Once upon a time, there was a capable body-on-frame mid-size Kia Borrego SUV. Back then, the vehicle wasn’t a strong seller, so the Korean car manufacturer decided to replace it with a completely new nameplate. That turned out to be a good move because the family-oriented replacement Sorento is among the best in the automaker’s fleet. These days, the automaker works on the new 2021 Kia Borrego which will return to North America as a more upscale alternative to the Sorento.
The new Borrego (Mohave outside of the U.S.) has been previewed a few days ago the Seoul Motor Show. The manufacturer introduced the Mohave Masterpiece concept that is basically a production-ready boxy-shaped SUV and a pretty capable off-roader. In addition to the blocky shape, the SUV provides a few interesting details which will hopefully stay when the production model arrives. First of all, the 2021 Borrego will keep the automaker’s evolutionary tiger-nose grille and muscular fascia. The rugged, powerful design has been spiced up with LEDs at both sides and metal skid plates.
According to Kia, the concept uses the all-wheel drive system and provides go-anywhere capability. However, they didn’t provide any closer information regarding the performance of the SUV, so we have no clue what’s going to power the returning Borrego. Still, bearing in mind that the concept hosts quad exhaust tips, there should be something quite powerful beneath the hood. The SUV might be using its old, yet improved 3.8-liter V-6 engine that powers the all-new Telluride as well. The transversely mounted unit with direct injection technology pumps out 291 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. Like we said before, the mill will be mated strictly to the all-wheel drive system that’s going to get power via an eight-speed automatic transmission.
As far as we’ve managed to find out, the 2021 Kia Borrego/Mohave will be introduced either late this year or in early 2020.
