There’s something to be said for an otherwise normal Kia to be turned into a race car that can get down and dirty without hesitation. It may not be the craziest Kia concept we’ve seen at SEMA, but it definitely ranks right up there as arguably one of the most fun to drive. I’ll take that over a Kia Soul that doubles as a mobile DJ booth, thank you very much.

The Forte Koup Mud Bogger is the brainchild of Kia and Lux Motorwerks, a New Jersey-based auto shop known for its aftermarket projects. That expertise was on full display in the creation of this racy, one-off Forte Koup. Every inch of the Forte was given some form of modification, be it the exterior, interior, or the chassis.

You can always count on Kia to make its presence felt at the SEMA Auto Show. Over the years, the Korean automaker has to some of the wildest concepts you’ll ever see. Some of the luminaries on this incredibly long list include the Kia DJ Booth Soul, the Hyundai Santa Fe Sport Dee Edition, and lest we forget the entire roster of Justice League-inspired Kias that stole the show back in 2013. This year, Kia’s not bringing any super heroes to Las Vegas, but it is bringing the Mud Bogger, a heavily modified Forte Koup that draws its inspiration from mud racing.

Exterior

This isn’t your ordinary Kia Forte Koup, folks. It might have been at one point in time, but as you can see with all the modifications given to it, the car has taken a completely new identity. The most obvious change to the exterior are the 28-inch off road tires that allow the Mud Bogger to go to places no ordinary Forte Koup would even dare go. To accommodate the massive tires, Kia and Lux Motorwerks modified the fenders and side skirts and lifted the suspension by four inches, thus explaining why the car seems to ride higher than usual. Those tires are mounted to a set of 15-inch Fuel Off-Road Revolver wheels that have been powder-coated in a nice, white finish.

New additions to the car include custom riveted fender flares and a hand-built, white-powder-coated brush guard that helps keep the underbody protected from all the adventures the car is bound to have. A Rigid LED light bar was also installed on the rather unusual-looking front lip, and up on the roof, there is a vinyl pushback that can turn the Mud Bogger into a topless, off-road marauder.

Interior

Since the Forte Koup Mud Bogger is purpose-built for off-road fun, the designers saw no need for any of the creature comforts in the cabin. Alas, most of the amenities were taken out in favor of more functional equipment that could prove to be useful when the car is in its off-road element. The stock seats are gone and replaced with a pair of Sparco Evo II Red Race Seats with 4PT snap-in harnesses. Even the car’s standard steering wheel is gone as a Sparco L575 steering wheel now takes its place. Oh, and the area where the digital display is supposed to be is now the home of three analog gauges.

At the back, a hand-built roll cage was installed where the rear seats used to be, and in case anybody starts looking for the car’s traditional carpeting, those have also been removed and replaced with Line-X protective coating.

Drivetrain

No modifications were given to the Forte Koup’s 1.6-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine so the Mud Bogger will continue to produce 201 horsepower and 195 pound-feet of torque. That setup allows the Forte Koup to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds, although with the way the Mud Bogger is set up, setting blistering lap times is probably the last thing on its mind. This is a car that’s meant to driven hard in the outdoors without any thought of how fast it might go.

Conclusion

The front section looks a little weird, but for the most part, the Forte Koup Mud Bogger is the perfect adventure car for those who enjoy mud racing, or at least in some cases, just letting loose on the back roads. It looks incredibly fun to drive, as long as the driver doesn’t mind getting mud covered with the car. Oh, and if the car is going to be driven the way it’s supposed to, the treads on those 28-inch wheels will definitely earn the wear and tear they’ll be subjected to.