KGM Musso Rhino (2026 - ) review

The Musso Rhino provides a load volume of one-cubic-metre in its load bed, while the slightly bigger Rhino+ expands that to 1.2 cubic metres, making it (so KGM claims) the biggest pick-up load bed on the road today by volume. Payload-wise, both models can tow up to 3,500 kg, with the Rhino capable of carrying 1,090 kg in the load bed and the Rhino+ upping that slightly to 1,200 kg. Both trucks will happily fit a standard Euro-pallet in the back. The additions of a load bed liner, lashing hooks, a wider tailgate, LED load bed lighting, and rear bumper corner steps are the icing on the cake.

Yeah, we’re fans of the new Musso’s interior look and feel, but it is let down slightly by some laggy tech… we’ll get to that. Let’s start with this: who doesn’t like a not-leather interior with heated and ventilated seats? That’s right… not many people, but we understand those who don’t. Really, this is the interior of an SUV not a working vehicle, but then show me a modern pick-up truck that doesn’t feel like an SUV on the inside. Nice materials and tasteful gold details on the dashboard make the interior pop, and its dual-screen setup – two 12.3-inch displays, one the driver’s digital instrument cluster and the other a touch-screen infotainment display – just fits. If only the operating system had received as good an overhaul as the interior… it’s fiddly, it’s laggy and made of a material that reflects sunlight like a mirror. It also took me a while to work out how to stop it from showing the navigation screen in night mode, because it was practically impossible to see where I was meant to go without a white background on the map. However, remind yourself of the sub-£40K price point and move on. The infotainment system includes Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, and a range of USB charging ports. You also get automatic dual-zone air conditioning with dial controls (yes, real hard buttons for once) and rear air vents. So… the tech keeps up (mostly) with the excellent aesthetics, but we had hoped the infotainment system would get an overhaul.

This is THE section of the review where I double down on the competitive costs. The entry price for the Musso Rhino starts at £38,995 (ex VAT), while the longer-bed Rhino+ starts slightly higher at £39,995 (ex VAT). Back that with the five-year / 100,000-mile warranty and the package-for-the-price swingometer makes it look very attractive on finance or a good lease deal.

So, the new Musso Rhino has 70 years of KGM’s commercial vehicle heritage behind it, and its previous generation won a few awards. We’re told it’s been engineered with an ultra-rigid Quad Frame chassis, which makes it tougher. But really, KGM must be confident in the new Musso’s reliability because it’s slapped that five-year / 100,000-mile warranty on the truck. You know the rule: manufacturer confidence means good warranties means longer coverage for you.

We can’t fault the Musso Rhino too much, but there are some things we noticed. The truck is driven by a 2.2-litre diesel engine tuned for a good range of power demands and speeds. However, the six-speed automatic gearbox is slow to switch up on normal roads at the lower end of the gears, but handles off-road driving in 4L like a boss when either left to its own devices or switched to manual mode. You’ll also feel every lump and bump in the road due to the stiff rear suspension. When we get a test vehicle in for a proper loan we will load it up and see what it’s like then. That said, we like how out-of-the-box-ready the truck feels overall. It’s not a complicated hunk of metal to drive if you get to know its quirks.

While the truck feels held back by its gearbox on the road, it proves its metal off-road. It features a selectable 4WD system (just turn a dial to the mode you want) allowing you to switch between 2WD high, 4WD high, and 4WD low. We were able to do a few loops of a VERY dusty off-road course and found it an easy off-roader to bump about inside of. The camera displays offer good visibility when you’re nose-up cresting a peak and are a top addition. We also enjoyed the simplicity of engaging features like hill descent control, and it had us wondering how long until ALL pick-up trucks are this easy to use. I’d say it’s almost as easy to drive off-road as the Toyota Hilux BEV, which is so simple to drive that you barely have to do anything at all.

The Musso Rhino comes with a suite of safety tech aside from its robust frame and airbags. These include intelligent adaptive cruise control, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Change Warning, Blind Spot Detection, and Rear Cross Traffic Alert. The truck is also outfitted with Electronic Stability, Traction Control, Brake Assist, Electronic Brakeforce Distribution, and a Safety Exit Warning. All good and we await the Euro NCAP safety rating.

Aside from features we’ve already mentioned, there are some other notable equipment additions to note. These include Full LED Projection Headlamps, rear-view camera, and a 360-degree 3D surround-view monitoring system (awesome when you’re off-roading). On the outside you get 18-inch brushed chrome alloy wheels, silver side steps, black/silver roof rails, Rhino graphics, and an embossed tailgate. It definitely looks the part.

You’ll buy the KGM Musso Rhino because it offers all the things a modern pick-up should – towing ability, can hold heavy payloads, looks tough, is tough. We like that the rugged exterior is matched by the tech-heavy SUV-style cabin, but wish the infotainment operating system had been tweaked in this new vehicle. Ultimately, the Musso Rhino provides a high specification level, great load space, and good performance at a competitive sub-£40K starting price. The five-year warranty is also an excellent cherry on the cake. When you put EVERYTHING together in a list, a laggy auto gearbox and sometimes annoying infotainment system may be small enough issues to just go for one.