Plenty of people who don't live in inner city Southern Cities have a need for 4WD in winter. Around me, they're very popular for that reason. 1st snow and only 4wd can get out and most of them are soft roaders with only the odd person buying a hardcore 4x4. Around me Rav's are very popular with several 1/2 dozen, then there's a Suzuki 4x4, a BMW X5 and a few Discovery's (although they're a bit more hardcore) and one or two, Tiguans.
I've had 2 Rav4's prior to buying the Civic and changing to the Civic was the worst decision I ever made. Not because I don't like the Civic, but simply because I changed because the bad winters seemed to have finished, then they returned, and now every time it snows, I'm stuck at home. No work, no food shopping, no nothing. So to many people who are suburban up North, 4WD in a soft roader is absolutely a requirement. A 2WD is of no use to me or anyone around me on the outskirts of my city, and that's why you'll only find 4WD versions where I live.
Also, on the performance front, many people like a faster 4wd. That doesn't mean they drive it like a hot hatch, but many like a car with the power to accelerate them out of trouble when needed. You only have to look at sales of the Tiguan and Audi Q3 184 bhp versions and Toyotas 170bhp RAV to see there's plenty of demand for powerful versions of 4x4's.
Practically all the expensive off roaders are high performance eg Range Rover, Porsche Cayenne etc, but we're talking a bit out of sector here with these latter models. However, it proves there's an appetite for performance amongst 4x4 drivers.
To me, on the soft road front, Honda is looking pretty much alone with 2wd lower powered options onl.
I was waiting on the HRV which I could have been tempted by, but it's a definite no from me with the new version. I can't live without 4WD and I don't want a slow vehicle. I predict my next car will probably be a 184 Tiguan, Audi or 170 Rav4, unless we have serious sustained winter global warming in which case, a Civic might just slip in there. However, the latter is unlikely.