I used to live near a ski-resort town in high altitude Colorado. My daily driver was a FWD VW Rabbit. Never felt the need for anything other than FWD. I also had (still have in fact) a 4WD truck, but that was mostly for summer camping trips where I needed high clearance and occasionally had to drive up steep, rocky hills, mud, sand, etc. .
Things may have changed since 1978.
4 wheel drive or chains are required on some roads during snowy weather, the highway patrol will not allow front wheel drive vehicles through without “chaining up”.
I carried chains for the FWD VW Rabbit (Calif use). Only had to install them a few times, but when I did I’m glad I had them.
And they made the ride so smooth. Had to used them once in the Rockies and did not enjoy it at all if there were bare patches on the road.
Idk , Wyoming 36"+ of snow, ice and straight line 70+mph winds really make it hard to drive… Leave you timing your trips and possibly stranded for a while. The AWD makes a huge difference.
True enough, no dispute, if you need it, you need it.