I live in Chicagoland. Winters get brutal. The Z is not my DD. I've had an 08 Acura MDX since new. It's paid for, gets decent gas mileage for what it is, and fits my dogs, mountain/road bikes, triathlon gear and or any luggage me my wife and even some friends need.
I only drive to a train station for work but I do lots of weekend trips with it to do trail riding or race triathlons, MTB races, etc. fits the bill nicely! I never have any problems with it, knock on wood!