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2009 Kia Borrego Features Review

October 30, 2008

FEATURES | 8 out of 10

Expert Quotes:

As in the rest of the 2009 Kia line that launches shortly after, Sirius satellite radio is standard
Motor Trend

Available features include an uplevel audio system
ConsumerGuide

A slew of standard items including a back-up warning system
Road & Track

For a vehicle with a sub-$30,000 starting price, the 2009 Kia Borrego easily exceeds expectations when it comes to features. This seems to be a general trend among the Kia lineup, but the 2009 Kia Borrego goes above and beyond and even introduces a new "first" for Kia.

Reviews read by TheCarConnection.com are suitably impressed at the long list of standard features that come on the 2009 Kia Borrego, whether it's in LX or EX trim. Reviewers at Road & Track report that the Kia Borrego "features a slew of standard items including a back-up warning system, Sirius satellite radio with USB and iPod jacks," and "integrated tow hitch." Other features that come standard on both trim levels are "cruise control, remote locking, and power windows and mirrors," according to Cars.com. ConsumerGuide says the upscale EX trim of the Borrego Kia includes "dual-zone automatic climate controls" and a "leather-wrapped steering wheel w/radio controls," along with "automatic headlights" as part of its standard features loadout.

Optional features, some available individually and others grouped into packages, are found in abundance on the Kia Borrego. Motor Trend reviewers are impressed by the list of package items, which includes "an $1,800 premium package (sunroof, Infinity audio, rear A/C, runningboards)" and "a $1,500 luxury package (leather for the first and second rows, heated front seats, power tilt and telescopic steering wheel)." Some of the more noteworthy stand-alone features on the Kia Borrego are an available "navigation system," the first ever on a Kia vehicle, and "DVD entertainment system," though ConsumerGuide points out the DVD system is not available with the navigation option. While many automakers with much more experience in the onboard navigation system department struggle to design user-friendly interfaces, Motor Trend is pleased to report that Kia's first effort "is intuitive." The other major option ConsumerGuide says is available on the Kia Borrego is a "wireless cell phone link" that can be added to either trim level of the Borrego Kia.

Conclusion

The 2009 Kia Borrego is loaded well beyond its price range and can even be had with—get this—a user-friendly navigation system.

FEATURES | 8 out of 10Expert Quotes:As in the rest of the 2009 Kia line that launches shortly after, Sirius satellite radio is standardMotor TrendAvailable features include an uplevel audio systemConsumerGuideA slew of standard items including a back-up warning systemRoad & Track For a vehicle with a sub-$30,000 starting price, the 2009 Kia Borrego easily exceeds expectations when it comes to features. This seems to be a general trend among the Kia lineup, but the 2009 Kia Borrego goes above and beyond and even introduces a new "first" for Kia. Reviews read by TheCarConnection.com are suitably impressed at the long list of standard features that come on the 2009 Kia Borrego, whether it's in LX or EX trim. Reviewers at Road & Track report that the Kia Borrego "features a slew of standard items including a back-up warning system, Sirius satellite radio with USB and iPod jacks," and "integrated tow hitch." Other features that come standard on both trim levels are "cruise control, remote locking, and power windows and mirrors," according to Cars.com. ConsumerGuide says the upscale EX trim of the Borrego Kia includes "dual-zone automatic climate controls" and a "leather-wrapped steering wheel w/radio controls," along with "automatic headlights" as part of its standard features loadout. Optional features, some available individually and others grouped into packages, are found in abundance on the Kia Borrego. Motor Trend reviewers are impressed by the list of package items, which includes "an $1,800 premium package (sunroof, Infinity audio, rear A/C, runningboards)" and "a $1,500 luxury package (leather for the first and second rows, heated front seats, power tilt and telescopic steering wheel)." Some of the more noteworthy stand-alone features on the Kia Borrego are an available "navigation system," the first ever on a Kia vehicle, and "DVD entertainment system," though ConsumerGuide points out the DVD system is not available with the navigation option. While many automakers with much more experience in the onboard navigation system department struggle to design user-friendly interfaces, Motor Trend is pleased to report that Kia's first effort "is intuitive." The other major option ConsumerGuide says is available on the Kia Borrego is a "wireless cell phone link" that can be added to either trim level of the Borrego Kia. ConclusionThe 2009 Kia Borrego is loaded well beyond its price range and can even be had with—get this—a user-friendly navigation system. 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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See the Kia Borrego in Other Years:

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. marty avatar 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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