I was at an auto show last year and sat in a new CRV and about a week ago I sat in a new Element at my Honda dealer showroom. The Element had a more rugged feel, but seemed cumbersome and hard to manuever by the layout. The CRV seemed cozy, almost car like. I feel like getting a CRV next time, but wanted to know some opinions. I live in New England and if we have another winter like last winter, I will definitly consider the CRV or the like. We get heavy rains, peasoup fog, blizzards and have poorly lit, windy and hilly roads, so the need for a safe and capable car/suv is vital in my eyes. I want a 4 wheel drive and then I was thinking has anyone driven the CRV without ABS and if that would be a bad idea or not because it already has 4 wheel drive? Right now I have a Civic, but feel a little uneasy when winter comes, so thats why I was thinking about an suv. Thanks, Al