A 4x4 is an option.  Since you pay in fuel mileage, If you don't need
it, don't get it.

Yes, and they all have CTD HOs with heated seats.

FMB

The use of sand in the bed isn't relegated to 4x2's.  My dad and
brother both have put sand tubes in the bed of their 4x4s.  It helps
keep the rear wheels planted, helps to get the tires down through the
snow to pavement where they can get traction and keep from sliding
out.

Hi!

I don't know the answer to that...and I'm not sure the individual companies
release numbers like that. (Maybe the industry as a whole has an average?)

You will see both two and four wheel drive trucks being sold today, as
always.

Traction in a 2WD truck can still be a problem...just the other day I got my
2003 S-10 (extended cab, LS, V6) really stuck in some snow that didn't look
all that bad. After trying every other trick I could think of (short of
collecting a tractor and risking damage to the truck by pulling it out) I
used some old calf feed under the rear wheels. It held long enough to get me
out of trouble and the snow. A strange thing to do, but it worked and that
is what matters.

Putting sand in the back helps, but there is always the question of what to
do with the sand bags in the summer time. I don't have the space to store
them in the off season.

And truthfully put--traction in any truck or other vehicle can be a problem.
No matter what it is, you can get it stuck under the right conditions...four
wheel drive or not.

So far as I know some people do still load their vehicles down in the back
end. People with cars might not have as much of a reason to do this as many
cars today are front wheel drive, which does help in the winter time.

I think there have been some front wheel drive trucks marketed over time
(not sure). I am not aware of anything making such a thing today.

William

I've driven trucks for years 4x4 and 2wd, if you actually spend a little bit
of time learning how to drive then you don't need any weight in the rear.
But to answer your question, they can be bought with just 2wd, 4x4, or even
some kind of AWD.  Honda even makes a front wheel drive minivan they call a
truck so you could get one of them and pretend its a truck too if you
beleive that front wheel drive is somhowe good.

Just got a 2006 Silverado 2WD.  Put 240 lb of sand bags in the bed but
was driving it without on snow covered roads.  Has a V6 so was not so
powerful as to break traction without conscious effort on the gas
pedal.
I reasoned that the 4x4 with 3.73 diffs, larger tires and the extra
weight couldn't get the same bang for the buck as the 2WD with 3.23
diffs.  The insurance company wants more for the 4WD too and it was 3
grand more just to buy it.  Maintenance costs more over the long run
too.

As all else have mentioned, 4X2's are still made and are easy to get, and
yes, it depends on where you live as to what you need, but more often what
you are going to be doing with it.  I made the decision to get my '99 F150
Lariat fully loaded with all options, but as a 4x2, simply because although
I live on Long Island and although you can drive on the ocean beach, I was
not going to take a brand new 30K truck out by the salt water. We get snow
here, but not enough to warrant 4WD and it's as flat as a pancake.

the companies make just as many 4X4 as they do 2 WD and they are both
just as popular ,I myself have a 2001 S-10 and i really dont have that
much problem in the snow but if it starts to really come down here in PA
I do have sand in my bed ,A neat trick here to do is go buy a couple of
those 5 gallon buckets with lids and fill them with sand when winter is
over you can easily out them almost anywhere either stack them or put a
couple planks across the top and you just got some more storage space or
a neat bench to sit on in the garage or basement ,I have 2 in my bed and
thats enough along with my cable chains and 3.70 gears in the rear to
get thru the snow .
Now to reply to the gentlemen who said you shouldn't put anything in the
bed cause it'is too dangerous really doesn't know what he is talking
about, I have seen numerous trucks in accidents and I have never seen a
bed carrying a normal load ever go thru the back of the cab have seen
some stupid people put stuff higher than the bed rails in fact back in
the seventies one gentlemen had his head taken off because he didnt want
to make 2 trips to the lumber yard and had put several sheets of plywood
over the rails of his bed ,long story short he was going along someone
pulled in front of him he hit and  the plywood came thru the rear window
and out the front that was that, the only real damage to the vehicle was
the the front and the glass the bed was just fine if he had the plywood
lower or had a headache rack on he would've most likely lived ,but
having sand in the back all it would really do is slide directly forward
from where it is at unless you have a jump ramp installed in the bed
,the only problem I really have in driving in the snow is the stupid ABS
kicking on I have had a couple vehicles with out ABS and I stopped
quicker in snow and other times without ABS then I ever have with ABS
,and I have been in close calls because of them and have been hearing
other people at different times with the same complaint they dont let
you stop as quick as you should in the snow especially going down a hill
or slight slant  

