I bought this vehicle after I moved to a mountainous area and found that I wasn't able to get around town without 4WD some days. I did some price comparisons between the Jeep SUVs and some other automakers and decided to go with a Jeep because I had really enjoyed the 2001 Grand Cherokee I'd owned a few years prior. I wasn't super in love with the Compass when I first bought it, but over the last three years, I've really come to adore it. It's got lots of interior space, which has come in very handy during recent moves. I've had to drive in snow, blizzards, sleet, ice, rain, torrential rain, and mud, and I've had no trouble from the vehicle in any of these instances. I've *elected* to drive up some very, very rocky and unmaintained roads and traction and clearance were just fine.