Review: The all-new 2026 KGM Musso Rhino & Rhino+
Bigger, bolder and finally feeling all grown up?
Pick-ups are having a bit of an identity crisis these days. Once the preserve of farmers, builders and anyone who thought carpet was something that belonged in a pub, they're now expected to tow horseboxes on Saturday, commute on Monday and whisk the family off camping without anyone complaining that their knees have become part of the dashboard.
That balancing act is becoming increasingly difficult, especially with the benchmark getting higher every year. The Ford Ranger has become the default answer for many buyers, the Toyota Hilux remains the byword for reliability, while the Isuzu D-Max quietly gets on with being a dependable workhorse.
Enter the all-new KGM Musso Rhino and Rhino+.
Formerly known as SsangYong, KGM has spent the past few years rebuilding both its image and its products. The previous Musso carved out a loyal following by offering plenty of metal for sensible money, backed by an excellent warranty. It was never the most sophisticated pick-up in the class, but it did everything well enough and usually undercut the competition on price.
The Rhino and longer-bed Rhino+ don't replace that philosophy—they simply evolve it.
Sitting above the existing Rebel and Saracen models, these become KGM's flagship pick-ups, bringing sharper styling, a far more premium cabin and improvements that suggest the Korean manufacturer has been listening carefully to what owners actually wanted.
The styling certainly grabs your attention.
Gone is much of the previous Musso's slightly anonymous face, replaced by a chunkier grille, bold lighting signature and enough squared-off detailing to make it look genuinely purposeful. It isn't trying to imitate the Ranger or Hilux either, which deserves credit. The Rhino has its own identity, helped by chunky wheelarches, silver side steps, roof rails and an embossed tailgate that proudly spells out KGM.
It's still unmistakably a Musso.
Just one that's spent a bit more time in the gym.
On the road – more SUV than commercial
Fire up the familiar 2.2-litre e-XDi diesel and you're greeted by exactly what you'd expect from a modern commercial diesel. It's not whisper quiet, neither is it agricultural, like the 1.9-ltr D-Max. Instead, there's a reassuring thrum that settles down nicely once underway.
Producing 202PS and 400Nm of torque through an Aisin six-speed automatic gearbox, outright acceleration isn't going to trouble anything wearing an ST badge, but that's missing the point entirely. This engine feels honest and dependable.
There's plenty of low-down shove for joining motorways, overtaking slower traffic or dragging a fully loaded trailer away from a junction without breaking sweat.
The Aisin gearbox deserves praise too. Unlike some transmissions that spend half their lives wondering what gear they ought to be in, this one simply gets on with it. Shifts are smooth, predictable and generally well matched to the engine's torque characteristics.
Around town the Rhino feels surprisingly manageable.
Visibility is excellent thanks to the commanding driving position, while the steering feels nicely weighted without becoming overly light or artificial. Yes, it's a sizeable pick-up, but it never feels intimidating.
Out on faster A-roads it settles into an easy rhythm. But remember, it’s a commercial vehicle under 7.5 tonnes and therefore restricted to:
Single carriageway: 50mph
Dual carriageway: 60mph
Motorway: 70mph
Body control is noticeably better than older Mussos, with less wallowing through bends and improved composure over undulating roads. There's still the familiar pick-up bounce when the load bed is empty—physics hasn't suddenly disappeared—but KGM has done an admirable job of keeping things under control.
Motorway refinement is another noticeable improvement. Wind noise is well suppressed, road noise remains acceptable even on coarser surfaces, and long journeys become genuinely relaxing rather than something to endure.
It's still built on a separate ladder chassis, so it never quite matches the refinement of an SUV, but the gap continues to shrink.
Fuel economy should prove respectable rather than remarkable. Expect somewhere in the low-to-mid 30s mpg during mixed driving, improving on longer motorway runs if you're gentle with your right foot. Load it with a tonne of equipment or hitch up a sizeable trailer and naturally those figures will begin to fall.
Then again, nobody buys a double-cab pick-up expecting hybrid hatchback economy.
Built for getting muddy
Let's be honest, a surprising number of modern pick-ups never actually leave the tarmac.
The Musso Rhino deserves better than that.
The first thing you notice is that the ground clearance has also improved, now sitting at around 245mm depending on model, while healthy approach and departure angles allow you to tackle steeper obstacles without immediately redecorating the bumpers.
Selectable four-wheel drive gives you the choice between 2WD, 4WD High and 4WD Low, allowing the drivetrain to suit everything from wet roads to deeply rutted tracks.
Better still, there's a proper low-range transfer box. That immediately earns respect.
The whole point, in my opinion at least, on testing a 4x4 off-road, isn’t to see what it’s capable of, but to find out what it isn’t capable of. So with that in mind when the instructor suggested we gave it a bit more acceleration around a rutted corner leading up to an incline, I did the opposite - I wanted to find the Musso’s limit, and I found it.
Despite having plenty of electronic aids, the Musso doesn’t come with a rear locker, and at a peculiar angle, with its two opposing wheels off the ground, the Musso sat there, kicking up dust.
Not a problem, reversing slightly and taking a slightly different line meant that we made it up without it having a hissy-fit.
Of course it has hill descent control, but I found that selecting manual and leaving the Musso in 1st gear eliminated the need to use it on some of the man-made obstacles around the off-road course.
The suspension strikes a decent compromise too. It's compliant enough to keep wheels planted over uneven terrain while remaining comfortable enough on-road to avoid shaking fillings loose.
