What makes Kia's introduction of the Borrego unique is that it's a truck-like body-on-frame (BOF) SUV in a world of "crossover" car-based SUVs. Kia poked a bit of fun at this trend, noting that on that very same day at the show, some manufacturers were transitioning from BOF to unibody construction—a move that would lower their towing capacity. This jab was probably aimed at Ford, who showed an Explorer America concept that moved the Explorer name from its traditional BOF construction to a 2.0-liter EcoBoost-ed unibody SUV. Ford mentioned that that would give the Explore America "moderate" towing capacity.

But Kia seems to be a bit hasty in condemning unibody construction as being wimpy. (Of course, most families don't tow that much anyway, if they tow at all.) Kia says that the V6 Borrego can tow 5,000 pounds and that the V8 model tows 7,500 pounds.

While those are decent numbers, unibody SUVs aren't that far off. The V6-powered GM Lambda-platform SUVs (Outlook/Enclave/Acadia), for example, are rated to 4,500 pounds. The Acura MDX can tow 5,000 pounds. Honda suggested in their press conference that towing capacity of the Pilot would increase in the 2009 model; the current version tows 3,500 pounds. Finally, the unibody V8-powered Mercedes GL450 can tow 7,500 pounds.

The Borrego does fill an interesting and uncharted niche—an inexpensive alternative to a Lexus GX470 or loaded Toyota 4Runner. But with unibody SUVs becoming more capable each year, it will be interesting to see if buyers are drawn to the Borrego for its construction or more for its combination of price, power (including a promised-in-the-future diesel) and features. 

One last towing note: Ford didn't announce towing capacities of its F-150 at its press conference. That's an odd omission, given the bragging rights that surround towing capacity and that this isn't a new platform. The company only said in the press release that the 2009 F-150 would have "...improve upon the current model's class-leading towing and hauling capability across all cab configurations." Perhaps no one wanted to tow the line...

—Tom Mutchler

See our complete coverage of the 2008 Detroit auto show. And discuss the event in our auto show forum.