98230a1 Upper Swivel Shaft, Mercruiser R/mr/alpha One 1983-1990 on 2040-parts.com

Winter warriors: An AW list of vehicles in which to tackle the snow

Now that cold weather has arrived in many parts of the country, the Corvette Stingrays and Plymouth Barracudas are being tucked back into their garages. With that in mind, AutoWeek offers this list of sure-footed rides for the winter. Some have higher sticker prices--we're looking at you, Range Rover--but most are fun, economical rides that will get you through the deepest doldrums of winter.

BMW Concept Active Tourer – It’s the BMW B Class

The BMW Concept Active Tourer has been revealed ahead of the Paris Motor Show, previewing BMW’s new FWD direction. We recently had Mercedes roll out their take on the BMW 1 Series with the new A Class, and now the roles are reversed with BMW revealing their take on the Mercedes B Class with the BMW Concept Active Tourer. The BMW Concept Active Tourer is a preview of BMW’s front wheel drive future in the small premium sector, even if the Concept Active Tourer is notionally 4WD thanks to its a 67bhp electric motor driving the back axle in this hybrid setup.

Audi A5 DTM (2012) at Frankfurt motor show

This is the new Audi A5 DTM. Simply, it’s Audi’s entry into 2012’s Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, the German touring car series where the rules demand 4.0-litre V8s and rear-wheel drive chassis. So the Audi A5 DTM racer isn’t your average A5?