Gonna have to disagree on the 4x4 thing. Have owned 4WD or AWD on every vehicle for the past 16-17 years (Subarus, Jeeps, Isuzus, GMCs, Porsche). If you drive in snow/ice/slippery conditions - even in the flatlands - there is simply no comparison in handling to 2WD and/or FrontWD (remember the Audi Quattros that cleaned house in the TransAm??). Even in the wet, it's a huge difference - no hydroplaning with AWD. Is it going to stop faster? No. Does it have a higher COG? Yes. Hell, I got in my wife's Pontiac Montana (frontWD with Traction Control) the other day and was white-knuckled by the time I got home - don't know how anybody drives a 2WD vehicle in the snow!!!
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