also wanted to add to always carry a shovel with you in case you get
stuck and another thing about carrying sand is if get stuck on an icy
patch you can pop open the 5 gallon bucket put some sand down and close
it back up with no worry about getting sand all over your bed and the
shovel is to help remove any snow and ice in front or back of the tire
depending which direction your going and the best shovel I have seen to
carry with you is one of those folding camp shovels they do a nice job
and take up very little space and my one friend has in his truck a
2"X6"X4 foot long board with that anti slip material on it the whole
length and a piece of angle iron bolted in the middle of it sideways to
keep it from slipping on the ground so the truck can get on it easier
its also good for in the mud or soft dirt
later

I still put a few bags of "tube sand" in the back of my 4WD
and I really never get stuck, even when "out in the Meadows"
with quite a bit of snowfall on the ground.

But I think the real winter traction power are the snow tires.
I put Cooper Discoverers on a couple years ago and they've
been great!

Not certain what proportion of trucks sold in the US are 4WD
versus 2WD.  I wouldn't be surprised if it is close to 50%.
Around here (western MA), seems almost all of the newer ones
are 4WD.

No front wheel drive pickups AFAIK (???).

SMH

I've been seeing alot of responses on this subject and I'm proud to say
everyone is giving some respectable answers ,now I have this to say when
you do drive a 4 wheel drive drive it like it is a 2WD for all the 4WD
do is give you extra traction on extra 2 wheels ,if you take it easy you
will get going to where you need to be and I hope that is safe at home
if you get caught in a bad snow ,For so many times I have seen people
drive a 4WD vehicle and they drive the speed limit not understanding
that their traction has been reduced by at least 50%
because you have no real friction against the tires for snow is either
slushy or it packs tight into a smooth surface still not good and the
faster you go the less help that 4WD is going to be I've seen to many
people wreck 4WD when the 2WD vehicles keep moving ,always remember too
that there are probably other people out there and you need to help them
by keeping a safe distance in case they get in trouble and that you can
stop easily and keep in mind that ABS sometimes will kick in on snowy
roads and can keep you from stopping too ,and another thing to do is
either get some cable chains for your tires and know how to put them on
or just save the hassle of putting them on by buying snow tires it is
recommended to buy 4 tire for a 2WD but I have had good luck with just 2
tires and 4WD definitely buy 4 tires and if you can try to get a
narrower tire than what you run in warm weather it is funny but snow
tires seem to go thru better on narrower tires and if you want to save
the cost and chance of pulling the tires 2 times a year buy a set of
extra rims my suggestion would be to get a set of the old style wagon
wheels for your truck or suv they are cheap they are avaible from
several different manufacturers (including American Racing and
keystone)and you can get them in chrome ,powdercoat or paint and they
are steel
and it is alot more affordable to replace than your factory aluminum
rims since the factory can run at 200+ to replace one new or trying to
find a replacement in a junkyard if your lucky
compared to 50-70 bucks for the steelies and once you get the tires on
all you have to pay for or do it yourself is just flip the rims around
without having to replace or pay for remounting  the tires  and when you
are done with the snow tires always wash them real good on both sides
and put a good quality conditioner on the sidewalls or else they will
dry out and you will only get 2 years out of them instead of the normal
4-5 years depending on how traveling you do .
well anything else that may be of help I suggest post it I just want to
make sure when you are on the road I can feel safe when I am on the road
,
If your planning to keep your vehicle for awhile and your getting some
brake work done check to see how your brakelines are if they are kind of
rough spend the money and get stainless lines ,that is money well spent
in the long run and adds to the trade in value a lil bit too
good luck and drive safe

   I don't bother with sand anymore.  I carry a shovel and fill the bed of
the truck up with snow.  When I don't need it anymore, hey, it goes away on
its own!