Impressive Borrego: Better late than never
Everything old is new again, right?
Kia thinks so, since it must be the last carmaker to think it needs to add a body-on-frame midsize SUV to a market full of Ford Explorers, Chevy TrailBlazers, Honda Pilots and Toyota 4Runners.
Yet here is the 2009 Kia Borrego, a 192-inch-long vehicle wider and longer than the Chevy Trailblazer, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Toyota 4Runner with three rows of seats for up to seven.
Not a lot of folks are beating down doors for big trucks like those. But typical of a Kia, it is loaded with nice features for under the average $33,000 to $45,000 range of competition with a V-8 and four-wheel-drive.
- Borrego body: One look and you'll see familiar shapes - a bit of Explorer in the chrome bar grille, some Mitsubishi in the flared wheel arch flanks. Our copper Borrego looked nice with dark pewter sills and wheel cladding, inset fogs flanking a lower air intake and optional chrome wheels with 18-inch Hancook radials. In back, a squared-off tail with big taillights, a step bumper and integrated tow hitch. Black and silver roof racks complete the SUV look. With lots of other SUVs like it, no one gave it a second look, although the overall shape is handsome and the paint and fit is good.
- Kia's aKKomodations: Lots of usable room inside (156.8 cubic-foot interior volume), more than Explorer, Pathfinder, 4Runner, Grand Cherokee and Honda Pilot, according to Kia.
Under the gray dash top, concise gauges plus a trip computer, a knob on the left offers four-wheel-drive auto, high and low settings.
The front bucket seats were easy to climb into, with a neatly integrated running board and grab handles. The seats were comfy and roomy, with heat and power (eight-way driver/four-way passenger) adjustments plus a power tilt/telescope steering column with stereo, cruise and voice-control cellphone and audio buttons. Two rubber-lined storage compartments occupy the base of the center stack under three-zone climate controls. Next to the gearshift, a flimsy flip-up door offers access to an MP3 and USB/iPod port. Our touch-screen satellite navigation screen also offers access to a good AM-FM-six disc CD-SiriusXM Satellite audio system.
Second-row seat room was good for two adults, with rear a/c vents and controls. Access to the third-row seat is a bit tough since the second-row seats don't slide forward enough. Once back there, surprisingly decent room for two adults. There isn't a lot of cargo room behind the third row, but there is a segmented compartment under it. The second- and third-row seats fold flat for added cargo space. Gripes: flimsy second-row armrest cupholder door and some dash switches, while the gray trim athwart the center stack didn't match up at a seam and my keys scraped the dash under the ignition; put a rubber pad there to cut down on noise. But overall, lots of room with extras like a back-up alert system, moonroof, auto-dim rearview mirror, sideview mirrors that dip in reverse, a driver's seat and wheel that move back to ease exit, and HomeLink transmitter.
- Borreg-ability: This big Kia gets a DOHC 3.8-liter V-6 with 276 horsepower (up to 5,000 pounds towing), or our test model's 337-hp DOHC 4.6-liter V-8 (up to 7,500). Our 6,300-mile-old tester was a smooth runner with plenty of power, hitting 60 mph in 7.5 seconds with smooth shifts from the first-ever Kia six speed auto. But test mileage with mostly highway driving was 14 mpg on regular.
A front double-wishbone and rear multi-link suspension are matched with a hydroformed frame with rubber mountings. The result: a comfortable ride over most surfaces, but some harsh rebound over tar strips and concrete patches, noted by those who rode in it. The full-time four-wheel-drive system distributes power to the wheels that need it on "auto," while there is a four-wheel-drive high and low setting for off-road. The Borrego cornered well with expected body roll, but no dramatic understeer. Add standard stability and traction control and it all applies brakes selectively to control oversteer and understeer as needed - a Kia first. Off-road, set in 4WD-high, it easily carved its way up dirt inclines and along sandy trails, while Hill Descent Control taps brakes to "walk" it down a hill slowly and safely, a system usually on higher-priced rigs. The power steering has a firm, direct feel, the disc brakes with electronic brake distribution and brake assist decent with some nose dive and showing some fade after a few hard hits.
- Borrego Buy?: A rear-wheel-drive V-6 Borrego starts at about $27,000 with standard a/c, three-row seating, power door locks/windows/mirrors; keyless entry; cruise control and a six-speaker AM-FM-CD/MP3 audio. Our EX V-8 four-wheel-drive trim started at $32,995 with standard power front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, HomeLink and back-up warning system. A luxury and premium option package with leather seating, 10-speaker stereo with satellite radio, plus optional navigation and chrome wheels added at $5,550, for a final price of $39,295. It also had airbags all-round, plus a 10-year/100,000-mile limited powertrain warranty.
Bottom line: The Kia Borrego has lots to offer for the price - power, room, utility and decent driving manners, all reasonably priced. But everyone else got there first.
Vehicle type midsize seven-passenger SUV
Base price $32,995 ($39,295 as tested)
Engine type DOHC, 32-valve V-84.6
Displacement 4.6-liter
Horsepower (net) 337 @ 6,000 rpm
Torque (lb-ft) 323 @ 3,500 rpm
Transmission 6-speed automatic
Wheelbase 114 inches
Overall length 192.1 inches
Overall width 75.4 inches
Height 71.3 inches
Front headroom 40 inches
Front legroom 41.7 inches
Center headroom 39 inches
Center legroom 37.4 inches
Rear headroom 38 inches
Rear legroom 32.9 inches
Cargo capacity 12.4 cubic feet
Curb weight 4,621 lbs.
Fuel capacity 20.6 gallons
Towing capacity up to 7,500 lbs.
Mileage rating 15-mpg city/20-mpg highway
Last word A nicely done SUV package, but late to the game
By Dan Scanlan
Jacksonville.com
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