Back in the late 80s when my wife and I first married we had a little Mazda GLC hatchback. Front wheel drive, 5 speed. Lived in western NY at the time and was working out of Erie, PA. I seriously doubt that it would have been as safe in a crash as a bigger vehicle, but it did handle the snow better. In fact, I sometimes drove past stuck 4WD vehicles but I think that was due more to the incompetence of the driver than anything else.