Tire load

That's what I paid for my XI2 set in 2011. coming from subaru 5sp+awd I have serious doubts in torsen snow handling prowess and, thusly, decided to have tires with a known good "plowing through the snow" capability

though i must say handling of packed dirt on a hill incline (unpleasantly) surprised me: I was spinning wheels with no water (snow or ice) in sight. That's at around 40-45F

i'm not surprised audi is ditching torsen on 2012 A4: i guess its cheaper for them than to propagate active rear diff from S5 throughout the rest of the lineup. Sigh.

I know (for a fact) that the majority of the americans does not buy diesels. thusly Introducing 'em (diesels) anywhere south of the premium segment is a suicidal act and you seem to have a problem with the ways of the universe on your side of the pond.

Your countrymen do not like tractors. there won't be a subcompact turbodiesel offered for sale this decade in the US, get used to it.

that's the load index:

Michelin makes stone hard "calling all the cops" tires (that's the "highway all season category") for "fun" like that. Just as any other tire maker. As I said, in the US of A that is a cop bait in case you like spirited cornering.

if you don't drive long distances i see no reason to skimp on tires. your gripes about mxm4 make little sense to me then. I have ContiProContacts that are in the same league as mxm4 and they seem to wear slowly, at least in the moderate climate i live in. As you would expect from zero grip tires in the all season group. My brother swears by MXM4s. But, then, he never drove on UHP or max/extreme perf tires, The ones that does not squeal when sliding sideways on dry pavement.