Can't speak to current Honda products. Owned both the first and second gen CRV's. Bought the first gen brand new in 2000, finally sold it in 2012. Best vehicle I ever owned. Period. Put four good snow tires on it and it was unbeatable in snow. Oh, BTW, it was a 5-speed tranny - don't know about how well they perform in snow with auto trannies. I previously had real "trucks" with typical part-time 4wd systems - transfer cases, locking hubs etc. Figured going to the Honda AWD system would be a real disappointment. NOPE, not at all. Was very impressed with how well it handled winter, and we get real winter here. My best trip in it was with fresh powder coming down at an incredible rate... The last hour of the trip had the CR-V dragging its belly in the snow. Terrible for gas mileage, but we got through when very few others did.
The second generation CR-V wasn't nearly as good as the first gen. Bigger, heavier, more luxurious and comfortable, but waaaaaay less fun to drive. Could never get it to do a flick turn or 4-wheel power slide like the first gen would do. Wasn't as mechanically reliable as the first gen, either. It ate suspension links for breakfast - cost me about $500 a year to keep them from clunking. Replaced them with aftermarket greaseable links that lasted more than twice as long while costing 25% as much as the OEM parts. It also ate headlight bulbs. And air conditioning compressor clutches. I wasn't impressed. Then Honda moved CR-V production to the USA and did away with manual transmissions. That 2006 CR-V was likely my last Honda after having been a dedicated and loyal customer since 1982.
My new ride is a 2018 Subaru Forester... the last year they were available with a manual transmission. (Do you detect a theme here?) It is nearly as much fun to drive as my Gen 1 CR-V. It gets far better fuel economy, and provides much better ride comfort, quiet, etc, at the expense of having very few cockpit storage cubbyholes. Honda wins hands-down in cockpit design. So far the Subie has been completely trouble-free mechanically and has not been back to the dealer for any reason in its first 14 months of ownership. I love how easy oil changes are, thanks to Subaru being the only manufacturer who understands where an oil filter should be placed. A good set of snow tires makes it a serious performer in the snow. I've had Blizzaks on both CR-V's and now the Forester. If you want winter performance, buy dedicated snow tires - their cost is about the same as the insurance deductible from the first fender-bender they prevent.
I can't say for certain whether the Forester is better in the snow than the Gen 1 CR-V or not. The Gen 1 CR-V had no electronic nannies so I drove it like a hooligan, all the time. It was just plain FUN in the snow. The Subie has a nannie that can't be turned off, so one can't hoon around too wildly in it. Still, I can do flick turns in it if properly timed and the vehicle is empty of passengers and nearly empty of fuel, otherwise it's got too much traction to overcome the parsimonious electronic nanny that will try to limit wheelspin. My most simple performance test is to come round the corner onto our country road, get the tranny into 2nd gear, mash the throttle to the floorboards and accelerate to redline, then crash the brake pedal while dipping the clutch. Sure, this only tests straight-line performance, but it's a good, consistent test of that straight-line performance. The Forester and Gen 1 CR-V have shown similar results in this test, with the Subie perhaps keeping a straighter line and attaining a higher top speed, thanks to its taller gearing and having a bit more power. The other way of looking at this test is that the Subie CAN put more power down and haul itself along a little faster than the Gen 1 CR-V, so I guess that gives the traction edge to the Subie.
Again, I can't speak to the performance of current-gen Honda products as they don't make a product that I am able to buy, and now neither does Subaru for the 2019 model year. RIP manual transmissions.
BTW for cold-weather starting, it's hard to beat Honda engines. I stopped installing block heaters in our Honda fleet in the late 80's and have never needed one since, even in sub-zero (F) temperatures. Just remember, a factory Honda battery is good for exactly six winters if properly cared for. You won't get through the 7th winter, so just replace it in the fall of the 7th year while it's still warm enough outside to enjoy the task.
My father has a 2012 RAV-4. B_O_R_I_N_G in every respect. Just barely OK in snow. Can't be pushed hard enough to have any fun at all. Consider it a grandpa-mobile. Don't even consider it if you like having any fun at all driving in the winter.
