Best Korean SUVs & Crossovers in 2021

Korean cars in popularity among Russian motorists have long eclipsed the "Japanese": in terms of quality, they are in no way inferior to cars from the Land of the Rising Sun, but they please at the price. They love the representatives of the Korean car industry both for the quality of maintenance, and for the absence of a shortage of spare parts, and for the opportunity to use their replicas without prejudice to the car itself at a much lower cost. Today we will acquaint our readers with the current state of affairs in the off-road car niche - the Koreans have something to offer us.

Kia mohave

In fact, this is the only real, that is, an exclusively all-wheel drive frame SUV. True, referring to the mid-size segment. He has a brutal and at the same time presentable appearance corresponding to jeeps, a spacious interior and a sufficiently spacious luggage compartment, good off-road potential and modern filling.

Thus, when we say "Korean crossovers and SUVs," the latter primarily mean Mohave.

The updated Mohave SUV was first shown to the public in the spring of 2019, and its international sales started in August.

The length of the car corresponds to the class - 4.93 m, the ground clearance is also quite jeep - 21.7 cm.This is a seven-seater car with a trunk of 350 liters, the volume of which can grow to an impressive 2765 liters with 2 and 3 rows of seats folded.

The range of power units on the Russian market consists of a single 249-horsepower three-liter turbocharged engine that works with an all-wheel drive transmission and an eight-band automatic transmission. The all-wheel drive is realized through a multi-plate clutch, which is assisted by a range multiplier that differentiates the load between the axles.

Domestic motorists have the opportunity to purchase one of three vehicle configurations. Luxe costs at least 3.099 million rubles, for Prestige you will have to pay 3.26 million, and for the top-end Premium version you need to collect 3.56 million.

Ssangyong rexton

The Koreans themselves classify this model as a mid-size SUV, but since it has a real frame structure, it is possible with a bold conscience to clarify that this is an SUV, even if there is not only an all-wheel drive version.

The concepts of the model were shown relatively long ago, in 2013, but the premiere of the real third generation Rexton took place only in the spring of 2017 at the Seoul International Auto Show.

The dimensions of the vehicle are typical for a mid-size SUV - 4.85 m long, 1.92 m wide and 1.8 m high. The ground clearance is 22.4 cm (previously it was 21.6 cm).

Since the car has five seats, its trunk is also spacious - 675 liters.

Under the hood, the third generation SsangYong Rexton has two power units, an in-line 225-horsepower two-liter engine with a turbocharger and an 181-horsepower 2.2-liter turbodiesel. The first is aggregated exclusively with the Aisin six-band automatic transmission, the turbodiesel - with the 7G-Tronic seven-band automatic transmission. In the basic version, the car is rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive is offered as an option, it is implemented together with a reduction gear. Management - using the "washer" located on the center console of the car.

You can buy one of the best Korean crossovers in the minimum Original configuration for 1.2 million rubles, the top version of Luxury will cost 1.86 million.

Kia sorento

This mid-size crossover is well known to Russian motorists, it is very popular for a number of reasons - it is beautiful and respectable, reliable and productive, it has an excellent technical filling and a rich set of options. The restyled version of the SUV was supposed to be presented to the public in 2020 during the Geneva Motor Show, but the coronavirus pandemic intervened in the plans, the event was canceled, and the presentation took place a little later and virtually.

The update turned out to be massive and touched on almost every aspect of the model, and for the first time in history, the Sorento received a hybrid powertrain.

Ranked third in the 2021 Korean crossover rankings, the car measures 4.81 meters in length - a typical value for this class of vehicles. But the ground clearance for a mid-size SUV is clearly too small - 17.6 cm.

And although all configurations of the Kia Sorento are five-seater, the length of the car allows you to optionally install a third row of seats for two people or mount two separate chairs. It is clear that in this case the volume of the trunk becomes quite tiny - 187 liters. Without the third row of seats, the luggage compartment will increase to a solid 820 liters, and if you take into account the underfloor, then you get 910 liters at all. Removing the second row of seats, we get a real truck - 2100 liters of luggage space. In this case, the relief of the site is almost perfectly flat.

At domestic car dealerships, the fourth generation Sorento is offered with two engines: a two-liter aspirated gasoline engine with 180 horsepower and a 2.2-liter 199-horsepower turbodiesel. The first engine is paired with a hydraulic six-band automatic, and both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive are possible for it, an eight-band robot in combination with four-wheel drive is aggregated with a turbodiesel. The latter is realized by means of a multi-plate clutch and can be activated automatically or manually.

