Ground clearance is most important, but AWD/4WD is nearly as important. Staying on top of the ruts during mud season is more achievable with 4WD. We drive Big Hollow and Shaker Mountain daily. The following autos have made it when others failed: Toyota RAV4, Chevy Tracker/Suzuki Vitara, Nissan XTERRA, Toyota Previa (discontinued 🙁), Ford Expedition, Toyota Landcruiser, Ford and Chevy half-tons with weight in the bed, Ford 1-ton with nothing in it….. But the most unstoppable vehicle on a mud-season road was a Polaris side-by-side 😁