Hey sorry for the late entry, been away for a bit. As [MENTION=15502]Ferocious[/MENTION] said, I have a 2011 STI sedan. I went through the same process you are talking about, when I was looking for a new DD back in 2011. I wanted AWD as well, and looked around quite a bit. My opinions, for whatever they are worth:
I have a 2011 ST, the girlfriend has a 2012 A4 quattro (which I convinced her to get). I also looked at BMW, VW, and Evo's, and WRX's. Ultimately, it depends on what you want out of an AWD system - you going to be driving in snow? I live in Florida, so I was more performance oriented, not so much bad weather oriented. Honestly, I think Subaru has one of the better AWD setups around. Most AWD systems (like the Evo, some BMWs) are actually a FWD, with the AWD tacked on. Evo's do it well. BMW does it okay. Subaru is more of a RWD platform, with FWD as well. Personally, I like that better. Audi is the same way. For Florida performance-oriented driving, any of those probably work fine for what is legal (-ish) on the street. For bad weather, I would stick with Subaru or Audi.
My girlfriend's Audi is nice - but I'm not sure I'd recommend them. They make them purposely difficult to work on - you want to change the oil? Hope you have an extractor, because if you try to remove what you think is the oil pan plug, you just bought yourself a new $1000 oil pan. The dealership recommends that you DON'T rotate the tires. And I'm sure when we put different wheels on the car they will tell us that it was a bad thing to do because it will cause this and thus. As far as the car itself, it's very nice. We like it a lot. Certainly low on power compared to my STI, however with the 8 speed auto you'd be doing 80 before you realized it (and the car is super smooth).
For me, I love my STI. I've got an AccessPort on it, and a CAI to install. It has around 280 to the wheels right now, and Good Lord does it pull hard. It's plenty fast for me as a DD right now, and all I did was AccessPort it. I don't beat everything in a straight-line drag, but once the corners or cloverleaf ramps come up, goodbye whatever it was. The traction is just utterly unreal (I currently have 9.5" wide wheels and 275 on all 4 corners). And I love the styling of the sedan. It's bulky, somewhat vulgar, has huge fenders, and I just love the shit out of it. I even don't mind the wing. I'm sure some people in other cars probably point and laugh, but that's okay. I don't care. I honestly believe the wing is necessary - on the street, of course not. On the track, where I intend on using the car at some point, absolutely. I also love that not many people around here have one. I see tons of BMWs, Audi's, VW's...not so much with the Subarus.
An Evo would be a good choice too, probably a touch quicker than the STI. But the interior in the STI is just much nicer. Since I DD it, I wanted the nicer interior. If I was buying the car just for racing, then I would have given the Evo more consideration.
In the end, if it really is just DD, go with any of the AWD cars that you like the best, with emphasis on what makes it a nice DD. I personally wanted a rock solid AWD system, and car that was somewhat unique. If you value a smooth ride and nice interior more, go with an Audi or BMW. If you want something with balls and are willing to sacrifice some of the inside luxury, go with a WRX, STI or Evo.
If you have specific questions, let me know and I'll be happy to help if I can.