I will be getting mine with 18" original wheels wrapped with winter tires. I did test drive Outlander with 18" wheels + winter tires (studless) and it happened to be the week we had a LOT of more snow on top of the record breaking snow we already had. Worked just fine. Felt good, was nice to drive and got through couple of quite tricky bits. Ie when a plow has gone through one street and not the other, it's challenging to get through the crossing..

 

Another option would be to get decent all-terrain tires. They are way more puncture resistant and will go trough anything.
The only problem is you will have to give up a few mpg and a little road noise.
I have the Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armour and it is quiet enough with fairly aggressive threads.