I hear you on the “maintenance-free” thing—it’s a bit of a marketing stretch. But I will say, aluminum-clad wood windows have held up better than I expected on a couple of projects. The exterior cladding really does protect the wood, so you’re not repainting every few years. That said, the corners and sills can still get dinged up, especially if you’re in a harsher climate. And the interior wood needs some care if you want it looking good long-term. Nothing’s truly set-and-forget, but they’re probably closer than most options I’ve come across.
Had a similar debate with myself a couple years back. We went with the aluminum-clad wood, mostly because I liked the look inside, but I’ll admit, “maintenance-free” is a bit of a myth. Our sills started showing wear after just two winters—probably all the ice and salt here. I do appreciate not having to paint the outside, though. The inside wood’s another story... needs an occasional touch-up or it starts looking tired. Still, it’s held up better than the old all-wood ones we had before.