Comments on: 2009 Kia Borrego Review

By: gasman52

gasman52 — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:05:32 +0000

I purchased a new Borrego EX yesterday. My wife and I have been Kia owners for years. Her vehicle is a 06.5 Optima EX and my last two vehicles have been the 06 followed by the 08 Amanti. Only reason I moved over to the Borrego is the need to pull a small trailer which the Amanti was not well suited for. I do enjoy amenities and the Borrego does not disappoint. Reviews have stated the Borrego has plenty of power which is absolutely true. This puppy has a V-6 on steroids and still gets 20+ mph for the 200 miles I put on it yesterday and it’s not even broke in yet. The longer wheelbase really plays into a smoother ride than one would expect even when compared to the Ford F150 King Ranch or the Hummer I test drove. It is my contention that Kia is the best kept secret in America and I’m ok with that because when it comes to maximum bang for your buck, based on my personal experience, nothing comes close to the Optima and especially the Amanti. The jury is still out on the Borrego but so far I am well pleased. Consider that Kia is offering a $4500 instant rebate then work that in concert with some creative negotiating and the Borrego does become an especially good buy right now.

By: GS650G

GS650G — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 18:29:59 +0000

I just checked the price, a V8 model is 40K in Canerduh. Lets see, G35 sedan or Kia SUV? Tough choice, that.

Does the G35 sedan carry as much cargo or tow as good? Tough choice not.

By: JEC

JEC — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:28:47 +0000

I just checked the price, a V8 model is 40K in Canerduh. Lets see, G35 sedan or Kia SUV? Tough choice, that.

By: Paul Niedermeyer

Paul Niedermeyer — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 05:52:21 +0000

bumpy, you beat me to it. That is why it’s here, and will be around for a while.

By: don1967

don1967 — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:30:02 +0000

To call this a “dying segment” implies that high oil prices are here to stay. If you believe that, I’ve got some disco albums and dot-com stocks to sell you. They’re right here somewhere, in the basement of my $750,000 bungalow, which I got with zero down and no credit rating thanks to the good people at Fannie Mae.

People never learn. If history teaches us anything about financial bubbles, it’s that oil will soon be trading at 40 bucks a barrel and Kia’s timing will be seen as not so bad after all.

http://inflationdata.com/inflation/images/charts/Oil/Inflation_Adj_Oil_Prices_Chart.htm

By: blue adidas

blue adidas — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:29:54 +0000

Even if the marketplace for this type of vehicle were thriving, I see no reason to get this over a three year old Explorer. It’s certainly not a looker. And Kia quality is still arguably pretty terrible. In my opinion, this review gave the Borrego at least one star too many. I’m thinking this will head directly to rental fleets.

By: plee

plee — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 21:03:11 +0000

Having just rented a 2 wheel drive Sorento this week for 3 days, I see no compelling reason why one should buy it. Although the drivetrain was smooth enough, the ride and handling were terrible. The interior reminded of a 90’s Honda or Nissan.
I take exception spome of the comments in the article comparing the Borrego with the Explorer. If you are buying a 7passenger SUV, the IRS is the very thing that makes the Explorer third seat more habitable than most of the competition. Whether or not the ride is better would be secondary to actually being able to use the third seat. A Tahoe may be considered to have a better ride but it has a worthless rear seat for space and accessibility.
Actually it is pretty amazing how this whole segment has tanked recently. Bad timing for the Borrego.

By: marc_m

marc_m — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:50:42 +0000

@SherbornSean
We own a Sorento, and I can tell you that the Borrego’s fuel efficiency is about on a par with the Sorento. Also, the Sorento has been constantly updated since it first came out, about six years ago. As far as I’m concerned, the Sorento is due a complete overhaul. It rides on a life axle in the rear, and while the entire vehicle is robust and strong, most of it’s technology comes from the 90’s.

By: SherbornSean

SherbornSean — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:57:16 +0000

I guess what is odd is that the Sorento was a pretty good vehicle — the right size, nicely styled, etc. It slotted in nicely above the CR-V and below the Highlander.

But Kia let it die on the vine while they put their engineering resources behind a me-too product in a class of vehicles that is falling apart.

