Wraps come off new Kia 4x4

You wait ages for a new Kia SUV to come along, then three turn up at once! These pictures reveal plenty about the Borrego ahead of its official world debut at the Detroit Motor Show in the US in January.

But these aren’t spy shots – they are official photographs. In its Korean homeland, the Borrego is called the Mohave, and that version has just been unveiled. Sources at Kia say that, bar the badge, the 4x4 is identical to the car which could be sold here.

Gunning for established rivals such as the Land Rover Discovery and Hyundai Santa Fe, the Borrego is a toned-down version of the Mesa con­cept seen at the 2005 Detroit expo.

As you can see here, though, its styling is imposing with a bold chrome grille, big headlights and a chunky stance. Much larger than the firm’s current Sportage and Sorento SUVs, it has space for seven, thanks to three rows of seats.

It looks as if this is Kia’s highest quality cabin yet, with a classy centre console along with a neat digital display, clean dials and wooden trim around the automatic gearstick.

A choice of V6 or V8 petrol en­-gines will be offered, as Kia has yet to unveil a new large diesel. With a variable four-wheel-drive system and plenty of torque, the Borrego – named after a rare breed of mountain sheep – promises superb towing capacity and decent off-road ability.

Most of the Borrego’s sales will be in the US, but UK bosses hope to bring the big off-roader here.