2008 Mazda CX-9

Over the winter holiday, online associate editor Kirill Ougarov took the CX-9 to Brian Head, Utah, a small resort town in the Dixie National Forest. With the weather forecast calling for highs in the teens, it didn't take long for the CX-9 to garner much respect from Ougarov.

"As the forecast predicted, it was snowing, uh, the snow equivalent of cats and dogs. Road conditions were such that, if we'd been in California, the road would have surely been shut down. Despite all this, the CX-9 was as surefooted as a mountain goat. Tire slippage? Drifting? Traction control going berserk? No, no, and no. Bottom line: The CX-9 is a great winter SUV for all but the absolute worst conditions. And in those conditions, you're better off sitting inside wrapped in a warm blanket with a good book and a bottle of 18-year-old single-malt scotch."