Because the wife can't drive stick
Then tell her to drive her own !#!$ car.
Also, consider investing in a set of proper snow tires. The difference between good rubber and bad rubber is actually bigger than the difference between FWD and AWD - especially with cornering and braking. A good set of snow rubber on steel rims is about $700 shipped from Tire Rack, and may mean you don't need a new car at all.
Thoughts on the Subaru lineup:
1. The Subaru WRX is pretty much the best
practical sports car on the market. $25,000 for a 265HP turbo engine, practical hatchback, and AWD. You can even get STI-spec suspension for a few hundred more.
But forget about the automatics - they don't work so well with the turbo.
2. The Subaru Legacy is a very nice car. The very low off-boost power of the turbo engine (identical to that of the WRX) in the GT makes an automatic gearbox a bad idea. However, if you have the cash, the flat six is good.
3. Saab sold Subaru Imprezas as the "Saab 9-2 Aero" for a while. They're basically WRXes with automatic gearboxes and all the luxury options. If you're dead set on an autobox and don't want to pay for a Legacy with the flat six, this isn't a bad option.
4. Subaru's normally-aspirated engines are quite good. Remember, up until the turbo spools up at about 2500RPM, the non-turbo engine actually has more power. They're cheap, too - you can pick up a brand new Impreza hatchback with an automatic transmission for under $17k around here.
5. VW/Audi makes a variety of rather nice cars with their DSG automanual gearbox, notably the S3 and Golf R32. However, they're a bit spendy, and the upkeep isn't exactly cheap either.
6. The Toyota Avalon is massively underrated - it's basically a low-spec Lexus. It's also very cheap. While it's only FWD, the big V6 in the front means it's quite good in the snow. It also does an impressive 28mpg on the highway - as good or better than any of these cars.
7. If you can find one, buy a Jaguar X-Type. This may sound a bit odd, but the X-type was actually a luxury european Ford sold as a Jag. While initially overpriced, they depreciated like bricks - a good one with low miles and AWD is under $10k.