Review: 2009 Kia Borrego, the friendliest truck in its class

The 2009 Kia Borrego combines the refinement and space efficiency of a car with 
the towing capacity of a truck.

The Kia Borrego, like most midsize SUVs on the market today, is marketed towards families who want space but don’t want minivans. But unlike most of the vehicles it competes against for these buyers, the Borrego is a truck instead of a car.

 

Many reviewers have criticized Kia’s decision to build an all-new truck-based SUV as most of the market is moving away from that type of vehicle, calling the company about five years too late to this market segment. 

 

But despite offering the extra off-road performance and towing capacity of a truck, the Borrego also manages to offer most of the best attributes of a car-based crossover. The interior is roomier, the ride is quieter, and the gas consumption is lower than most other trucks. More so than any other midsize truck-based SUV, the Borrego competes well as an alternative to a good car-based competitor.

 

Unlike trucks like the Nissan Pathfinder, the Borrego tries to emphasize a sense of luxury over ruggedness, in both its marketing and its design. The interior is very well-appointed with excellent fit and finish and good quality materials, and simple but attractive styling. 

 

There’s a slightly higher step-in than in a car-based SUV, but it’s still easy to get in and out of the Borrego. Drivers sit high on large, firm, comfortable seats, and have lots of room and a high view out. A lack of stylistic flourishes on the outside keeps the windows large, leading to better outward visibility than most other SUVs. The steering column features tilt and telescoping power adjustments. 

 

The rear seat is roomy and comfortable, but it could be higher off the floor. The third row is as comfortable as in any crossover, an unusual feat of packaging for a truck-based SUV. However, as in most SUVs, the seat would be more comfortable if it were higher from the ground.

 

There’s more usable cargo space behind the Borrego’s third row seat than its measured 12.4 cubic feet suggest, thanks to a regularly-shaped cargo hold. Unlike some crossovers however, the seat doesn’t flip backwards into a cargo well, but it does fold perfectly flat to expand cargo space. The second-row seat also folds forward, but it’s at more of an incline. With the seats folded, there’s more space than most car- or truck-based competitors, or even the full-size Nissan Armada.

 

On the road, your first impression will also be of a car instead of a truck. The standard V6 engine is smooth, quiet, and reasonably powerful (a V8 is also available), the handling is devoid of truck-like body lean and clumsiness, and the turning radius is relatively tight. Gas mileage is also competitive with crossovers; the tested V6 4WD version has an EPA rating of 18 miles per gallon in mixed driving. 

 

But when you hit your first bump in the road, it’s clear you’re in a truck. Though the Borrego has a steady, well-controlled ride on smooth pavement, it slams over bumps without the a car’s composure. If you’re looking at the Borrego, make sure your test drive includes poor roads. 

Being a truck instead of a car does have some utility benefits. You’ll have no trouble if you ever need to go off-road, and the Borrego is rated to tow 5,000 pounds as tested. 

 

Though it’s impossible to evaluate those characteristics on a test drive, a handful of crossovers seem to be approaching similar levels to the Borrego. Other reviews suggest the Honda Pilot behaves quite well in the sort of light-duty off-roading a family car could face, and it is rated to tow up to 4,500 pounds. But although this review cannot independently verify this, a truck will likely do better than a car off road or attached to a trailer. Also, those with the biggest trailers can opt for the V8 Borrego’s 7,500 pound towing capacity.

 

The most similar vehicle to the Borrego currently on the market is the formerly best-selling Ford Explorer, which also has a more comfortable ride and more spacious interior than the average truck-based SUV, and also has an available V8 with a high towing capacity. The Borrego outdoes that SUV in its refinement, interior quality, cargo space, seat comfort, and fuel economy. However, the Explorer undercuts the price of a comparably equipped Borrego by over $2,300 according to pricing site TrueDelta.com.

 

But compared to most similarly sized car- and truck-based SUVs, the Borrego is a pretty good buy. According to TrueDelta, it’s nearly $3,000 less than a comparable Dodge Durango or Nissan Pathfinder and more than $4,000 less than a Chevrolet Traverse or Honda Pilot.

 

Being a relatively good buy doesn’t make it cheap, however. This is Kia’s most expensive product to date, and the near-loaded version driven for this review stickered at over $36,000. (Base models are also reasonably well-equipped.) Pricing site Edmunds.com estimates that with the truck’s $2,000 rebate and some haggling you’ll pay around $33,000, but slow sales mean you can likely get a much better deal. Bear in mind, though, that you can find big discounts on most SUVs these days, so shop carefully.

 

Most positive reviews of truck-based SUVs conclude, or at least ought to conclude, that if you need cargo space but not a high payload or towing capacity or heavy-duty off-road ability, you’d be better served with a car-based vehicle: a crossover SUV or – better by far if you’re brave enough – a minivan. 

 

The Borrego’s review deserves a different sort of conclusion. Unlike other truck-based SUVs, it offers most of a crossover’s benefits in interior space and fuel efficiency while still offering the utility of a truck. Aside from its stiff ride over bumps, there’s no reason not to consider it alongside a crossover while you’re shopping. And if you are planning to tow or go off road, you’ll find nothing with more interior space and refinement than the Borrego priced anywhere near it. 

 

Vehicle tested: 2009 Kia Borrego EX V6 4WD

Vehicle base price: $26,245

Vehicle price as tested: $36,295

Test vehicle provided by: Kia of Waldorf of Waldorf, Md.