Photo: SB-Medien
The Telluride is now known as Kia's largest SUV, and for most Americans, its extra-large cabin is exactly what's needed. But the Korean automaker is working on a brand new or significantly updated version of its other big boy, known as the Borrego or Mohave, depending on the market.
Borrego means "bighorn sheep" which can be found in the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California. Yes, this is named after sheep, and it's pretty old, dating back to 2008. Assembly takes place in South Korea, but also Russa and Kazakhstan.
The camouflage on this prototype is pretty thick, but the six-lug wheels give it away. Not only is the hole pattern the same as the current model, but the spokes are similar too. Beyond that, we're dealing with a brand new body design, which has clearly been inspired by the rugged Telluride, with a specific kind of headlights. Chunky fog lights sit prominently at the outer edges of the front bumper, which is Kia's new thing. Fixed running boards that are attached along the SUV’s wheelbase let you know it's a serious off-roader.
But even though the platform is over ten years old, we're not sure that this is a brand new machine. Infiniti, Lexus or Toyota - when they launch a brand new SUV of this type, it's usually derived from the old one in some way because the requirements are different to a car. This is about the only segment in the world where wood dashboard trim is still normal, cool even.
The Borrego had a really short run in the American market, but it was indirectly replaced by Sorento. Our Arctic spies suggest that with an all-new Sorento needing to come out in 2020 or 2021, this could be some kind of test mule, but we don't agree.
Engine-wise, we don't expect much to change. Current models are powered by a 3-liter diesel V6 that makes 260 horsepower and 256 lb-ft of torque (347 Nm). There's also a 3.8 petrol unit and a 4.6-liter Tau family V8. The diesel has more gears than the other two at eight.
The camouflage on this prototype is pretty thick, but the six-lug wheels give it away. Not only is the hole pattern the same as the current model, but the spokes are similar too. Beyond that, we're dealing with a brand new body design, which has clearly been inspired by the rugged Telluride, with a specific kind of headlights. Chunky fog lights sit prominently at the outer edges of the front bumper, which is Kia's new thing. Fixed running boards that are attached along the SUV’s wheelbase let you know it's a serious off-roader.
But even though the platform is over ten years old, we're not sure that this is a brand new machine. Infiniti, Lexus or Toyota - when they launch a brand new SUV of this type, it's usually derived from the old one in some way because the requirements are different to a car. This is about the only segment in the world where wood dashboard trim is still normal, cool even.
The Borrego had a really short run in the American market, but it was indirectly replaced by Sorento. Our Arctic spies suggest that with an all-new Sorento needing to come out in 2020 or 2021, this could be some kind of test mule, but we don't agree.
Engine-wise, we don't expect much to change. Current models are powered by a 3-liter diesel V6 that makes 260 horsepower and 256 lb-ft of torque (347 Nm). There's also a 3.8 petrol unit and a 4.6-liter Tau family V8. The diesel has more gears than the other two at eight.
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