With a junior engine, the SUV accelerates to "hundreds" in 10.3 seconds, with a top engine - in 9.2 seconds. The maximum crossover speed is limited to 195 and 205 km / h, respectively. As for the efficiency of the engines, it is impressive: the gasoline unit consumes no more than 8.9 liters in the combined cycle, and the turbodiesel - only 6.1 liters / 100 km.

Available trim levels - 6. The base Classic in the minimum configuration (front-wheel drive) costs 2.15 million rubles, the all-wheel drive version of the Comfort trim level with a gasoline engine will cost you 2.31 million, the Luxe trim level with a turbodiesel costs 2.86 million, and for the top-end version Premium + will have to pay at least 3.15 million rubles.

Hyundai palisade

The fourth place in the ranking of the best new Korean crossovers and SUVs was taken by the full-size SUV, which is considered the leader of the Korean automaker's lineup. The model name is borrowed from one of the elite suburban areas of Los Angeles. Thus, the Koreans seem to hint at the crossover belonging to the premium class, and outwardly, the car really looks majestic and monumental.

Palisade was presented at the end of 2018 during the Los Angeles Auto Show, and six months later the car went on sale in the American market. A crossover from South Korea reached the Russian Federation in 2020.

The brand's previous favorite was the Grand Santa Fe SUV, but the Palisade is bigger and better than its predecessor in almost every respect.

In terms of its dimensions, it is a typical representative of the class of full-size SUVs: with a length of 4.98 m, the width of the car is 1.98 m, and the height is 1.75 m.

The dimensions of the crossover allow you to install a full-fledged three-seater sofa on the gallery, so the eight-seater cabin layout for it is standard. But if you wish, you can order a car in a seven-seater version with two separate seats in the back.

Even so, the trunk is spacious - 510 liters, and if you fold both rear rows of seats, you get over 2000 liters (1300 with the third row folded).

In Russia, Palisade is offered with two power units, a 3.5-liter aspirated gasoline 249-horsepower and a 2.2-liter turbodiesel 200-horsepower.

Both motors are paired with an eight-band hydromechanical automatic transmission. The box is notable for the fact that it can automatically activate parking mode if you turn off the engine or open the door.Four-wheel drive based on a multi-plate clutch is available as an option. The maximum speed for the turbodiesel version is limited to 190 km / h, for the gasoline version - 210 km / h. But the turbodiesel is much more economical, eating 7.5 liters in mixed mode, the gasoline unit is gluttonous, consuming 10.6 l / 100 km.

The initial Lifestyle equipment with a turbodiesel costs from 3.15 million rubles, for a gasoline engine you need to pay 50 thousand extra. There are 4 complete sets (Lifestyle, Prestige, HighTech, Cosmos). The top diesel version will cost 3.75 million rubles, the gasoline one costs 3.8 million. If you want a seven-seater car, then its price will be 3.87 and 3.83 million rubles, respectively.

Kia soul

Closing the top 5 best SUVs of 2021 is the car, which in Russia is considered one of the most reliable Korean compact crossovers. The SUV has a charismatic appearance, it has a fairly spacious interior, driving performance can be called universal, the equipment is at the level, and most importantly - its affordability.

The premiere of the 3rd generation model took place at the end of 2018, and in Russia it became available in the summer of 2019. The size is typical for this class: length - 4.2 m, width - 1.8 m, height - 1.61 m. within the normal range, 18.0 cm. The trunk is small, 364 liters, but of the correct shape, with the rear sofa folded, the volume of the luggage compartment will grow to 1390 liters.

In Russian car dealerships, the crossover is offered with three options for gasoline engines: a 123-horsepower 1.6-liter aspirated engine, a 150-horsepower two-liter analogue and a 200-horsepower 1.6-liter turbodiesel.

The SUV does not have an all-wheel drive, the junior motor is aggregated with a six-speed mechanics or a six-speed automatic transmission, a car with an average power unit is equipped only with an “automatic”, and a seven-speed “robot” is intended for a turbodiesel. The maximum speed range of the new Soul is 180-205 km / h, and the fuel consumption is 6.8-8.0 l / 100 km.

The crossover has as many as 7 complete sets, from the initial Classic to the top-end Premium +. The basic version with a manual transmission costs from 1.03 million rubles, the surcharge for an “automatic” is 60 thousand. For a car with a two-liter engine, you need to pay 1.26 million, the sports modification of the GT Line costs 1.63 million, the top-end equipment will cost 1.65 million rubles.

As you can see, the South Korean car industry has a lot of interesting crossovers and SUVs. True, these are mainly compact and mid-size SUVs, but such are the realities of the modern market. Almost all cars presented in the rating are distinguished by excellent build quality, they are reliable and safe and are generally cheaper than their European and Japanese counterparts.