re: #134 RealityBasedSteve

4 wheel drive lets you get a lot further off the road before you get stuck.

RBS

Which is extremely helpful when the roads are covered in ice, because 4WD doesn’t work on ice any better than non-4WD.
OTOH, 4WD will get you out of the ditch/median/middle of oh-shitland after you’ve slid off said ice-covered road…

(personal experience, yes I haz it…)