I live in MI and we get some nasty winters along the lakeshore. I've had FWD and AWD. I will never, ever, ever go back to FWD. I have a buick rendezvous and it handles really well in the snow and ice. I don't miss the days of white-knuckle, heart-stopping driving in the winter. Before I got an AWD, I had to park across the street from our house in the winter. My FWD couldn't make it up the little bump at the front of the drive if it was snowy.

I've test-driven the subaru as my Buick is getting way up there in mileage. We'll probably need a new car in about 2 years. (I know its early for shopping, but I like to know what I want when I need to get it). And I really like how the Subaru handled and the space it had. It's a little smaller than my Buick, but it's lower to the ground so I can put roof racks on it for the bikes. It also handles really well in the snow and if you ever have to drive along the beach for a few miles, it does well on the sand to