Nissan Altima vs. Subaru Legacy- HELP

Hi there,
I am looking to buy a new car and need some help with narrowing down my choices. I am currently driving a 2002 Hyundai Sonala V6 LX and cannot wait to upgrade. Looking to switch to either Nissan Altima or Maxima or to go with Subaru Legacy bc. of their AWD.
I am driving ~50miles/day to get to work and back and am looking for a reliable, safe and not too expensive to maintain car.
Altima seems to be a right choice for it's look and great fuel efficiency. I am concerned though with how would it drive in the winter conditions in new England where i live.
maxima is in the mix because it's a heavier car than Altima and i am thinking would preform better in the snow. not sure if this is a true statement.
And subaru, really looking at it for AWD capabilities. Don;t know much more about it.

It would be great if I could get some feedback on Altima performance in snow, Altima vs. maxima, and the costs of parts /repairs between the 3 vehicles to help me ease into this decision.
thanks all for your help.

Heavier is not better in the snow. Heavier cars have more momentum, which makes them take longer to stop in slippery conditions and carry more momentum into slippery turns. However, the longer wheelbase does make it easier to "catch" if you start sliding.

The Legacy is a good car, I would go for that.

thank you for taking time to reply to my post. I went with maxima and some winter tires and am hoping that will work out just fine :)