The Winter Car

 It’s zero F this morning so I started thinking about what I would like in a new car for winter driving.

 

1. An outside thermometer so I can tell if that black patch up ahead is glare ice or just a puddle.  The sensor has to be properly located so it reads right if it is raining, and doesn’t read engine heat when it is supposed to read outside temperature.
2. Front wheel drive or even better all wheel drive.  For all wheel drive to be worth it the car needs the same amount of weight on each wheel.  It also needs limited slip between the wheels on each axle and between the axles, so that a few wheels that have traction can pull the car even if a couple of wheels are just slipping.
3. Manual transmission so I can rock the car back and forth by shifting from 1^st to reverse and back again rapidly.
4. Ski rack.
5. Windshield washer reservoir positioned so it gets some engine heat to keep it from freezing.
6. Battery under the hood to make a jump start easier than a battery under the read seat cushion does. 
7. Dash light brightness controlled by a knob, rather than those fancy intelligent deals where the car automatically dims the dash lights when it senses sunlight.  And dash light bright enough to read the instruments in full sun.