RonDawg wrote:As far as excluding a lot of people, folks in northern Europe and Russia get by just fine on 2WD, some of them even RWD like older Volvos, most BMW's and Mercedes, and for the eastern part of Europe the Lada. Heck, you're driving a Leaf in upstate New York.
What people need and what they want (and therefore buy) are two very different things. I have done perfectly fine with FWD cars and snow tires (forget all-seasons in the snow, they are mediocre at best) in upstate NY. But lots of people want AWD. They think that they are better off, although experience tells me the opposite is actually true. Those with AWD tend not to buy snow tires and therefore end up with four wheels spinning that cannot grip the road. It never fails - at the first sign of snow, it is always the AWD SUVs upside-down in the ditch while the FWD passenger cars put on their snow tires, slow down, and get where they are going safely.