Test drive the new Kia Mohave
The SUV has been updated and is now addressed to those who need not just a large, but also a status car
Kia Mohave has been on sale in Russia since 2009, but little is said about it. Most often - at the end of the listing of large seven-seater cars and in the style: "Oh, well, this one is also there." The logic of this attitude is clear - despite the frame structure, Mohave has never been a direct competitor to Mitsubishi Pajero Sport or Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, and the same frame interfered with light crossovers like the Toyota Highlander and the departed Ford Explorer. But the main thing is that the image of the older Kia was too friendly, without a single hint of brutality and power. And this is not in honor of the Russian buyer.
Well, now the problem is solved! Seeing Mohave in the mirror, not only the hitchhikers will rush to give way, but, it seems, even the train drivers. Serious as a sledgehammer, the face resembles at the same time a Tahoe, a Land Cruiser and a Chinese GAC GS8 - and in addition is lavishly decorated with chrome so that no one will have any doubts about the status of the car and its owner. Although this is just an optical illusion: the shape of the body sidewalls eloquently hints that we have the same car, only with a different image. It was as if an ordinary peasant had grown a beard and suddenly turned into a macho.
And this "little man" has worked well with his inner world: Mohave is old, and his salon is completely new. There is no trace of the nondescript and frankly rotten architecture, everything is drawn in the style of other modern Kia, and the main emphasis is on cool electronics. Already in the basic configuration, there is a luxurious multimedia with a 12,3-inch display, familiar from other "Koreans", and in the top version, an elegant digital tidy is added to it.
True, the interior looks more expensive than it really is: instead of real wood, there is plastic here - only rough to imitate a fashionable texture with open pores. Only the upper parts of the front panel and door cards are made a little pliable, and everything below is hard and echoing. At the same time, the interior of the top-end versions is trimmed with expensive nappa leather, and even "in the base" the central part of the seats will be made of genuine leather, and not its substitute. Although tall drivers would probably prefer that the steering wheel be adjusted not only in angle, but also in reach: alas, this function (together with the electric drive of the column) is only required for the most expensive configuration.
But now all Mohave have an electric amplifier: it has replaced the old "hydrach", and it is mounted in a driver's way, directly on the rail. And it is surprisingly pleasant to drive Mohave - if you do not know, then you may not even suspect that this is a frame! Of course, the reactions of the SUV are unhurried, and the rolls are deep, but everything happens clearly and logically exactly to the extent that it does not turn every turn into an arena of struggle with the laws of physics.
Another innovation in the chassis is the amputation of the rear air bellows: now there are conventional springs and shock absorbers "in a circle", and this also benefited the car. Before the restyling, Mohave was both tough and not too energy-intensive, but now it has learned to roll nobly, with a slight buildup on good roads - and take a blow on bad ones. The only thing is that on the top 20-inch wheels the shaking and vibrations are noticeably greater than on the base "eighteenths", but the matter still does not come to frank discomfort.
What the Koreans did not touch at all was the uncontested tandem of a three-liter diesel V6 with 249 horsepower and an eight-speed automatic transmission. And this is good, because everything works smoothly and logically, and the thick, velvet traction does not weaken even when overtaking at suburban speeds. With acceleration to a hundred in 8,6 seconds, Mohave, of course, is not an athlete, but he cannot be called a rogue. But why should a big seven-seater SUV artificially sound itself through the speakers of the audio system? Yes, the synthetic roar is quite pleasant, but it makes more sense to disable this function altogether - and enjoy excellent noise isolation.
Should you drive the Kia Mohave off the tarmac? Yes, but not far. The off-road arsenal is not shameful here: 217 mm of ground clearance, there is a lowering row and, starting with the second configuration, a rear self-locking differential, and instead of rigid blocking of the "center" there are now three different modes - snow, mud and sand - where the electronics itself decides where and how much traction guide. But you need to understand that the geometry of the SUV is not the most successful, and the weight exceeds 2,3 tons, so it is better not to meddle in serious gullies on it. Especially on road tires. By the way, have you ever seen Mohave on M / T "toothy" tires? That's the same.
Despite the status of a frame SUV, this car is primarily a family car, just made according to an ancient American recipe - like the same Tahoe. The frame is needed here rather for your inner peace and subconscious belief in reliability and indestructibility - that's why the good old units in the suit, and the simplified suspension are more a plus than a minus.
And in general, the updated Mohave has solid pluses almost everywhere. The new image allows the general public to remember that such a car exists at all, the interior no longer causes the desire to go out and not return, and in terms of driving performance it is almost the most civilized frame - although it is still far from direct comparison with lightweight crossovers. What else is needed? That's right, interesting prices! And they are: depending on the configuration, the Mohave costs $ 40 - $ 760 and is cheaper than the vast majority of competitors. In theory.
The real state of affairs in dealerships is much sadder. The car hung with obligatory "special stages" is unlikely to be given to you for less than four million - but this approach is now used by everyone. Times are like that. Nevertheless, in the first week since the start of sales, several hundred orders have already been collected - despite the fact that the pre-styling Mohave sold about a thousand copies a year.
But you still won't start to see these gloomy faces in every yard: a tiny production line in the Korean city of Hwasun is capable of sending no more than three thousand vehicle sets to the Kaliningrad Avtotor annually, and it is impossible to increase volumes - the production of frame frames is too different from all the others.
