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I have lived in snow country for almost my entire life, and have never owned a 4WD vehicle. That said, I specified the locking rear end in my present truck, plus carry a set of tire chains in the winter.
In 2012, I drove 10,157.6 miles and burned 303.3 gallons of E10, and averaged 33.5 MPG. In warmer climate, I would have averaged much closer to my summer average of 37.1 MPG.
A 2WD drive truck with chains will go pretty much anywhere that a 4WD without chains will go. The 2WD truck is several HUNDRED pounds lighter than a 4WD truck. The entire additional weight of the 4WD system is on the front axle. With all that extra weight on the front axle, the rear wheels cannot do much in slippery conditions.
Result: A 4WD truck needs the 4WD, while a 2WD truck does not.
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06 Canyon: The vacuum gauge plus wheel covers helped increase summer 2015 mileage to 38.5 MPG, while summer 2016 mileage was 38.6 MPG without the wheel covers. Drove 33,021 miles 2016-2018 at 35.00 MPG.
22 Maverick: Summer 2022 burned 62.74 gallons in 3145.1 miles for 50.1 MPG. Winter 2023-2024 - 2416.7 miles, 58.66 gallons for 41 MPG.
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