I do live in an urban area. One that plows main roads, but many secondary and tertiary roads can go a day or two before they get to them. I have experienced crappy tires than come on brand new vehicles more than once, which is why I asked for reviews from people who actually have driven these in snow and inclement weather. The 2019 I am trading in rides on Cooper ATS3s right now, and they are amazing in the snow. Mediocre "do it all" tires in the snow, on hills, is not a good thing. I don't mind dropping the money on tires that will be good from the start. GM is known to go with the lowest cost option on everything. Maximizing profit means more than putting the best possible option on a vehicle, if the OK option makes them more money.