Kia’s second-generation Mohave made its initial debut at 2019 Seoul Motor Show as the Masterpiece concept
In many countries, the Kia Telluride is the most premium SUV offering from the South Korean brand. However, in its international portfolio, the Mohave is technically Kia’s top-of-the-line SUV even though it is overshadowed by the likes of the newer, better yet lesser Telluride — winner of the prestigious World Car Of The Year (WCOTY) award for this year.
Also known as the Kia Borrego in markets such as North America and China, the second-generation Kia Mohave went on sale in its home country towards the end of last year. The all-new Kia Mohave made its global debut as the Masterpiece concept back in March last year, at 2019 Seol Motor Show. The 2020 Seol Motor Show (13th instalment) has been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis.
Now, the SUV has received a range-topping variant, dubbed Mohave Gravity. It is offered in 5, 6 and 7 seater configurations. Compared to the standard version, changes are mostly limited to cosmetics and interior equipment.
For starters, the front grille has gone through a slight redesign which further adds to the strong overall presence. There is a black theme going on all across the body including the new set of 20-inch six-spoke wheels. Its full-LED headlamp and tail lamp assembly remain untouched. They heavily draw inspiration from the original Kia Masterpiece concept.
An interesting fact worth mentioning is that the SUV does not wear a ‘Kia’ badge anywhere on its body. Instead, it proudly wears an exclusive Mohave shield at the front alongside ‘MOHAVE’ written in bold in key locations.
On the inside, there is some major Alcantara treatment spread across the steering wheel, door panels and centre console. In the Gravity variant, the Mohave gets a bigger 12.3-inch touchscreen unit alongside ambient illumination around the doors and dashboard.
In the South Korean market, the Kia Mohave Gravity is available in three configurations: 5-seater, 6-seater and 7-seater. Prices start at around 55,470,000 South Korean won (roughly $45,475 or Rs 34.37 lakh). This makes the Mohave Gravity even more expensive than the top of the line Telluride SUV.
In traditional SUV fashion, the new-gen Kia Mohave has a ladder-frame chassis. It is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 diesel good for almost 260bhp and 560Nm of torque. This output is sent to all four wheels via an 8-speed TC automatic transmission. In addition to a 4×4 Low mode, there are six driving modes: Comfort, Eco, Sport, Sand, Mud and Snow. The US market is eagerly looking forward to its debut as the previous model (Borrego) was quite popular.