I can definitively state that
I can definitively state that Subaru's awd is seriously impressive here in Northern Utah where we get over 500" of snow at the upper elevations. If you love to ski or snowboard, the Type R wouldn't even be legally allowed up our canyons come winter without chains, which would probably damage its front diff.
Anyone who says fwd with snow tires is sufficient is kidding themselves. Try a Subaru with Blizzaks and you'll have a totally different picture of things — my Legacy 3.0r is unstoppable in the snow. You'd need more than 20" of unplowed snow to stop me and that's going up a 15% grade for 4,000 vertical feet from my house to the resort.
You literally have to do something so stupid to brake grip in these things, it's like they're gluded to the road, even during winter storms. I can drop it into a lower gear and rev it out to 6,000 rpm in a snowstorm with 6" of snow on the ground and just rip. Try that in your Civic and you'll be sideways in a ditch or crashing off the edge of a cliff here in Utah.