>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.
I have spent a lot of time living in the midwest with mud, the desert with
sand, and the northwest with snow and I can think of few times when 4wd
would have been worth the hassle. At one time I worked in a garage in
Mojave Ca and one of my jobs was driving a tow truck. It would be great
fun driving that old GMC 6 cylinder tow truck up beside some brand new 4 wd
pickup to make sure they had to money to pay. Several years ago I drove my
Nissan pickup near where a new 4 wd pickup got itself stuck in sane. I was
able to hook on and get him out. It seems to me that a good winch would do
more good than 4 wd.