By James Bergeron
Photo Gallery:
2009 Kia Borrego EX V8
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Funny (well, not funny-haha) how Kia reminds me of Hyundai. To me, Kia is the brand nobody wants to touch and the one that needs to compete on price, just like Hyundai had to do barely five years ago. Now that Hyundai is up there with the Toyotas and Hondas and GMs of the world on my list of car manufacturers to choose from, let’s see if Kia can make the list.
This week I’m driving the all-new (yes, I can really say that) 2009 Kia Borrego: a mid- to large-sized seven-seater SUV. An SUV that comes out at, I would say, a very odd time indeed. When all other car manufacturers are ceasing to build truck-based SUVs and moving the market to lighter crossover vehicles, Kia comes, guns-a-blazing, with this truck-based behemoth.
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Perhaps Kia missed the memo from the oil companies while they were designing this vehicle, but nevertheless here she is “in the flesh,” so to speak, in my driveway and ready to hit the road for a week of torture testing… or just a week of mundane errands.
As you might expect from a manufacturer on the rise, a lot of content has been thrown into the Borrego at a reasonable price, to attract your attention.
My tester is a loaded EX V8 model, and is equipped with all the luxury amenities you would expect from any top-tier manufacturer, such as dual-zone climate control, power leather heated seats, power windows/mirrors and locks, electronic stability control, traction control, curtain airbags all around, and a power sunroof (do they even make manual sunroofs anymore?).
And of course, what everyone wants today, a great big honkin’ V8 under the hood. A 4.6-litre producing 325hp, mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.
2009 Kia Borrego EX V8
MSRP as tested (including destination): $45,395
For more information on Kia and the Borrego visit Kia Canada
