In reply to Michael Hood:
> As many have said on previous threads, winter tyres and correct driving technique make a bigger difference in most snow conditions than FWD/RWD/4x4.
Of course one needs winter tyres in proper winter conditions. A training course for good winter driving technique is also a very good idea, because some of it is not intuitive.
Given the above, FWD vs RWD vs 4X4 makes quite a big difference. I personally much prefer FWD over RWD in winter conditions (e.g., in Canada with snow and ice on the roads for 5 months), and 4x4 is superior to both. The only snag with 4x4 is that, if one skids (which is rare), its a 4-wheel skid, which is very nasty - it's like having a rug pulled out from under one, and there is very little one can do except take one's foot off the accelerator and hope for the best! Most of the time, though, one feels much more glued to the road with 4-wheel drive than with 2-.
Interestingly, amongst the very worst "off-road" vehicles in both summer and winter conditions are American RWD pick-up trucks. It's almost unbelievable how bad they are - in stark contrast to the image projected by the adverts.