LexFather

Sad, I did a review on it and liked it A LOT. 6 speed and V-8 option too!

I8ABMR

Makes sense that they want to trim the slower selling larger SUV's. We dont need V8 options anymore. For example the towing capacity on an MDX with a V6 is 5000 lbs. I am sure a V6 would handle most of what people need to tow

LexFather

People should have the option of a v-8. Low end torque is vital and a nice v-8 will strain less than a v-6. Diesel and hybrid options are great too.

V-8s are needed. A company that is barely a luxury brand willl of course have u think u don't need it as they never offered it.

EVERYONE offers it from Kia to Ford.

mmarshall

Not quite....but you're close. Suzuki still limits their SUVs and pickups to V6s, Subaru limits the Tribeca to H6s, and, of course, there is always your pet peeve.....Acura.

LexFather

Its not a pet peeve. Sorry but its completely lame and unacceptable to NOT EVEN OFFER a V-8 but instead to promise one for years and never produce it. Meanwhile KIA and HYUNDAI now have one?

Laughable. It is a shame this vehicle never caught on as it looks pretty good.

mmarshall

Didn't mean the comment in that negative sense, Mike. By "pet peeve", I meant something (perhaps true) that we often complain about. By that standard, I have several "pet peeves" myself that I find lame and unacceptable......firmer-than-necessary tires/chassis, overly-cheap, flimsy interior materials, uncomfortable seats, hood prop-rods, etc......

Like you, I reviewed the 1Gen Borrego and found it sturdy and well-made. It also had something rarely seen from an Korean manufacturer......a traditional, truck-based, body-on-frame SUV design.

The lack of an Acura V8, of course, has been well-discussed in this forum, and most of us feel it is a primary reason why Acura is not considered Tier-1 luxury.....although the RL is otherwise, IMO, a superb car (and the MDX has sold relatively well without one). Acura marketers, however, seem convinced that they can survive without a V8 and RWD, no matter how much we at CAR CHAT or any other forum complain about it. Time, of course, will tell.

LexFather

The Toyota Prado (our GX) has even an I-4 option that overseas loves...we get the V-8 only here. Hell the last 4 Runner offered a V-8.

Its not like its some tough engine to build or design. Everyone freaking has one. It should be an option.

I was pleasantly surprised this Kia did and I think bitkahuna stated this vehicle is like the Ford Explorer (which also has a V-8). This vehicle is a case of a very good car under a brand that didn't market it right, had bad timing and doesn't command the price.

There is NOTHING like a V-8, I don't care how much turbo or hp an I-4 or V-6 engine has.

Hell BMW turbos their V-8s and V-12s

mmarshall

Here, apparantly, they market it as the 4Runner, not the Prado....and, of course, the upmarket Lexus GX version. The 4Runner, of course, has a V6 option......we had a thread, not long ago, on the V6's warranty-issues.

I agree the I-4 is unsuitable for a lot of people here in America......its towing requirements probably aren't hefty enough. People often use the 4Runner for towing boat trailers.




However, you seem to be a fan of Ford's own EcoBoost V6...which, of course, in the ads, tries to imitate the HP/torque of a V8 with the mileage of a V6. The numbers on paper (350/355) are fairly impressive, but I didn't find the actual response of the EcoBoost (or its 6-speed automatic) that impressive in the heavy Lincoln MKT I recently drove. However, for a more fair comparison, I would have liked to try an SHO Ecoboost-equipped Taurus, which of course, is much lighter....they are special-order-only and difficult for public test-drives.

LexFather

I am a fan of it but I don't see it as any V-8 replacement. Notice how Ford offers it and made a new V-8 for the Mustang. Yes a brand new V-8 as you know. In the case of Acura they can't come close to even matching Ford engines which is embarrassing. I think Ford has done a good job offering different engines for different applications.

mmarshall

I'm concerned about what the new CAFE rules are going to do to the future of V8s in the American market as we know them.....I suspect the price of many of them will go up, because they will probably be marketed as diesels or hybrids. There are cylinder-shutdown mechanisms, of course, but they haven't made much of an MPG difference where they are used. But that, of course, is probably a subject for another thread....I won't get too far off-topic.

LexFather

Well it is an "average" so you can offer your nice V-8s as long as you have other more fuel efficient vehicles.

If they don't do it by sales results they need to. Since V-8s sell in small amounts it would make more sense to average it by sales. For instance doing it in a 1 to 1 ratio isn't fair since most V-8s are sold in small numbers.

Also don't forget smaller car makers like Benz/BMW get loopholes.

lex

Why do so many people say that?

The GX and Land Cruiser Prado share most of the exterior "body parts". But the 4Runner looks completely different.

So they really don't market it in the US as anything but the GX460.

mmarshall

In the U.S., the GX460 is essentially an upmarket V8 4Runner, with a plusher interior, more sound insulation, some minor trim differences, and more standard equipment. The GX and 4Runner have been closely related for years.

mkesc400

i hate some of these kias because their designs aren't original to their own company. they always take the major design cues for Lexus or BMW, Mercedes and just use it as their own. I don't care if the cars are getting better, but i won't ever buy one.

mmarshall

The way I look at it, what does it matter if they have some shared styling? Almost no vehicle nowadays has truly original styling any more, simply because there have been so many vehicles introduced over the ages (and so many different styling possibilitie) that almost everything has already been tried in some form at one time or another. And, besides, Kias offer something that BMW and M-B products often don't....good reliability combined with good value on the dollar.