Kia's Borrego affordable in better times

AboutThatCar.comDETROIT - What impressed me most about the 2009 Kia Borrego was the powertrain. It was smooth, it had a lot of oomph but it was very docile at low speeds. In fact, I had no idea it was a V8 until I looked at the information sheet.

I had the 4.6-liter V8, which was mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. It made 337 horsepower and 323 pounds-feet of torque. There is also a 3.8-liter V6 that produces a very healthy 276 horsepower. Either engine can be purchased in two-wheel or four-wheel drive models.

After a week in the Borrego, I found it to be a very easy urban driver. There was no truck-like whine out of the engine, the suspension wasn't gruff and there was no dipping or swaying in the curves. The Borrego was very manageable which is what you really need on cluttered urban streets and expressways.

Kia's sport-utility was loaded with equipment. It had two options packages. The first was the premium package, which included a sunroof, premium audio system with MP3 capability, running boards and a navigation system.

The luxury package included leather first and second row seats, heated front seats, power tilt and telescoping steering wheel as well as power memory driver's seat, outside mirrors and steering column.

Safety equipment included tire pressure monitoring, downhill brake control, backup warning system, traction control and three row curtain airbags with rollover sensor.

The Borrego is a victim of the times but I'll come back to that later. First, it is an upscale sport-utility which was meant to take on the top players in the midsize sport-utility segment that has been buffeted first by skyrocketing gasoline prices of last year, then by the credit crunch and now by an boa constrictor like global recession.

My point is that none of this was a factor when the Borrego was undergoing development. At that the time midsize sport-utilities were being outfitted with three rows of seats. The rule seemed to be how many folks can get into one and how many cup holders does a midsize sport utility have.

In my test vehicle's case, it could carry seven people and it had 10 upholders. But the Borrego was developed when the premium was on power and passenger capacity. Gas mileage wasn't bad but my V8 powered 4X4 Borrego got 15 mpg in the city and 20 mpg on the hwy. That's not a gas-guzzler, but it's nothing to brag about either.

What's more, Kia should have thought things through a little better when it came to the Borrego. Although the second row seats slide and recline, they didn't flip forward for easy access to the third row. The recline control for the second row seats was atop the seat not down on the side. That makes for awkward seat adjustments once you're sitting in the seat.

And I do wish that the Borrego had an available backup camera. I know it would increase the cost but the rear window, with its high cut off, prevents seeing enough for good depth perception with the third row seat deployed. Although there is rear-parking assist, I'd feel better with a rear view camera and the better depth perception that it would provide.

Kia says the Borrego's towing capacity of 7,500 pounds for the V8, and 5,000 pounds for the V6 are class leading. And the company sites the Borrego's outdoor capabilities for camping as an attribute. However, I would think that the average American is not concerned about camping right now; it's about cash and where is the next dollar coming from. That's not Kia's fault; it's the times.

Even with all the extras, the Borrego's sticker of $39,295 is reasonable. But the challenge is that these are not reasonable times. Still, there are consumers who do need a midsize sport-utility. For them, the 2009 Kia Borrego is well worth a look.

Frank S. Washington is managing partner/editor of AboutThatCar.com and AboutThatCar.blog.com.