Hi, I'm May Kelsey with Cars.com. The SUV five maybe fading a little bit but don’t tell
that to Korean automaker Kia. They're launching new 7-seat mid size SUV for 2009
called the Borrego. Then it goes up against models like the Ford Explorer and Nissan
Pathfinder among others. This model is late to the SUV party for sure but it’s a worth the
wait. Stick around to find out.
Where the Borrego differs from other truck based SUV is at surprisingly easy to step into.
This model has running board but they're not really necessary because of the low ride
height. It’s easy to sit in and even though it rides low it still has 8.5 inches of ground
clearance, so that’s not compromise at all. Sleekly styled Crossovers like the Mazda CX9
I've been making a lot of news lately but if you prefer the traditional look of an SUV the
Borrego has something for you. It’s about the same size and the outside is a Ford
Explorer and it features a large chrome grille upfront and this EX trim level that we have
here has optional 18-inch chrome wheels. The Borrego has offered with other V6 or V8
engine and two or four-wheel drive. Now this is a 4x4 V6 model and it gets an EPS made
16/21 miles per gallon on city and highway which is almost as good as the Honda Pilot
Crossover and it is better than the Ford Explorer gas mileage. What maybe more
important to some SUV shoppers is tailing capacity and the V6 model can tail up to 5000
pounds but the V8 can handle up to 7500 pounds which is quite a bit for vehicle this size.
The Borrego has cabin that’s easy to like things to nice materials and fit and finish on the
dash. It also has interesting looking red backlit LED displays for the air-conditioning
system and also the trip computer, the model can also have an option on navigation
system that has nice graphics and it is a touch screen display. What's not quite as
appealing is this model is all gray interior color scheme and it’s a little drab looking. But
unfortunately there are other color choices available that you can check out like black and
beige as well.
The Borrego comes in with a 60-40 split second roll bend seat. They can slide and
recline. The lever to recline the back rest though is located up high here so we got to kind
of twist it around. They’re rigid. It’s not as give a design as some manufacturers offer that
have the lever on the side of the seat cushion. There are decent space for adults in the
second row but by support isn't as good with the second row bend seats.
The Borrego also has a 50-50 split, third row seat that has room for two people. When
that sits up, there's not much cargo room back here, only 12.4 cubic feet. But if you don’t
need the third row seat, it’s pretty easy to fold down. There's just this levers on the
backside. You pull back and then you can push the seat down and when you do that you
get a lot more cargo space, another benefit of the Borrego’s low ride height is also that it
has a low bumper you have to clear when you are lifting luggage in. So that’s nice when
you have to lift up a bag like this to drop it in. And you can see also all the cargo room if
you also put the second row down. I post the question at the beginning of this video as to
whether the Borrego was worth the wait and what is a good example of a truck base
SUV, thanks to its handling prowess and overall refinement, unless you really need it’s
tailing capability there are more comfortable Crossovers out there that get better gas
mileage.
For additional information on this car or any other go to Cars.com and our blog, Kicking
Tires.
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