4WD merely offers better traction management. If you have no traction, then you are managing nothing. If you only have a bit, then it will for the most part, handle it better than other drive layouts.
For 4WD to be an effective solution for snow and ice, it needs suitable tyres. My Evo knows its place in such conditions - on my drive.
It has AD08's on the front and 452's on the rear, so it is just a bit of a mess in snow. A very fun bit of a mess, but a mess nonetheless.
Coming from a 4WD owner - 4WD should come very low on your list of buying criteria in this country unless:
- You live off road
- You specifically want a 4WD as a driving dynamic
Because if you do otherwise and unless you buy a spare set of wheels and appropriate tyres, you are just investing in:
- Higher drivetrain losses (and therefore poorer fuel economy, and lower usable power)
- More to go wrong (More mechanical bits)
- More weight (Mechanical bits weigh more)
- Potential higher comparable servicing costs
- Encourages lazy driving
To elaborate on the last point, and this may be just me, my driving has got a lot lazier since buying the Evo. It requires little skill to drive it quickly but rather more to drive it well. I trail brake, I lift off mid corner, I brake mid corner, and just generally point it wherever I want to go and put my foot down and it sorts the rest out.
This is fine as long as you drive what you drive, but this poor driving was really highlighted on the Porsche experience day I did. Some of the habits i've picked up are shocking.
My advice is stick with what you have or would usually buy and buy another set of wheels and winter tyres if you are really concerned.