I think that the tire choice
I think that the tire choice is a valid part of the car's design. The premise is these are the cars you take home. Subaru and other automakers go a little crazy with the advertisements showing cars bursting through snowbanks and driving on unplowed roads. I recently tested the Jeep Cherokee Latitude True North. Its all-season Firestone Destination tires made a huge difference in that vehicle's abilities in snow. That was a decision made by Jeep. They were better than my personal vehicle on Blizzaks (winter tires). Conversely, I tested a Chrysler 200S AWD with all-season tires that were so bad in snow it made the car no better than a 2WD vehicle.