun to be had . I felt more confident in the Prius than I can recall every having felt in the Escape 4x4. VSC, ABS, TRAC... it all worked far better than I had hoped. There was only one time that I managed to get it stuck, and that was coming out of my driveway. I'll post pictures later tonight, but here in the more southern of NC we mostly got sleet for the better part of the morning. ALL of the secondary roads are varying degrees of ice and or slush. My driveway has a fairly good amount of slope, but I had no issues coming out of the garage and making up the driveway the first time. The second time, I made sure I was stopped in the middle of the grade, and floored it. The tires dug in and sank, and I was going nowhere. I backed it up a few feet, and just touched the gas. After the car had some momentum, it was fine. I'm sporting Bridgestone Insignia's in front (blah), and Energy Saver A/S in the rear. Thankfully, it did not come with Integrity's when I bought it used.
buying the car used, you are lucky to get the right size tire. Being close to the used car business, they take the cheapest way out. Often the speed ratings are in correct for your car. Shame on you used car guys that mess with the safty of others to save a buck.