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2009 Kia Borrego Review

October 30, 2008

STYLING | 7 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

Inside and out, this Borrego looks sharp
Motor Trend

Mostly user-friendly controls and well marked, easy to operate switch gear
ConsumerGuide

Upscale touches on the Borrego include body-colored side mirrors with integrated turn-signal lights
Cars.com

The 2009 model year brings quite a few redesigns and new vehicles in the automotive industry, and among them is the first V-8-powered SUV to sport the Kia badge—the 2009 Kia Borrego.

The 2009 Kia Borrego is, according to Cars.com, a "mid-size, body-on-frame, seven-passenger SUV" that comes in LX and upscale EX trim levels. Among the many redeeming qualities on the Kia Borrego (and reviews read by TheCarConnection.com show that the redeeming qualities are quite numerous), the first one that consumers will notice is the exterior styling. The exterior is characterized by "twin hood bulges and a Nissanesque tail" that Motor Trend calls "handsome in an anonymous, safe way." Cars.com appreciates the "upscale touches" that abound on the exterior of the Borrego Kia, including "body-colored side mirrors with integrated turn-signal lights." Motor Trend reviewers also find many styling cues reminiscent of the Borrego Kia's inspiration, "the Mesa Concept that made its debut at the 2005 Detroit auto show," and they commend Kia for "keeping the production vehicle true to its inspiration." They describe the Kia Borrego's exterior as "bold and somewhat square, but not nearly as boxy as the shell on the new Honda Pilot."

Not to be outdone by the handsome sheetmetal that adorns the exterior of the 2009 Kia Borrego, the interior also boasts some very pleasing aesthetics. Road & Track loves the "well-styled" interior that greets passengers once they sit inside the Kia Borrego, and Motor Trend feels that "all the controls are easy to find and use." ConsumerGuide agrees, heaping praise on the "user-friendly controls and well marked, easy to operate switch gear," as well as "the optional navigation system [that] has touch screen controls with clear graphics." The only real complaint with the Kia Borrego's interior also comes from ConsumerGuide, where reviewers feel "the climate control system's readout occasionally becomes unreadable due to glare."

Conclusion

It may be a bit late to the party, but the 2009 Kia Borrego arrives in high style.

STYLING | 7 out of 10Expert Quotes:Inside and out, this Borrego looks sharpMotor TrendMostly user-friendly controls and well marked, easy to operate switch gearConsumerGuideUpscale touches on the Borrego include body-colored side mirrors with integrated turn-signal lightsCars.com The 2009 model year brings quite a few redesigns and new vehicles in the automotive industry, and among them is the first V-8-powered SUV to sport the Kia badge—the 2009 Kia Borrego. The 2009 Kia Borrego is, according to Cars.com, a "mid-size, body-on-frame, seven-passenger SUV" that comes in LX and upscale EX trim levels. Among the many redeeming qualities on the Kia Borrego (and reviews read by TheCarConnection.com show that the redeeming qualities are quite numerous), the first one that consumers will notice is the exterior styling. The exterior is characterized by "twin hood bulges and a Nissanesque tail" that Motor Trend calls "handsome in an anonymous, safe way." Cars.com appreciates the "upscale touches" that abound on the exterior of the Borrego Kia, including "body-colored side mirrors with integrated turn-signal lights." Motor Trend reviewers also find many styling cues reminiscent of the Borrego Kia's inspiration, "the Mesa Concept that made its debut at the 2005 Detroit auto show," and they commend Kia for "keeping the production vehicle true to its inspiration." They describe the Kia Borrego's exterior as "bold and somewhat square, but not nearly as boxy as the shell on the new Honda Pilot." Not to be outdone by the handsome sheetmetal that adorns the exterior of the 2009 Kia Borrego, the interior also boasts some very pleasing aesthetics. Road & Track loves the "well-styled" interior that greets passengers once they sit inside the Kia Borrego, and Motor Trend feels that "all the controls are easy to find and use." ConsumerGuide agrees, heaping praise on the "user-friendly controls and well marked, easy to operate switch gear," as well as "the optional navigation system [that] has touch screen controls with clear graphics." The only real complaint with the Kia Borrego's interior also comes from ConsumerGuide, where reviewers feel "the climate control system's readout occasionally becomes unreadable due to glare." ConclusionIt may be a bit late to the party, but the 2009 Kia Borrego arrives in high style. 2009 KIA BORREGO STYLING | [7 OUT OF 10] Motor Trend: "Inside and out, this Borrego looks sharp" ConsumerGuide: "Mostly user-friendly controls and well marked, easy to operate switch gear" Cars.com: "Upscale touches on the Borrego include body-colored side mirrors with integrated ...

Read More of this Review:

  1. styling
  2. performance
  3. quality
  4. safety
  5. features

Other Choices:

Kia likes to present the Borrego as a luxury SUV "contender." Experts at TheCarConnection.com think Kia has not so much created an alternative to Lexus, Infiniti, or Cadillac, but delivered an excellent alternative to the fleet of well-known body-on-frame SUVs. The 2009 Kia Borrego provides slightly more interior room than these competitors and, with the V-8, more power than any of them. The standard seating for seven is an advantage over several of these SUVs, but the Honda Pilot can carry one more. The Borrego doesn't present itself as a serious off-roader, as it lacks locking differentials and other off-road goodies to compete against the trail-rated Jeeps. Kia's price advantage is more toward the base vehicles where the Borrego's level of standard equipment exceeds the others.

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2009

Comments (5 total)

  1. By Felipe Godinez #1, Posted: 10/13/2008

    king

    Does the company making this vehicle know what borrego means in spanish??

  2. By russell #2, Posted: 4/8/2009

    Lamb chop

    I love lamb chop. I think Kia has people who likes lamb chop as well.

  3. By Ninja #3, Posted: 6/1/2009

    The Borrego was named after the Anza-Borrego desert park in California. The Borrego's overseas name, "Mohave", was named after the Mohave Desert somewhere in Western America.

  4. By Ross #4, Posted: 8/27/2009

    Question, How do you give an SUV with 16 air bags and a perfect 5 star crash rating all around only a 9 out of 10 for safety????

  5. by Marty Padgett #5, Posted: 8/27/2009

    Ross, we typically raise the safety ratings when the IIHS also checks in with its test scores. As of yet they haven't--but if they name it a Top Safety Pick, the Borrego gets a 10.

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