Kia readies a body-on-frame SUV to rival Toyota Land Cruiser

While not official yet, it looks like the Korean automotive marque may be busy designing a ladder-frame based off-roader with reduction gear and mechanical differential locks.

Roland Riviero, CMO of Land Rover Australia, hinted at this during a media interview. He admitted that even the largest Kia SUVs – such as the Telluride and the Sorento – cannot hope to hold their own in terms of off-road traction and traversability against the likes of Toyota Land Cruiser. He added that it would be nice to have such a model on the lineup.

No further details have been provided. If a Kia-branded body-on-frame SUV were to appear, it would probably feature high ground clearance, a transfer case, mechanical diff locks, and a trailer hitch rated for 3+ metric tons (6,600+ lbs).

The car would be powered by the same 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder diesel engine as the Genesis GV80. Rated at 278 hp (207 kW) and 588 Nm (434 lb-ft) of torque, the mill has more power and torque than the 2.8-liter diesel of the Toyota 1GD-FTV. It is also better in terms of emissions.

The off-roader may ultimately phase out the dated Mohave model that has been on the market for twelve years. Having said that, the Mohave received its latest facelift just a year ago (take a look at it in our gallery and the video), so a replacement likely won’t be coming soon. Australian news media tend to agree that the premiere will be held some time in 2023, and the main target markets will include Australia, Russia and Middle East countries.