After all the uproar regarding gas prices last year, and General Motors Corp. pulling the plug on its Janesville-built large sport-utility trucks, it seems odd reviewing a large luxury SUV.
Kia has just entered the large SUV market with Borrego. I tested the EX 4X4 model in a cool copper color. It looks and feels like a luxury SUV with some chrome outer trim and a crisp execution of traditional sport-SUV styling.
The Borrego offers a third-row seat and can haul seven people. It starts at a modest $26,245 for the LX with 276-horse V-6 power. Add about $2,000 to that for four-wheel drive; to get a V-8 you'll need to move up to the EX, at $30,995 with two-wheel drive.
My EX added four-wheel drive and started at $32,995, still well below the Cadillac Escalade and Chevy Tahoe/GMC Yukon. This really comes closer to the Chevy Traverse or Ford Flex. Both of those are in that price range, but both offer just a V-6 for power, yet both are 12-13 inches longer and ride on 3- to 4-inch longer wheelbases.
This one loaded enough luxury items, such as leather-trimmed seats, a sunroof, stereo upgrade and navigation system, to hit $39,295. That's nearer the neighborhood of those larger luxury SUVs, and mighty close to the fully loaded Borrego Limited 4X4 that starts at $39,995. A buyer might do better just moving up to that model instead of loading the EX up this way.
With the V-8 power and 337 horses that'll tow 7,500 pounds, Borrego fills a niche. This is a strong SUV with plenty of muscle to pull a trailer or haul a load. There's a bit of kick to this V-8 as you accelerate onto a highway, but its power is delivered smoothly through a six-speed automatic. You also can select four-wheel drive if the roads are wet or snowy. There's a knob to turn and lock in four-wheel high, low, or standard two-wheel drive.
Borrego handles well. It turns into corners quickly and there's a firmer, sporty feel to the wheel, something you don't find too often in a larger SUV. A double-wishbone front suspension gives the nose a good feel for the road, too, but the multilink rear suspension, while fine in small stutter bumps, was bad over rolling, dip-filled pavement. There's too much rebound - while the initial shock of the dip isn't hard on occupants, you bounce too much thereafter.
Borrego is incredibly quiet inside, plus the test truck loaded in a lot of luxury with nearly $6,000 in options.
A $1,500 package included heated leather front seats in two-tone gray. The package also included a power tilt/telescope steering wheel and two-position memory system to set driver's seat, outside mirrors and the steering position automatically.
Borrego's interior is attractive enough, but not up to luxury standards. For instance, the dash has brushed metal-look trim on the doors and part of the dash, but not by the main center stack, so the overall look is not as finished and polished as you'd expect. It didn't look bad, but even while saving a little cash I'd like my interior to look completely finished.
The steering wheel hub has all the goodies like radio and cruise control buttons, and I liked all the large buttons to adjust the climate control system and radio. This one had an upgraded Infinity system that sounded great, part of a $1,800 package that also added a sunroof.
Gauges with white numbers are attractive and easy to read, plus the trip computer is a red digital readout, also simple to see. Buttons for the computer are behind the steering wheel, a little harder to get at than I'd like.
There's plenty of seating room in back, plus rear climate controls and roof-mounted air ducts. Folding down the third-row seats is easy enough, but raising them again is a bit clunky. You have to crawl into the SUV and release the seat with one hand while folding the seat back up with the other. I'm also not a fan of the third-row seats having plastic backs. It's easy to clean but allows your luggage to slide all over the cargo area.
Overhead, the sunroof is easy to use and the Kia has good solid visors, too. They include lighted mirrors and extenders to help block side sun.
Like so many larger SUVs and crossovers, gas mileage is poor. I got 14.4 mpg in one drive that was about half highway miles and 15.7 in another drive that was heavier on highway driving, about 65%. The EPA says to expect 15 mpg city and 20 highway. For the record, the V-6 powered Borrego gets 16 mpg city and 21 highway.
If you need the V-8 power to pull or haul, the Borrego is a good option and certainly starts at an attractive price point.
Savage on Wheels | Mark Savage
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