No, it isn't pretending to be a hardcore rock crawler, nor should it, this is a working pick-up that happens to be very capable off-road, and that's arguably a far more useful combination.
Towing is another area where the Rhino continues to shine.
A 3.5-tonne towing capacity matches the class leaders, while the impressive gross train weight means you can still carry a substantial payload without immediately exceeding legal limits.
If your weekends involve caravans, horseboxes, plant trailers or boats, the Musso remains one of the stronger options available, as it’s able to tow 3.5-tonne whilst also carrying a tonne.
Living with it
Step inside and it's immediately obvious where much of KGM's development budget has gone. This is comfortably the nicest Musso cabin yet.
The dashboard feels more contemporary, material quality has taken a noticeable step forward and there's enough soft-touch trim to make it feel much closer to a modern SUV than an agricultural commercial vehicle.
The twin 12.3”screens dominate proceedings without appearing overly gimmicky.
Thankfully, KGM has resisted the temptation to bury absolutely everything inside the touchscreen. This deserves applause.
One of the Rhino's biggest victories comes in the form of proper rotary climate controls.
Yes.
Actual dials.
You can adjust the temperature without taking your eyes off the road or repeatedly stabbing at a glossy screen while bouncing across a pothole.
It sounds like a small thing. It isn’t.
Manufacturers obsessed with minimalist interiors would do well to pay attention.
The front seats are particularly impressive.
Finished in Nappa leather with electric adjustment, heating and ventilation, they're supportive enough for long motorway drives yet comfortable enough for everyday commuting.
Rear passengers aren't forgotten either, there’s genuinely useful legroom, heated outer seats and rear air vents, making family journeys much more pleasant than they once were in the average pick-up.
Storage is plentiful, with large door bins, decent cupholders, useful cubbies and wireless phone charging mean everyday clutter has somewhere sensible to live.
It's all very practical without becoming fussy.
The business end
Of course, none of this matters if the load bed can't actually do any work. Fortunately, it can.
The standard Rhino already offers over 1,000 litres of cargo capacity, while the Rhino+ stretches that to more than 1,260 litres courtesy of its significantly longer load bed. That extra length makes a genuine difference if you're regularly carrying bikes, timber, camping equipment or awkward DIY purchases.
Both comfortably accommodate a Euro pallet, while eight tie-down points, a durable bed liner and LED load lighting all help make life easier.
Loading isn't particularly difficult either.
The tailgate is reasonably manageable, the bumper corner steps are genuinely useful rather than decorative, and once inside there's enough room to throw in muddy recovery gear, a week's worth of camping equipment or the inevitable collection of "I'll sort that later" items that somehow end up living permanently in every pick-up.
Technology... and the little annoyances
Modern vehicles arrive packed with electronic safety systems. Some are brilliant, some feel like they're being supervised by an overly enthusiastic driving instructor. The Rhino lands somewhere in the middle.
Adaptive cruise control works well. Blind spot monitoring is genuinely useful. The 360-degree camera is excellent for manoeuvring something this large into supermarket parking spaces designed when cars were roughly the size of wheelie bins.
Lane Keeping Assist, however...
Like many systems across the industry, it can occasionally become a little overprotective on narrow country roads where hedges, tractors and broken white lines rarely behave themselves.
The important question is whether you can switch it off without completing an engineering degree. Thankfully, yes. It's reasonably straightforward through the vehicle settings, although - as the EU dictates - you’ll likely need to repeat the process every time you restart the vehicle.
Now for the really good news - the heater controls remain refreshingly old-school dials, proving that not every function needs hiding behind three touchscreen menus and an inspirational animation. Long may that continue.
Verdict
After spending around 40 minutes behind the wheel on the road and a similar amount of time tackling KGM's off-road course, I came away with a very positive first impression of the new Musso Rhino. That's enough time to get a genuine feel for a vehicle, but not enough to deliver a definitive verdict. Real ownership is about far more than a carefully curated launch event, which is why I've already put my name down for a week-long test.
That said, first impressions count, and KGM appears to have got the important things right.
Rather than trying to reinvent the double-cab pick-up, it has concentrated on improving almost every area that mattered. The cabin feels genuinely premium, the ride is more refined, the technology is stronger without becoming overcomplicated, and off-road capability remains exactly as a proper pick-up should be. Practicality is excellent, while its towing credentials continue to sit comfortably alongside the class leaders.
KGM's generous five-year, 100,000-mile warranty also adds welcome reassurance for anyone planning to keep the vehicle for the long haul.
Perhaps more importantly, the Musso Rhino still represents decent value. While many rivals continue edging ever closer to luxury SUV money, KGM has produced a pick-up that delivers a tremendous amount of vehicle for the asking price.
It feels like a truck designed by people who understand how these vehicles are actually used. Work during the week. Adventure at the weekend. Family duties somewhere in between.
If badge prestige tops your list, you'll probably look elsewhere. But if you're after a genuinely capable, comfortable and well-equipped pick-up that's just as happy towing a trailer as it is heading into the hills loaded with bikes, tents, dogs and enough camping gear to survive a small apocalypse, the new Musso Rhino deserves a place on your shortlist.
It's grown up. It's smarter. It's more refined.
I'll reserve my final judgement until I've lived with one for a proper week, but based on what I've experienced so far, KGM has produced a pick-up that deserves to be taken very seriously.
And perhaps best of all, it still looks like it'd much rather be covered in mud than parked outside a coffee shop.
Because a pick-up that spends its entire life outside coffee shops is about as useful as a chocolate snorkel.
For more details: KGM Musso Rhino UK