Boris sent us an interesting SUV comparison report from his homeland, the United Arab Emirates. Their very popular auto-magazine issued a comparison test among three popular body-on-frame built SUVs. One of them was Kia Mohave, known as Borrego in USA, and they pitched it against it’s two main rivals, the second generation Honda Pilot and the good old Ford Explorer.
Compared in several different areas, such as exterior design, interior styling and driving. Kia Mohave beats or equals both contenders. It also offers better off-roading capabilities, packs more standard equippement and is competitevily priced. It’s a clear winner among compared SUVs. Thanks for this report Boris!
Verdict
All three SUVs are fairly accomplished, but they have their share of drawbacks too. The Honda isn’t very capable off-road but it’s very well built and packs a load of kit. That said, it is also the most expensive. On the flip side Honda will hold it’s value better than the Kia or Ford.
The Mohave, meanwhile, is a fine first attempt from the South Korean Kia and packs a huge amount of kit as standard. It’s fairly competent off-road, but suffers from poor brakes.
It’s cheaper than Honda, but costs more than Ford. Although it comes with Kia’s bullet-proof warranty, it’s too early to determine it’s resale value compared to it’s rivals.
Finally, Ford explorer is the cheapest, but doesn’t get much standard kit. It has acceptable dynamics, but is let down by staid styling and a dull interior.
If I had to choose, I’d pick the Mohave. It’s more expensive than the Ford, but you get a lot more for your money. All-around, it offers the best compromise in terms of price and performance.
Click image to enlarge!
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November 3rd, 2008 at 2:04 pm
the pilot is crossover. isnt it. After asking why they compared it with pilot, they said that they wanted to find out if crossovers can really be a good replacement for traditional BOFs
November 3rd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
In the US, the Pilot is the most expensive by $600. The Explorer and Mohave are priced the same. I wonder why they tested the base models. The optional V8’s in the Explorer and Mohave easily outpace the Pilot.
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Most probably V8 are not available in the UAE, so they tested V6s.
November 3rd, 2008 at 5:33 pm
the pilot doesn’t come with a V8 so i’m sure they wanted to compare the closest thing to eachother, which would be V6’s.
November 3rd, 2008 at 6:39 pm
we get the V8 start of next year for mohave,
November 3rd, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Makes sense. I wonder why the delay on the V8?
November 4th, 2008 at 2:43 am
Pilot looks like a joke! It is like a plastic toy!
November 4th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Hi Boris,
Don’t they have real 4WD’s like the Toyota Landcruiser 200 series, Nissan Patrol, or even the Land Rover Discovery in your country. As has been said before, the two vehicles up against the Mohave look hideous and their 4WD offroad qualities are dubious.
November 4th, 2008 at 9:29 am
the most popular is prado, it isnt exactly ready for comparison cuz its not any good in the comfort and road handling area. And LC200 isnt in mohave’s class and I’m not sure if discovery is in the same class either [just pure-bred off-roader]. they used explorer cuz it was one of the first ‘SUVs’ and has been in the market for a long time so here they want to see if a new kid on the block is better than a vetran. the pilot was one of the first crossovers of this size that was aimed at offering an alternative to gas guzzling BOFs. here they want to see if the BOF would have been a better choice for Kia.
November 4th, 2008 at 10:20 am
Mohave looks far more attractivet than Pilot. It looks very powerful and massive compared to both other vehicles.
November 4th, 2008 at 11:19 am
hmm, pilot looks massive to me. but mohave looks the best and I like that shot of the mohave in the 3rd page.
January 7th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
I live in Kuwait from 2 years and when i was buying a car in 2006 i was considering the Toyota Prado or the Mitsubishi Pajero. But everybody drives them here. I went to Kia andi fell in love in the Sorento. I have a sorento right now and i will be waiting for the V8 mohave to show up and then i’ll buy it. V6 its not enough anymore. I wanna experience Kia’s V8. Surely i won’t be disappointed as i wasn’t with the sorento. It is a great car.
January 11th, 2010 at 11:40 am
I am using Mohave Type 3 since September 2008 - I find it very strong Vehicle specially on High way (Heavy Trucks Road) it is not shaking at all when it pass any Trucks even if there is strong winds – I recommend this brand to those who would like to have a 4 wheel Vehicle or Family Vehicle.