Thanks all for the input.
dagosa: I hear what you are saying re labels. I’ll admit I DO have a prejudice against the SUV label. But I also dislike the trend toward high, top-heavy vehicles. Even the Ford Taurus feels like driving a bus.
Docnick: Rally or very insecure? Funny combo. I don’t ski but I do live in a ski area. I don’t have to justify my desire for the safety of AWD–that’s what I want. 20 - 30K is a lot of dough and I’m not about to settle for something less secure than my Audi.
I’ve had 4 Volvos and always took them to a private mechanic, so I did not feel that the maintenance costs were expensive, but things change, so you may be right. Maintenance expense is why the wife ruled out Audi (and Mercedes & BMW). You may be right about the Buick & Lincoln. I’ve owned a lot of foreign cars and to a degree feel a patriotic responsibility to buy American. But American cars won’t handle like the Audi. OTOH, Consumer Reports did say good things about the 2010 LaCrosse (totally different from earlier ones). Rated it the “most fun to drive” in the “Large Sedan” category (Lincoln MKS was rated lowest, or “ho-hum” in the Luxury Sedan class). Have not driven the Lincoln but did drive the similar Ford Taurus and was extremely underwhelmed. You are probably right about the Subaru Outback. Just wish there were other choices.
MTraveler: There is some truth to the DDWBP theory. With 200,000 miles on it, it’s time for the Audi to go (on advice of my mechanic) but yes, I WOULD love another Audi but I respect my wife’s wishes on this and have no desire to escalate it to a “domestic dispute.” I don’t mind pissing off YOU guys 
because I’m not married to you! Please don’t get the wrong idea: It’s not just the wife. I have great mechanics who have been servicing my cars for 25 years. They are foreign car specialists but they too advised against Audi, BMW and Mercedes. Can’t pin them down on what I SHOULD get though.
So… the LaCrosse is still in the running, but used ones are not available. I will take yet another look at the 2010 Outback, and the Infiniti M35 is also a consideration. Have to go back to the 07 model on that, but the one I drove on rain-slicked, hilly, winding roads was pretty darn nice IMHO.
Oh, and circuitsmith: If I feel frustrated, it’s MY feeling and not a jab at the free advice. My only objection to the advice offered was when it took the form of "No–you don’t know what you want. You should forget about AWD or get an SUV."
Maybe the problem is my “ideal” car does not exist. I HAVE researched this. Came to this forum thinking “maybe” there’s something I have not thought of. But wishing it won’t make it so.
I DO appreciate the input.
JKent; thanks for the reply. Your needs, as we read them, are conflicting, so your final choice will have to include some compromises. For instance, if you don’t ride in the back seat yourself, a Subaru Outback will be fine.
My brother-in-law just bought a new Buick and loves it, but he has always likes big cars. His last one was a Buick LeSabre, and before that a Ford Crown Victoria. It’s nice, but not a car with the handling caliber of an Audi or Acura.
One of the best AWD vehicles is the Acura MDX?. It combines great reliablility, good interior space and great road holding. My neighbor’s wife had a serious accident in the winter in her Civic, and then searched out the best vehicle for her use. The Acura fit the bill ( I did not recommend it), but it is an SUV, albeit an extremely stable SUV, with a great AWD system.
Her husband happily drives an 8 year old Honda CRV.
Please keep us posted on what you decide on. If anything I hope we have steered you away from troublesome and expensive to maintain vehicles.
Have you considered a rather different type of AWD? Toyota makes a Sienna van with AWD. It’s definitely got room for 4 full sized adults…and some storage added to boot.
Another thought that I really don’t see mentioned enough is that newer used cars with traction control are excellent in snow, even in 2wd. The only way to tell, is to try one out in the winter which may not be an option at this time. It may be worth the wait till next year to open up all the options you may need.
Update: It’s been a while and things have changed a bit. I was interested in the Infiniti M35x (used of course) but my mechanic’s comment was "gas guzzler."
Never did find a used 2010 LaCrosse AWD. Finally went back to Subaru (I had an XT in the '80s).
Subaru Legacy/Outback was redesigned for the 2010 model year, with better room and better gas mileage, but IF you can find a 2010 they cost almost as much as a new one. VDCdriver; you were absolutely right in post # 3. I tried the back seat again and it’s fine. But I like the 4-banger–plenty of power (for me), good mileage and low emissions.
SO: Today I took delivery of a new 2012 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Limited. First impression: Great! Compared to the 2000 Audi A6 the Legacy is just as luxurious, has as much rear-seat room and gets much better gas mileage.
Bought the Consumer Reports price guide for $14, walked into one of the dealerships listed and bought the car for that price. No hassles, no hidden fees, and they gave me 1500 trade for the Audi which is not bad for a car that needs a timing belt, has the check engine light on because of emissions, has dents from a tree falling on it, has a leaky exhaust and a cracked windshield washer pump (causing an annoying idiot light/buzzer to come on constantly).
The car is nice looking, in a new “deep indigo pearl” color with ivory leather and moonroof. Drives/handles great, gets over 30mpg highway, and it’s not an SUV! I know some friends will criticize me for buying a new foreign car, but it was built in Indiana so I don’t feel “too” guilty.
JKent,
Just a quick question. Why are you so insistent about AWD?
