The Subaru Crosstrek is on the list of cars to look at when we get a replacement for my wife's car. She really has her eye on a hatchback of some sort and while I'm not the biggest Subaru fan, I think they have some compelling cars in their line up for daily drivers.
If it means anything I'm on my 5th Subaru. I won't drive anything else at this point in my life. I've had a Legacy 2.5i, a Legacy 3.6R, a Forester, and currently driving an 2015 Outback 2.5i. Love it. I live in Minnesota so I really need and enjoy the AWD. I am the biggest Subaru fan, and I've drank the Kool Aid. Even if I won the lottery I'd still have a Subaru in my garage.
Favorite has varying degrees of reasons. But obviously the 2010 Legacy 3.6R Limited was my fav. That thing was a beast, comfortable, and classy. BUT, not as good in the snow. So the 2.5i 4 cyl models are AWD all the time, all the Subes are, but those are "preferred" 80/20 from a standstill (meaning 80% of the power to the front wheels, 20% to the back). Meaning the majority of the power goes to the front wheels. On the sport models like the 3.6R, the dif is the opposite, so 20/80. So in snow every time I went to start from a stop it would fish tail a tiny bit. It wanted to be a RWD vehicle until the AWD started doing it's thing. Still totally safe and great, just the only negative I noticed. But in non snowy conditions it was basically a RWD sports car. Or "performance sedan" depending on how pedantic you want to be. But that thing could haul fucking ass... what a thrill to drive. I loved my 2007 2.5i SE Legacy too, great car. I LOVE my Outback probably the most because it's basically got the same cockpit as my old Legacy, lots of bells and whistles, and it rides really smooth and it's great in the snow. It's also a very safe vehicle. I have a wife, and a 19 month old daughter to take care of and the Outback is great. I wish it was a 3.6R outback, but just not worth the extra money for power I really wouldn't use. Maybe on my next one. ;) I wasn't super impressed with the forester. I didn't like the ride, but I mean look at it. It's kind of a top heavy vehicle subject to body roll, and it's not meant to be fast or perform well. It's one of their cheaper models. Still loved it, but it was my least fav. Lots of room and not bad though. And the price was right at the time.
Not on my Outback, but I did have some for the 3.6R. I lease my vehicles, so only having it for 3 years at a time makes it hard to pull the trigger on some pizza cutters and snow tires. But yes, while AWD is great, AWD + Snow Tires is like twice as good.
Look into the Mazda 3 wagon. It hit every button I was looking at, my fat ass fit great in the car, it was not unpleasant to drive and it is not that expensive relative to other vehicles in its class. It hit every button but one: my telescope and gear won't fit in it due to the way the roof slopes in the back. The Mazda 3 was my first choice and I was certain going in that this was going to be the car I purchased. No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.