Originally Posted by Red__Zed

I wouldn't let that drive your purchasing decision too heavily. 4wd does very little to increase safety in light snow, and basically nothing in rain.

I actually prefer to have a rwd truck in intermittenly slippery conditions because it isolates the drive wheels from steering/braking. If you do something stupid with the throttle, you still have grip with the front tires. It might sound ridiculous, but if you wind up accelerating on a patch of ice, it's nice to still have 2 tires "gripping." Newer part time systems allow you to switch while moving which is of huge value in my mind.

At the end of the day, ability to stop and turn is a lot more limiting than ability to get moving, and all time 4wd unfortunately does absolutely nothing for those concerns. The jeep/fj are capable in inclement weather more due to weight than drive system choice. I took my tj though 36" of snow in 2wd without switching, simply because it wasnt needed.

For performance purposes, I absolutely prefer awd in inclement conditions, but it's of questionable value in something heavy that isn't being driven hard.

The fj is certainly a great choice, but unless the goal is to never think about putting the car in 4wd, I wouldn't put too much stock in all time 4wd.

The fj does sacrifice some of the extreme snow performance, but I expect in LI that's not really a concern since the roads are fairly well cared for.