Luxury Area carpets

With winter on the way, you might be interested in picking up a new car that can handle the snow a little better than your current vehicle can. If that sounds like you, why not also opt for some high-end features and amenities with your new all-weather ride? To help you find a car that combines these attributes, we've put together a list of today's best luxury cars that offer all-wheel drive (AWD) - and we've limited our budget to $40, 000 in order to ensure that each car is as affordable as possible.

Acura RDX

If you're interested in a new luxury SUV, it's hard not to get excited about the Acura RDX. One reason is its price: While many rivals are well in excess of our $40, 000 budget, the RDX starts at a reasonable $36, 900 with shipping and AWD, and it includes a powerful 273-horsepower V6 engine as standard equipment. The RDX also touts a long list of standard features including a power sunroof, a backup camera, automatic headlights, heated front seats, leather upholstery and dual power front seats. The only drawback is that the RDX has only 2-row seating. For a third row, you'll have to step up to the more expensive MDX, which starts around $45, 000 with shipping and AWD.

Audi A3

The newly redesigned Audi A3 morphs from a 5-door hatchback to a more traditional 4-door sedan for the 2015 model year. All-wheel-drive models start around $33, 900 with shipping, which is pretty good for an all-new Audi, especially one that includes automatic xenon headlights, leather upholstery, Bluetooth and a 10-speaker sound system. We're also impressed with the A3's 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, which comes standard on all-wheel-drive models. It makes a brawny 220 hp - a lot for a car the size of the A3 - and it still manages to return an excellent 24 miles per gallon in the city and 33 mpg on the highway.