Autoblog

click above image for high-res gallery of the Kia Borrego

It's that time of year again when people call up all their friends and invite them over for some holiday cheer and the car makers are no exception. Kia Motors kicked off the festivities the other night with a little gathering at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit. The invitation promised Kia America CEO Len Hunt and a special guest. Unfortunately Hunt couldn't make it, but the special guest turned out to be the new Kia Borrego SUV.

The unit on hand was one of two prototypes in the country right now having arrived only days before. Party-goers had the opportunity check out the new truck up close, but it was made clear that as a prototype the interior trim did not include all the final textures and materials. The shapes and layout are complete, but we'll pass on an overall judgment until a vehicle closer to final spec is available. There's plenty more first-hand information on the Borrego after the jump.

[Source: Kia]

Kia has slapped a name on the production body-on-frame SUV born from the 2005 Mesa concept. Dubbed "Borrego," the truck will be offered with V6 or V8 power and have a grille that looks uncannily similar to the one on the Subaru Tribeca. Its headlights are reminiscent of the pre-facelift Chrysler Pacifica, too. We know that designs are locked in long before new vehicles are at a point where they can be shown to the public, but it's still amusing to note the similarities.

Also amusing is the name, Borrego. We're sure that Kia was going for a desert theme, and that the name was inspired by the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California. (In Korea, it'll be called Mojave, in keeping with the desert vibe.) Unfortunately for Kia, in Spanish, "borrego" roughly translates to "lamb" or "sheep," neither of which conjures up a tough image for a new SUV. Last we checked, there are plenty of Spanish-speakers in the US, too, so it's not like this one's gonna sneak by unnoticed.

In all seriousness, the biggest question is whether the crossover-happy marketplace will be welcoming toward a new body-on-frame sport utility. We'll see what the reaction is in January when it's unveiled in Detroit.

[Source: Kia]

click image above for more high-res spy shots of the Kia Mesa

Perhaps Kia thought it was being coy when it supposedly leaked an official detail image of its upcoming Mesa SUV's front end. Who needs an official detail shot, though, when you can rely on inattentive engineers who forget to cover the front end of their mule? Here we get a full frontal view of the Mesa's nose, which indeed confirms that it will closely mirror the visage of the KCD II Mesa concept on which it's based. Unfortunately, the process of converting that concept to production has also altered the front end just enough so that it looks similar to the Subaru Tribeca. The Mesa appears similar in size to a Honda Pilot, or perhaps a Ford Explorer, since it's reportedly a proper SUV, not a car-based CUV. It's expected to be offered with Hyundai's 3.8L V6 producing upwards of 260 horsepower, but like all new models coming out of Hyundai/Kia, a V8 is rumored to be considered, as well.

[Photos: KGP Photography]

Click image for photo gallery

The first teaser/detail shots of the production Kia Mesa SUV are out, and it looks like the body-on-frame truck's outward appearance is going to be close to the KCD-II Mesa concept that made its debut back in 2005 at the Detroit Auto Show. (Is it us, or does that grille look very New Tribeca/Chrysler Town & Country-ish?) Rumored to be showing up sometime in the fall in Korea and early '08 in the US, we should expect to see a 260-horsepower 3.8L V6 underhood. Spy shots that appeared earlier in the year hint at an attractive interior, and there has been speculation that a V8 will be in the mix at some point, too. We have to assume that it'll be shown at either Los Angeles or Detroit if the US release timing really is set for early '08. The biggest question might be whether or not Kia will find an audience for a big SUV in the current climate. That said, with V6 power, a snappy cabin, and assuming it's got three rows of seating, it could be positioned against the GM Lambda crossovers, which are sizable machines, themselves.

[Source: Hyundai Exchange (registration req'd) via Left Lane News]