You're right to be cautious,
You're right to be cautious, and as an owner of both Toyota and Suburu, my Toyotas are probably a bit more reliable, but it isn't a huge difference. I've never had a problem with a windshield so I'm not really sure about that angle, but I had quite serious problems with both my 2004 Outback and my 2012 Legacy. Head gasket and transmission, respectively. Both very expensive repairs. As for wanting "that extra awd grip," that's why I keep buying Suburus. Nothing drives like a Suburu in the snow. Nothing. If you put snow tires on a Suburu, you can't even tell that there's snow on the road until you get to about 6 inches. They don't have the clearance of a pickup truck, so deeper snow can be pretty inconvenient, but the handling, acceleration and turning in snowy conditions can't be beat. It's shocking how well these cars handle in snow. That's why I always own a Suburu.
My daily driver, however, is a Prius. I drive for a living and the mpg of a Prius will also blow your mind if you're doing mainly city driving.