It wouldn't be Colorado if it didn't snow before Thanksgiving. So, like clockwork, residents of Denver woke on a Saturday morning in early November to find four inches of white stuff on the ground and big, fluffy flakes falling from the sky. Though the snow lasted for only three days, this little teaser (Coloradoans like snow--that means it's ski season) provided us the first opportunity to see how our long-term Intrepid would handle the change of seasons.

First, our driver noticed that the car's low rear sloping window was the perfect place to store mounds of snow. While the flakes slid off other parts of the car quite easily, this rear area required constant brushing off. We couldn't complain too much, however, since the climate controls worked well and offered a wide range of heating options, from defrosting our freezing hands to simply keeping the cabin toasty at a comfortable temperature. Traction control worked like aces on slippery pavement, except for one little skid in the pre-dawn hours at an icy stoplight.

We put approximately 1,400 miles on the car driving around town this month and enjoyed just about every one of them. Two new Intrepid drivers maintain that the car is comfortable, has plenty of power and looks good parked in the driveway. What we did not enjoy was a lot of road noise on the highway and a temperamental key fob, which required an average of two pushes on the trunk button to get it to open. Parking was difficult too, because the car's dimensions are hard to judge and corners are impossible to see from the driver's seat.

Another thing we noticed was that the timed safety headlights sometimes stayed on for several minutes when exiting the vehicle and other times turned off immediately. Also, the car's front fascia is so low to the ground that driving over anything but the flattest of surfaces causes the front of the car to scrape the pavement.

Next month, our editor-in-chief and family will evaluate the sedan's competence with baby duty and Christmas shopping before driving cross-country for a Midwest holiday celebration.