With 6 inches of snow on the ground and the white stuff still coming down last December, it seemed like the perfect time to put the 2009 Kia Borrego to the test.

The South Korean carmaker may know compacts and sedans, but how well does it know Michigan winters? Turns out, winters, bad roads and good barbeques are just a few of the things Americans and South Koreans have in common. The big SUV tracked right through Detroit's icy roads.

There was plenty of power at my disposal. The V-8, the same engine as in the Hyundai Genesis, belts out 337 horsepower and 323 pound-feet of torque. The six-speed automatic transmission clicks nicely through the gears. This is a big and meaty machine, ready to rumble, I thought, as I pressed the accelerator and chewed up snow like a little kid tearing at a pack of Hubba Bubba.

But there's no long lasting sugary flavor with this SUV. It arrives at a time when consumers remain uncertain about gas prices and big vehicles have become passé.

The age of right-sizing is upon us -- so is there room for another big vehicle or is the Borrego going to follow other sport utes down the road to nowhere? In order to last nowadays, a vehicle needs a catch, a reason for people to consider it over other vehicles, it's gotta' stand out. The Borrego doesn't, it just melds in with the competition.

The gas mileage for the Borrego is on par with most SUVs. The 4x4 V-8 Borrego gets 15 miles per gallon in the city and 20 mpg on the highway. My testing showed it getting 15 mpg in mixed driving -- though some of that was in four-wheel drive due to the snow. The V-6 Borrego fairs slightly better, hitting 17 mpg in the city and 21 mpg on the highway, according to the EPA.

While the powertrain will bring a smile to any trucker's face, much of the rest of the Borrego won't.

There are a few good reasons the fashion-conscious consumer has shunned SUVs. They're too big to park and drivers look silly sitting alone behind the wheel on their way to work. The same goes for the likes of the Chevrolet Trailblazer (which is dying a slow death), the Jeep Grand Cherokee (possibly a faster death), the Ford Explorer (undergoing a possible crossover transformation) and the Toyota 4Runner (uncertain life expectancy).

The Borrego out-stretches all the aforementioned SUVs (except the Explorer). It's wider (75.4 inches), longer (192.3 inches) and has a bigger wheelbase (114 inches). Really, it's the size of about two or three Kias.

While Kia (and the EPA) put this SUV in the midsize category, there's very little midsize about it. If a vehicle seats seven people comfortably, and the Borrego does, or it requires you to pull on the steering wheel just to lift yourself inside of it, and the Borrego does, then it's not midsize in my book.

The exterior is nondescript in that big SUV sort of way. Its body looks like it was whittled out of a tree trunk. Other than the two-tone body style, there are no defining characteristics to make it stand out. The body rides low on the optional 18-inch tires and that makes it look overweight; my 4x4 test model weighed more than 4,600 pounds, which is nothing out of the ordinary.

But maybe that's the point with this SUV. It's not meant to stand out. It's meant to perform. And the Borrego has some impressive numbers. The V-8 model can tow 7,500 pounds, and the V-6 model can pull 5,000.

The ride was surprisingly car-like, despite the high-riding position. The suspension -- double wishbone in the front and multi-link in the rear -- kept the bumps to the minimum. While the ride was smooth, the Borrego still handled like a truck. Its sheer size limits where you can take it.

In hunting for a parking space, I found it easier to just park in the mall hinterlands than try to squeeze into a tight space up front using the Borrego's park assist and back-up camera. The park assist uses sensors to locate nearby cars. As you near objects, beeps in the cabin speed up. While the assist works fine, you often cannot see other vehicles at all because of the high seating position. This makes for nerve-wracking approaches, where you gently tap the accelerator, hoping you don't lurch into your insurance agent's office.

There were some performance features I liked, such as the hill stop descent, which prevents the Borrego's weight from pulling it backwards when stopped on a hill at that moment between releasing the brake and touching the accelerator.

There's also lots of room inside. It provides 40 inches of legroom in the front, 37.4 inches in the second row, and 32.9 inches in the back, putting it on par with the competition.

However, Kia does a nice job of loading up the Borrego with toys and gadgets. There are three trim levels to choose from: the LX, EX and top-of-the-line Limited. Kia allows for a customer to pick the upgraded EX trim with a V-6 engine -- a philosophy many carmakers have wisely adopted. Luxury does not always mean additional power, and picking a well-appointed vehicle with a smaller engine only makes sense in today's right-sizing environment.

A nicely loaded Borrego includes keyless entry, heated second-row seats, Bluetooth connectivity for hands-free phone operation, an Infinity 10-speaker stereo system, dual-zone climate controls and a host of luxury features. There's really nothing you'd want for with this vehicle, except a craftsman to put it all together.

Despite all of the fine accoutrements, Kia failed with its execution in assembling this vehicle. Many materials felt cheap, such as the plate covering the gear box, and some joint lines (places were two pieces fit together) connected poorly. There were just too many lines and pieces that made up the dash and the six visible air vents. The old red LED display reminded me of an old Texas Instruments calculator. I kept trying to adjust the display to read SHELL OIL when you looked at it upside down.

There's also a sense that the Borrego will not age well. While Kia has done a strong job with its cars, the interior did not look like it was made to handle the rigors of a hard day's work. Take this SUV off road and see how long it takes for the dash to fall into your lap.

One of the most annoying features in the cab was the adjustable front seat. I hope only my vehicle, the one given to me to review, had this problem. When you tried to adjust it with the electric switches, it groaned like a dying walrus -- or at least what I think a walrus emitting its last breath would sound like. Move it back, and it would roil in pain. Move it forward and it would delightfully squeak.

Fortunately, the Borrego came with adjustable foot pedals, so I could keep seat movement to a minimum.

The Borrego does come at a competitive price. The base model starts at $26,995, and a nicely loaded V-8 4x4 Borrego runs about $32,000 -- the same as a lot of SUVs today.

The Borrego doesn't break any new ground. Sure, it's a first for Kia, but it's not the first for consumers. It's a big SUV. It can tow your boat, haul your junk and carry a hockey team to early morning practices.

But so can the competition -- and most have proved their worthiness. The Borrego may use a ton of metal, but I don't know if it has the mettle to last in the long run.