I don’t know enough about your needs to make a suggestion or to recommend or not recommend AWD. I do know that many AWD owners get little if any benefit of AWD. Generally those are people who greatly value safety, and I would put myself in that group. However the safety factor is often far less than the drivers realize.
AWD is far better than 2WD at being able to drive through the deep snow. That is a good think, but I fear many people greatly over estimate the advantage. Most accidents are due to the inability to stop or control the direction of the car. Getting stuck in the snow is seldom a safety issue.
AWD will seldom keep you from sliding off the road, but it will help you get back on the road after you slide off the road.
Today we have cars with stability control that does a lot to help you stay on the road and in your lane. Check out the available data. I know my next car will have it, assuming my driving needs don’t change.
On the other hand, if you do fall into the group who may be required to drive in deep unplowed snow, then I would say you may well be on the right track.
Good Luck
You’re confusing AWD for 4WD Joesph. AWD will add to dry weather handling as well.
Bscar…I agree. Awd in general aids handling in all weather which, are you ready for this, helps keep you from going into ditches.
BScar and dagosa are correct, Joseph.
Ask yourself this question, Joseph:
Do ultra-high performance cars–such as the Bugatti Veyron–have AWD because their owners intend to drive on snowy roads or get themselves out of ditches?
Of course not. These cars are probably never driven in adverse weather conditions.
AWD is used on some ultra-high performance vehicles for two reasons:
It aids handling/road-holding in all weather conditions.
It reduces/eliminates wheel-spin when accelerating with the incredible amount of torque that these engines put out.
AWD will seldom keep you from sliding off the road, but it will help you get back on the road after you slide off the road.
AWD or 4WD will definitely keep you from sliding off the road in snow…No question what so ever…I can’t tell you how many times having 4wd kept me from sliding off the road. I’ll agree you can’t stop any faster…but when roads are slick keeping your front end going in the right direction or your rear end from fish-tailing…4wd/awd really really helps.
I have had technicians tell me that the now standard stability control functions better with awd cars. Controlling power to all wheels as needed by the brakes is a huge plus bringing a car under control.
2 months later I still like the Subaru 2.5i Limited. Will take it in for its 1st service next week (just turned 3500 mi). This car will get only synthetic oil.
I’m averaging 28+ mpg on regular gas. Rear seat passengers have been happy. CVT and paddle shifters are better than the old Audi.
My only gripe is the steering feel: No feedback at all. That’s disappointing and a bit tough to get used to but overall a great car and a great value.
As they say, YMMV, but as for me I will buy ONLY AWD cars. I live in the mountains. It snows here. We have ice. And when we don’t have snow we have rain. I always liked the handling of my RWD Volvos but the Audi Quattro made me a convert to AWD. Have not tried the Subaru in real snow yet, but I’m optimistic. I think Audi and Subaru are the only cars built from the ground up as AWD so they probably have the best systems. I did look at the Toyota Venza and the Honda Crosstour but I believe they (and the Buick LaCrosse) are FWD cars with AWD sort of tacked on.
So, nearly 3 decades later I’m on my 2nd Subaru. The '85 XT had 4WD, manual trans, an air suspension and a dash that looked like a video game. The 2012 Legacy is much more refined.
I know how you feel about having awd, I bought my last car without it and I miss it. I have been out looking at new cars and I did look at the Subaru, but I just wasn’t crazy about the cvt. Do you really like it? I wonder about long term I’ve heard that cvt’s just don’t last long.
Consider a Ford Escape Hybrid AWD, with the standard “economy” tires replaced with something better. Our Hybrid gets great mileage, handles nicely with its new Goodyear Triple Tread tires, and is likely to be more durable and less costly than the German or other luxury makes. We looked at the Subaru, and the Escape has better mileage, similar performance and durability, and less image.
Escape similar performance and durability to a Subaru ? I wouldn’t hang my hat on that for anything more then a couple of years and performance only if it does not include handling.
I gotta say, despite being an SUV, I think the Mazda CX-7 is awesome.
reply to dagosa: Our Escape hybrid is a 2006. That’s more than a couple of years old, and we have not needed any non-routine maintenance or repairs. Consumer Reports has indicated a similar reliability rating. I would compare its handling with any stock Subaru SUV of a similar age, although there is no realistic way to do this other than subjectively. Again, the Escape doesn’t have the image that Subaru ads have given it, but that’s likely more a function of advertising than anything else.
"VDCdriver May 24
Actually, the Taurus has less head room and less leg room than the Outback.
Since the OP apparently felt that the Outback was not roomy enough…I don’t think he would find a Taurus acceptable."
VDCdriver -
The specs I see show the Taurus as having less headroom than the Outback, but more legroom.
Of course, beware the specs. The fact that a vehicle may have more/less legroom listed may be deceiving to how you actually fit in the vehicle, depending on the shape of that space. When I was car shopping last year, I found I couldn’t comfortably fit a forward-facing car seat behind the drivers seat in a Camry with me driving - even a 2 year old wouldn’t have enough legroom. But that car had more listed legroom than many other vehicles that we tried that feeled spacious by comparison.
satisficer…I think you may be reading a different consumer reports than I. Of course a hybrid may get better mileage…for a price.