I live in Washington state and when I first moved to the state in 2014 I owned a 2011 Mazda 3 FWD. It did alright driving in the snow my first winter here, but I soon traded it in for an AWD vehicle. The following winter was bad and with an AWD I drove in areas many FWD vehicles couldn’t. Today, I own two Mazdas and both are AWD. I have never regretted the decision to switch to AWD. In the long run, up front might be more expensive to purchase an AWD, but think of all the potential accidents you can avoid in bad weather that could jack up your car insurance. Get the AWD.
I own five cars for my family and one is a 2017 Mazda CX5 and the other is a 2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid. My daughter uses the CX5 as her daily and I use the Hybrid as my daily. In the past I’ve owned a Kia Sorento and a Kia van. Personally to me it’s about budget. I love the fact that Mazda has improved their interior noise issues on most models, they’re safe, and still reasonable to buy. Honda has an excellent safety rating and durable reputation too. On mileage alone the Hybrid wins, but look at the overall cost of owning each car. Yes, like others stated, stay away from Kia. If you can afford it, look at Honda’s Hybrids or wait a year and see what Mazda comes out with. If you’re on a tight or limited budget and need a vehicle now, get the Mazda CX5, IMO.