I ended up with a Flex rental a while back. Took me some time to suck up my pride and actually get in it, but I have to admit that I was pretty impressed with it. The one I rented was AWD, and there was plenty of snow/ice/slush on the road. It performed admirably on all season tires. I bet with some Blizzaks, it would be extremely good. If I were in your shoes Ken, I'd probably look at one. I'd end up with a suburban, but we have Moose to worry about while travelling about, and I prefer a larger vehicle after hitting one many years ago and totalling a 3/4 ton Suburban, but no one sustained any injuries (so small rigs are not good for winter travel). Another good thing about the Flex, is that it's so low to the ground, you could slap some luggage racks on the roof, and actually be able to put crap up on them without a ladder in a parking lot (like long boards and things).
