Help Me Go Car Shopping

[The Bryce]

I'm probably going to do a batch of testdrives this spring and grab something new and shiny, and I'm digging for suggestions. I'm thinking under ~50k USD, but if there's something 5 or 10k more that I absolutely have to look at I'll keep it in mind. Here's a brief rundown of what I'm looking for:

1) Zoom: It must have a bit of zoom. It doesn't have to be anything crazy, but if I'm doing 65MPH and I step on the gas pedal I expect it to jump forward rather than creep ahead. If I'm choosing between a car with extra HP or a car with extra luxury options, I'm probably going for the latter.
2) Looking Cool Counts: For example, a BMW 328i Coupe is hot, a Lexus IS 350 is not. This does not mean that I wouldn't consider the Lexus over the former, but the reasons for doing so would have to be persuasive.
3) It Must be a Stick: It's much easier to take credit for the vehicle doing cool things when you're wiggling a stick [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]
4) My Skis Must Fit: I think this basically means that part of the back seat has to fold down to provide extended access to the trunk. This is one of those things I can never find when I'm browsing websites.

Also, I live in northernish Canada, so here's a question: the truck I have right now has 4WD, and it's been great during the winter, am I to understand that AWD is basically the same thing?