North America
The Kia Borrego was introduced as the largest SUV in Kia's lineup of vehicles in the U.S. in July 2008[11] for the 2009 model year. The lineup of the Borrego in the U.S. was as follows:
The LX was the base model Borrego, though it was very well-equipped for its $26,245 MSRP base price. It included such features as: cloth upholstery, keyless entry, AM/FM stereo with single-disc CD/MP3 player and USB/iPod and auxiliary audio input jacks and SIRIUS Satellite Radio, six speakers, single-zone climate control, 17" alloy wheels, Electronic Stability Control, Hill Assist, lower Argent body cladding, and a 3.8 L V6 engine with a 5-speed automatic SHIFTRONIC transmission. Features such as a 6-disc in-dash CD/MP3 changer, power front bucket seats, leather seating surfaces, 4WD, and fog lamps were optional equipment.
The EX was the mid-grade version of the Borrego, had a $27,995 MSRP base price, and added features to the LX such as: an AM/FM stereo with six-disc in-dash CD/MP3 changer and SIRIUS, a 10-speaker Infinity premium sound system with external amplifier and rear-mounted subwoofer, steering wheel audio controller, leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, 18" alloy wheels, and power front bucket seats. Features such as 4WD, leather seats, heated dual front bucket seats, power sunroof, chrome 18" wheels, dual-zone climate control, touchscreen GPS navigation system with Bluetooth hands-free/streaming and voice recognition, a rear-seat DVD entertainment system, power adjustable pedals, and a 4.6 L Tau V8 engine with a 6-speed automatic SHIFTRONIC transmission were optional. All Tau models include their respective "V8" badges to the left of the "EX" badging, the V8 was only optional on EX models and standard on Limited trims.
The Limited was the ultimate top-of-the-line version of the Borrego, had a $37,995 MSRP base price, and added premium features to the EX such as: a standard 4.6 L Tau V8 engine, exclusive "Limited" badges on both front doors, air ride suspension, power adjustable pedals, black perforated leather seating surfaces, power dual front bucket seats, power sunroof, chrome 18" alloy wheels, heated dual front bucket and 2nd row seats (heated 2nd row seats were nearly unheard of in a Midsize class SUV,) Infinity premium touchscreen GPS navigation system with Bluetooth hands-free/streaming, SIRIUS, and voice recognition, 3D TFT instrument cluster display with electronic temperature gauge and red accents, push-button starter with keyless touch entry, and a Homelink transmitter. 4WD was optional. The Limited was only available with Onyx Black exterior/black perforated leather interior, and will be denoted by monochromatic cladding with small "Limited" badges on the bottom corners of both front doors. The Borrego Limited, along with the newly debuted Hyundai Genesis, denoted Hyundai and Kia North America's entry into the premium luxury market by offering premium features at a lower price point. This would eventually lead to the sale of the flagship Hyundai Equus in the U.S. the following year, and the eventual formation of the Genesis brand as a whole in 2016.
All models were available with optional 4WD. The 3.8 V6 has a rated towing capacity of 5,000 lbs, while the 4.6 V8 has a rated towing capacity of 7,500 lbs.
2009-2010 were the only model years for the Borrego in the U.S, though most dealer inventory lasted until early 2011, and certain U.S. territories received extremely small numbers of the Borrego until 2014. The 2008 recession would see the American market shift more towards smaller, car-based, unibody style crossover vehicles with smaller engines, due to rising petrol and oil prices. This would be seen as a very untimely arrival of the Borrego, when fuel prices were in excess of $4 USD/gallon. The Borrego's body-on-frame design would also be severely derided, due to the fact that it drove "like a full-size pickup truck," despite the fully independent suspension setup. The standard 3.8 litre V6 engine would eventually prove to get worse petrol mileage than the optional 4.6 liter V8 engine by a slightly noticeable margin. Only 22,700 Borregos would be built between May 2008 and January 2009 for the U.S. There were 68 Borregos built in U.S. territories between October 2009 and May 2014, making the total U.S. Borrego production consist of 22,768 units. The Borrego's eventual replacement would take shape in the form of the Kia Telluride in 2020. The smaller unibody Kia Sorento crossover, built in West Point, Georgia, for the 2011 model year, served as the Borrego's eventual placeholder until the 2020 model year. The Sorento would offer the 3rd row seating of the Borrego, while lacking the V8 engine, the body-on-frame design, and the rear-wheel drive base of the Borrego. The Telluride would eventually step in for 2020 to fill the void the Borrego would leave behind in size, though still lacking the V8 engine option and body-on-frame design of the Borrego however it does have the 3rd row seating like the Burrego and Sorento do.
The rising oil and petrol prices would also see the 4.6 L Tau V8 being dropped from the Borrego/Mohave globally, after U.S. production ceased in January 2009.
