You would think It would be hard to pick a time worse than now to launch another midsize SUV, but don't tell Kia.
"Four-dollar gas plus SUV is an equation that doesn't necessarily add up," said Kia's vice president of sales, Tom Loveless. "[But] we bring features and value, and all of that spells opportunity for Kia."
Besides, since Kia has never offered a midsize SUV, it's all profit for the giddily optimistic carmaker. This one comes with your choice of 3.8-liter, 276-hp V6 or 4.6-liter, 337-hp V8. Those are mated to five- and six-speed automatics, respectively. Both come in two- or four-wheel drive. Front suspension is double-wishbone, not usually seen in this class, while the rear is multilink.
The features list is as long as your arm--if you're of medium height, anyway. You can get a voice-controlled nav system and 10-speaker Infinity audio, Bluetooth, USB auxiliary jack, auto-locking tailgate and power-adjustable pedals. Six airbags standard, along with 10 cup-holders and 16 air vents (air vents are the new cupholders, Kia says). Prices range from $26,995 for an LX V6 4x2 to $33,745 for an EX V8 4x4.
"The focus groups were surprised that the Borrego had all the features they would expect in the class," said Tim Chaney, director of marketing.
The class includes Ford Explorer, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota 4Runner, Honda Pilot and Jeep Grand Cherokee, according to Kia. The Borrego outpowers all of those in either engine configuration. It costs a bit less, but once you juggle the availability of one competitor's features versus another, all you get are angry letters from car-sales professionals who feel slighted. The Borrego has a good list of the things midsize-SUV buyers want at a good price, plus the ridiculously long warranty: 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain plus other coverage standard on all Kias.
We drove it all day over somewhat twisty roads and even some dirt. The ride isolation is quite good; it's a quiet cruiser. On big bumps, we could feel a little more of the unsprung bits, as is the case with big SUVs, but nothing totally out of line. Curb weight ranges from 4,460 pounds to 4,909 pounds, about the middle of the pack. We did a nonscientific 0-to-60-mph run in a V8 4x4 with three people in it on what might have been a flat surface and got 10 seconds. Even though the V8 looks better on paper, you might not notice as big a difference between the V6 and the V8 from behind the wheel, unless you're towing something. That suggests you might want to save some money in the powertrain. Your gas savings would be a wash, since the V6 2WD gets 17/21 mpg, while the V8 2WD manages 15/22. Crazy, no?
With an all-new body-on-frame platform, wouldn't it have made sense to offer a few versions to amortize the cost of development? There were plans for Kia and Hyundai pickups based on this, but they were canceled because of the lousy business climate.
But wait, you say, then why launch this thing? Because Kia believes it can sell enough of them to make money.
By MARK VAUGHN
SPECS
ON SALE: Now
BASE PRICE: $26,995
DRIVETRAIN: 3.8-liter, 276-hp, 267-lb-ft V6; 4WD, five-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT: 4,460 lb
0-60 MPH: 11 sec (est)
FUEL ECONOMY (EPA): 19 mpg
No comments:
Post a Comment