Klevius: What are the "brits" complaining about?

What's your problem? Snow and ice was the funniest time to drive - and not a single accident in any of the long dark Nordic winters. 

Update: Due to a reader's question - no, Klevius almost never used studded winter tires (only for a short time when they came with the car). Non-studded but soft tires with big patterns were by far to prefer if you knew how to drive - not to mention that studded tires could be quite dangerous during e.g. times of thawing, (wet and bare tarmac etc).

 Klevius bought a cheap old very much used 1968 Mazda Luce 1800 when he became a young bachelor with a kid. Except for lacking 4WD it was the perfect winter car: 50/50 weight distribution; jeep style ground clearance, an extremely modern (for its time) OHC long stroke (good torque) but smoothly (idling at 600 RPM) running alu top engine (remember Mazda was also the only one managing to make a functioning rotary engine) that made it possible to use higher gears on slippery conditions; a steering system that was forgiving (to the driver as well as to the icy road) yet still very responsive; an alternator that was the most powerful of any ordinary car back then easily feeding four 55W halogen lamps which could be used as eight by keeping the signal switch on without the unique ampere meter needle on the dashboard (only ordinary car that had one back then?) going into red; the most powerful electric fuel pump (Mitsubishi) that made it easily start when Volvos, Saabs, VWs/Audis etc. stalled in -30 Celsius; big double motors for windshield wipers kept the sight free when passing lorrys and busses on the motoway splashing wet snow; and finally, superb brakes, i.e. modern big discs in the front and smooth oversized drums in the rear, which together with the smooth and powerful (for its time) engine (the car weighed 1050 kg and had 104 longstroke hp) made it possible to smoothly brake like modern cars by combining the clutch and the brakes on icy surface. That the fuel tank was on the safest possible place (behind/below the rear seats) etc. for its time many unique safety features, was just an extra bonus. But the funniest thing was that the car was much cheaper to buy than a lousy used Saab or Volvo because of "Japanese rice cups" racism. Yet the car also looked much cooler than its competitors.And due to superior technical quality, the gearbox/clutch was far better than any BMW (which were lousy winter cars anyway). Moreover, the drive shaft was extremely sophisticated with high quality multi-joints which made for vibration free smooth power delivery to the rear. Etc, etc, etc..

When Klevius was a young newly divorced dad, he drove some 100 km every day to his office job in the city no matter how much snow or ice, leaving and picking up his child, shopping etc. before landing at our countryside home and making a delicious dinner for the two of us.