A front-wheel-drive car should be fine depending on a few factors, such as tire choice and snow removal in your area. For an overall guide to help you choose between drive types in the snow, see our article, “It's Snowing: Do I Want Front-, Rear- or All-Wheel Drive?”
An excerpt from the article explains front-wheel drive’s usefulness in the snow:
“Front-wheel drive doesn't get as much respect from driving enthusiasts because having all of the drive hardware in front results in roughly 60 percent of the weight being over the front wheels. This diminishes roadholding on curves, but it also keeps most of the car's weight over the drive wheels. This makes progress through the snow easier, even on hills. One downside: You can't tow as much.”
If snow removal is decent and the roads are cleared often – like what you’ll find in most highly populated Chicago suburbs -- then front-wheel drive with all-season (common standard equipment) or winter tires should get you through the winter. For tips on how to decide if all-season or winter tires are a better choice, see the Cars.com article “Getting the Right Tire.”
If your area has unplowed roads or high banks of plowed snow then all-wheel drive may be a better option. Street-only parking isn’t uncommon in some parts of Chicago, and when the snowplows roll through they can leave large mounds of snow alongside parked cars. All-wheel drive would be more convenient in that situation. Of course, a shovel stored in the trunk plus a little manual labor will always do the trick if you have front-wheel drive.
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IMO- Fwd is all that you should ever need (in a city/car purpose)... My entire family has had Fwd for years and the only cars that had any problem was based purely on the tires. Wal-mart has some of the best snow tires for dirt cheap... They made my Alero one of the best winter cars on the road, it had great traction control & Abs but they went unused (unless I was being a complete Idiot for funs sake) because the car had so much traction. Its also been shown that Awd gives drivers too much confidence and that they more often take the little extra risks that are unnecessary in winter conditions. All-in-all Fwd is all that you need and if you feel that you can handle that then don't spend the extra money on Awd.
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I've lived in Chicago and its suburbs for 22 years, and always had front-wheel drive. I've never been stuck even once. And to Joe's point, that included a house with street parking for 4 years. I've had both Fords and Hondas during that time.