My dad has a Chevy Traverse and it is probably the best ski vehicle IMO. They come standard with 18" wheels which is actually bigger than the standard 17" wheels on the Suburban which gives it tons of ground clearance, and additional traction. Basically, it's great in the snow. I drove it last Tuesday during the storm when all the roads were closed, to rescue my friend from work who lived a ways away and couldn't get home. Not a problem. It has two rows in the back, and they both flip down to create a carpeted surface over the entire vehicle. Enough room for two people to lay down. 5 People can easily travel in the thing with all equipment in the back with the back seats down.
I on the other hand have a very small, 2011 Nissan Sentra SR. The Sentra from 2007-2012 is an amazing vehicle. I drive several thousand feet of vertical every day on my commute, and often times that can be in quite a bit of snow. Even in a small front wheel drive vehicle I still manage to storm the passing lanes up the mountain passing several larger vehicles and trucks in one shot through the snow. Good snow tires helps. I'm sure the legacy/Impreza beats it, but it's still good. The gearing works good on hills too. (actually it's gearless) The newer Sentras are not as good in the snow because they have lower ground clearance.
I can drop the back seats and put a ton of equipment back there. It has a 70/30 split, so day tripping with three people is doable. The best thing we did once is when we went mountain biking at Berkshire East with my brother and another guy. My dad needed the Traverse that day, so we took my car. We fit two enduro bikes and one full on downhill bike plus three people in. Other people in the parking lot were astonished when they saw everything we pulled out. Amazingly, my handling and mileage was exactly the same as when the car is empty.
I'll take boilerplate ice over wet snow any day