>Front-wheel drive often negates the need for mileage-depleting and
maintenance-cost >increasing four-wheel drive.
Until you get stuck in the mud out back..... 4wd like everything is a
trade off.
Yes. Some drivers overestimate what 4WD will do. I loaned my old farm
truck--1978 Ford 150 4WD--to a friend. He got it stuck in a mud hole. All
four wheels churned furiously, just dug deeper. Took a tractor to extricate.
And, btw, be most cautious on icy or hard snow roads. 4WD can create fatal
problems when drivers expect improved traction and go too fast, especially
on winding and sloped roads.