Thanks everyone for sharing about how the Element did in the past snow storm that hit the East. I live near Baltimore, MD and we got 28 inches, unusual for this area. I have have been researching the Element for awhile now, and all the reviews seem pretty positive. The only question I had remaining was how the Element 4wd did in the snow. It sounds like it passed the test. I plan on buying one soon. I sure could have used it rather than my 1990 Honda Accord when I was stuck in the snow. 