By: SWA737

SWA737 — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 12:01:52 +0000

Maybe if they offer the turbodiesel in the US market it may have a chance. Otherwise this is the poster car for “so what?”

By: phil

phil — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:16:00 +0000

zzzzzzzzzzz…..

By: Michael Karesh

Michael Karesh — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:45:49 +0000

Conventional midsize SUVs don’t get much better, and they do get worse, so three stars.

By: Flashpoint

Flashpoint — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 01:30:57 +0000

This class of SUV’s is so boring and “avoided” now, that anyone caught in one, won’t even be noticed.

Nowadays, the Ford Edge and similarly shaped crossovers rule the roads. The manufacturers know that the new fashion trend among wasteful Americans who can buy these vehicles lies in high quality crossovers and the days of big lumbering Navigators and Escalades are over.

By: bumpy

bumpy — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:15:00 +0000

Couple things:

* The Borrego is for all intents and purposes the next-gen Hyundai Terracan (think Korean Land Cruiser) and wasn’t really intended for the US specifically, unlike most of its competition. Selling it here and now is mostly a “we already have it in the bin” exercise.

* It does have a spiffy new 3.0 V6 turbodiesel on tap in most of the rest of the world, and Kia has made some noises about bringing that powerplant here in a year or three.

* I’m guessing here, but I think the Terracan was shifted to Kia snce a BOF RWD on/off-roader is a better fit with the Sorento than Hyundai’s trio of car-based soft-roaders. I suspect sales will stroll under the radar for a while, then one day we’ll look around and wonder where all the mutton came from.

By: romanjetfighter

romanjetfighter — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:08:04 +0000

Ugly name, ugly SUV, ugly interior, expensive for a Kia. I bet this car is going to win the “depreciates the fastest” award on TTAC or something. Blah.

I bet Kia pulls all the Borrego ads from this site.

By: hwyhobo

hwyhobo — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 22:09:16 +0000

You can stick a fork in it.

By: sean362880

sean362880 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:16:31 +0000

cretinx -

three stars for this thing?

I agree. Less than 20 comments all day from the best & brightest, too. Says something about the marketability of the Boringo? I mean Borrego?

By: Buick61

Buick61 — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:59:19 +0000

????

“The eight’s good for 337 horsepower. You can’t buy more shove in this segment without ponying-up for an SS or Hemi badge.”

I don’t have 2009 pricing in front of me, but for the 2008 Grand Cherokee Limited, the Hemi is only $645. Not much “ponying-up” is necessary to afford that…

By: cretinx

cretinx — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:16:09 +0000

three stars for this thing?

By: Johnster

Johnster — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:27:02 +0000

The thing is that I expect the Borrego (along with the 4Runner and Pathfinder) to still be here in 5 years. OTOH, the Chevrolet TrailBlazer/GMC Envoy/Saab 9-7X are all projected to be discontinued. And the current Explorer is supposed to be replaced by a new Explorer using unibody construction and based on the Taurus chassis.

While the market for a conventional SUVs may be small, the Borrego won’t have as much competition in the next few years and should be in a better position to succeed sales-wise.

By: marc_m

marc_m — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:12:10 +0000

I doubt that you’ll see allot of rebates on this. Kia hasn’t done any significant discounts on anything, not even on the Sorento in a long while.

By: NickR

NickR — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:38:35 +0000

*sniff* What’s that I smell? Oh, it’s the scent of discounts in the air. Seriously, Kia is going to be hurling incentives at potential customers.

By: BEAT

BEAT — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:28:42 +0000

SUV or Truck they are all the same to me.

I am not against KIA but now a days who wants to buy GASlers.

By: argentla

argentla — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:43:29 +0000

If anything, the V8’s lack of a sixth transmission ratio is a more serious omission than the Borrego’s “missing” fourth pair of cylinders.

Michael — did you mean “the V6’s lack of a sixth…”?

I’m assuming this truck was just too far along to cancel; even with a turbodiesel engine, it seems too big for a lot of non-U.S. markets, particularly with a decidedly non-premium badge.

By: Michael Karesh

Michael Karesh — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:44:49 +0000

Buick61,

On the MPG, I was comparing 4WD/AWD powertrains.

You’ve got me on the HP figures, though. I forgot that Chrysler revised the HEMI for these SUVs for 2009.