Kia - 2009 New Car and SUV Line-Up
Kia has introduced one new vehicle in 2009 - the Kia Borrego, a new full-size SUV. In addition, Kia now has its first V8 engine that is also available in the Borrego. The manufacturer made significant leaps in its reliability and is also improving the safety of its vehicles. The new Borrego recently achieved a five-star rating in the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's crash safety testing.
Let us start with the new Kia vehicle. For 2009, Kia has introduced the Borrego. It is a completely new full-size SUV that is designed to compete with vehicles such as the Ford Explorer and the Toyota 4Runner. Customers have the option of buying a 3.8 liter V6 engine or a 337 horsepower 4.6 liter V8 engine. The 4.6 liter is the first V8 engine that is available through Kia.
The Kia Optima was updated for the 2009 model year. The mid-size sedan has a new interior and exterior. The SX model was also added to the line up. Fuel economy improvements have also been made to the four cylinder engine and V6 engine that are available for the Optima. Kia has added antilock brakes and electronic stability control as a standard feature to its Optima models. The styling has also been updated for the Kia Sportage for 2009.
A four cylinder engine has been added to the Kia Rondo which previously was only available with a V6 engine. Finally, in a commitment to safety, Kia has introduced active headrests as standard on the Sorento and Spectra models.
Kia has made siginificant improvements in the reliability for its models in 2009. In a recent Consumer Reports' study on reliability, Kia improved twelve places to receive a tenth position in the overall manufacturers' rankings. This is the largest improvement of any automotive manufacturer that was tested in the study. Most of the Kia models received average or above average ratings for reliability in the Consumer Reports' study. The Kia Optima results clearly showed that Kia has improved its commitment to reliability and quality. The vehicle was rated as one of the "Most Reliable Family Cars" by Consumer Reports.
In terms of safety, Kia, as all brands, has made improvements in 2009. Although Kia is not known for its safety, Kia says they are committed to changing that. The performance of the Kia Berrego in the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's test supports this statement. The new Borrego achieved a five-star crash safety rating in the front and side impact tests conducted by the agency. The Borrego is the fifth Kia vehicle to achieve this rating.
In summary, Kia has introduced a new full-size SUV, the Borrego, into the US market for 2009. Kia also has its first V8 engine in production this model year. The brand has made the largest improvement of any automotive manufacturer in recent reliability tests conducted by Consumer Reports. Finally, Kia states that they are committed to improving safety. If the results of the recent Borrego's crash safety tests is anything to go by, Kia is up to meeting this challenge.
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