I disagree. Having lived in San Francisco and Oakland, I've found an SUV (Grand Cherokee, mid-size as SUVs go) to be positively fantastic. The suspension can

I disagree. Having lived in San Francisco and Oakland, I've found an SUV (Grand Cherokee, mid-size as SUVs go) to be positively fantastic. The suspension can handle terrible roads, the elevated position gives much better visibility, the turning radius is very good. There were times that I wished it were the length of a Miata for parking, but at least I could carry four friends in comfort while looking for parking. As for snow, I credit the tread design and composition entirely. A good mud/snow tire, with non-continuous tread blocks and plenty of siping, makes an amazing difference. Any car with high-performance street tires will suck in the snow.