Greetings from Cle Elum, Washington. I'm here at the Suncadia Resort, where I've traveled in order to drive the 2009 Kia Borrego. I flew in to Seattle Tacoma Airport a few hours ago, and drove the 80 miles east behind the wheel of a Borrego.

The drive was extremely pleasant, mostly highway miles through the Cascade Mountains. The Borrego is a new mid-size SUV poised to go head-to-head with the Toyota 4Runner, Nissan Pathfinder and Ford Explorer. I drove a V6-powered Borrego today, and it did a fine job of crossing the mountains in comfort and style.

The big question I'm going to be asking myself over the next day or so, as I listen to the Kia engineers and marketers give their presentations, is "Does Borrego stand a chance in the current economic climate?"

Stay tuned for the answer after I've spent some more quality time behind the wheel of the 2009 Kia Borrego.

Photo © Kia Motors America