[IndyIan]

Hi John,
AWD cars don't necessarily have TC built in, with open differentials they can get stuck spinning any 1 tire. 4WD get stuck when spinning 2 tires, one on each axle. If the AWD car has antilock brakes then adding TC is not a big deal so many have it as well. Also with many SUV's being designed for highways only they need TC to have any sort of offroad capability at all. With stiff road tuned suspension getting 1 tire off the ground is likely and therefore the AWD system is useless at that point without TC or locking differentials.

I am debating getting manual hubs for the front. I do use 4low for backing up trailers now anyways, its a pretty light truck and I don't have aggressive tires on it so they slip abit. The real reason is to disengage the front axle so its not turning all the time, trackers tend to eat the seals on these axles and I have one thats weeping a bit, so it would be cheaper to get the manual hubs than get the seal replaced and according to some people you get a 1mpg improvement.
I agree with you that the 10" wide tires sells more people on AWD or 4WD. 2 inches of wet snow makes alot cars and trucks look silly! I also laugh at the 10" wide snow tires they put on, a 6 or 7" wide snow tire would be better in every condition except dry pavement... We have snowtires on the tracker and the only thing I worry about driving in snow is someone else sliding into me. I'd still recommend snow tires on any car regardless of the drivetrain because all season tires these days get so hard at low temps, snow tires stay softer and give better traction on dry pavement as well as anything else.

I could blab on and on about 4WD vs AWD vs the parttime AWD/4WD systems. Basically if you are offroading at all you need low range and that usually only comes with 4WD. If you are getting stuck in your driveway in town then AWD or parttime AWD/4WD will probably get you moving again.
Ian