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WADI CREEPY

“It doesn’t just accelerate, it leaps forward
like a dirt bike with wonky hormones”

ATTACK
What to do with the Mohave

Forget about this review. Just go ahead and plonk your 12 grand on the table and walk away with this car. It’s a winner and while the rest of the article will follow, this is all you need to know.

Kia has been around a much longer time than most know, or remember. Founded in 1944, it is South Korea’s oldest car manufacturer and has since reached out silently across the world, making progress while others have been splashing about. Over the past couple of years it opened a billion-dollar plant in North America, and now eyes the European market. And that takes a lot more than it has ever been given credit for. Kia has been attacking the market for decades, eating into the pie with the Sportage, Rio, Opirus and other such offerings, each doing its bit to build the brand, but none exactly emblazoning itself across the road. The Mohave has the power to do that – it is in many ways what Kia has been working towards for the past 64 years, easily the best car Kia has ever produced.

Why?

Why the Mohave? To start off, this isn’t the latest model of a SUV we’re talking about. This is the first Mohave ever, a brand new product designed from scratch and obviously with a lot of thought not just about itself but about who it is competing against and what it needs to win.

Styling

Much more contemporary than the rest of the line-up. The Mohave isn’t the most original of designs – it is almost predictably good
looking – but it is smart enough to appeal to almost everyone’s taste. There’s a bit too much sheen on the front grill for our taste, but the front is still attractive, and certainly assertive. The headlights are the best part, with a slight wing-tip effect as they wrap around the sides. Side mirrors incorporate turn indicators on the outside.

Ride

Rock steady. The Mohave is a lot heavier than we imagined and sits down well on the road around corners, without that floating feeling that the car is escaping you, so common in SUVs as you drive through a curve.

Speed

Unbelievable acceleration. Press down and the Mohave doesn’t just accelerate, it leaps forward like a dirt bike with wonky hormones. Magical things happen as you hit 5,000rpm.

Brakes

Sufficient, but without that hard bite we would want on something that can hurtle its way into the nether worlds beyond the speed limit.

Controls

Excellent. A few seconds is enough to get to know what you have to before hitting the road – everything just flows after. Very well designed switches, especially for the air conditioner fan and temperature, and for the 4WD modes.

4WD

Forget about a second gear lever. Just twist a knob between the
automatic 4WD, low and high mode. It doesn’t get any simpler. As for capability, we tried it over rocks and slopes and it didn’t bat an eyelid, though we have to say we didn’t really test it to its limits.

Luxury

We drove the top of the line version, and for RO12,000 you get the works. Leather-encased steering wheel, sunroof, fantastic music system and everything else you need.

Bottom line

Like we said in the beginning, this one is a no-brainer – if you have the money and like the looks, buy it.