[Porsche virgin]

I'm soliciting educated opinions.

My wife may be taking a job where she would have to drive out to NJ from Westchester (mostly highway) to work every day. She has her mind set on an AWD vehicle, mainly for the times it rains/snows. I can't blame her.

We have an Acura RSX-S, which I put snow tires on every winter. It has been fine, with only a few occasions that I had to get momentum to get up our hill or that I got stuck with the car half in the driveway and half out. But I was driving those times. She doesn't have that driving-in-snow skill set yet. (I'm not being sexist and saying she COULDN'T learn how to do it.)

I have been looking at used Subaru wagons, CR-Vs, and RAV4s in the low- to mid-teens price range with manual transmissions. (I love the fact that my automatic driving fiancée has become my stick driving wife!) At that price point, there are very few wagon/small SUVs with AWD and a manual tranny.

I'll stop rambling and get to the point: If I had a FWD car with traction control, stability control, and snow tires, how would it compare in snow capability to an AWD car without traction and stability control but with snow tires?

Thanks in advance.