Ssang Yong Rexton
Large Korean SUV has been built to battle Europe’s best. We see if it succeeds
MODEL TESTED: Ssangyong Rexton 2.2 180 ELX Auto 7 seat PRICE: £34,495 ENGINE: 2.2-litre 4cyl, 179bhp
THE Ssangyong Rexton is a large SUV that’s available with five or seven seats. Here we’ve got the seven-seat variant in ELX automatic trim, which starts at £34,495.
Design & engineering score 3.4
ALTHOUGH it’s not the most handsome SUV, the new Rexton certainly looks a lot more European than its predecessor did. And that’s reflected in the car’s engineering and feel throughout. It follows most of its class rivals with a double-wishbone front suspension set-up and a multi-link system at the rear, and these help to improve handling and interior space.
What it does have that’s unique in this company is a body-on-frame chassis, which has more in common with pick-ups than the latest SUVS.
All Rextons use a 2.2-litre diesel engine with 179bhp and 420Nm of torque, while our test model featured a seven-speed automatic gearbox sourced from Mercedes. This is enough for it to keep up with the Koleos and Outlander on paper, but with a kerbweight of 2,233kg it’s much heavier than the 1,829kg Renault and 1,610kg Mitsubishi.
At 4,850mm long, 1,960mm wide and 1,825mm tall, the Rexton is imposing. It’s significantly bigger than both rivals, but that does mean it’s more spacious inside than the Outlander and Koleos – which is important in this class. The margin isn’t huge, though.
The quality of the interior is a huge step up over its predecessor, and while the layout feels a generation behind the Koleos’s modern look, it’s more interesting than the Mitsubishi’s plain design.
Driving score 3.2
WHILE the Ssangyong has been designed to compete with its European rivals, the old-fashioned chassis set-up means it really does feel more like a pick-up to drive than a modern SUV. Although the suspension deals with large bumps and potholes better than the Mitsubishi, the Rexton never settles down and the ride isn’t nearly as comfortable as the Renault’s in urban areas or on the motorway.
The Rexton’s low-speed ride is disappointing and feels particularly out of its depth on rough roads in town. That’s in part thanks to the high kerbweight, which also hampered it in our acceleration tests. While both of its rivals took the same 9.5 seconds to go from 0-60mph, the Rexton only managed the sprint in 10.9 seconds, and from 30-70mph it was even further behind. The lighter Mitsubishi was the fastest car here, taking 9.1 seconds, with the Renault clocking 9.5 seconds. The Rexton took 11.8 seconds, despite having the most power and torque on test.
Although its ride and performance lag behind its rivals, the Rexton does have a comfortable driving position and the 2.2-litre diesel feels punchy enough out on the road. Its 420Nm of torque is available from as low as 1,600rpm, which means there’s adequate performance available.
The gearbox is smooth enough when you’re driving normally but is overwhelmed if you push a bit harder; the Ssangyong clearly isn’t as dynamic as the best choices in this sector. It’s more sedate than the Renault’s noisy CVT and when you’re at a cruise the Rexton is surprisingly quiet, with much less wind and road noise than you’d expect. We recorded it at 66db at 70mph, beating the Renault’s 70db and the Mitsubishi’s 71db.
Practicality score 4.4
THE huge Rexton is the biggest car here by a significant margin, but that doesn’t quite translate to boot volume. While it has the most spacious load area, with a total of 1,806 litres, the Renault is only just behind, offering 1,795 litres. You won’t notice the difference in practice, but you’ll definitely spot the Rexton’s extra width, although this could cause some problems with tight parking spaces.
The Mitsubishi has the lowest overall load volume of the three cars with a total of 1,608 litres.
The Ssangyong has an advantage over the Renault with its optional third row of seats, but they’re still only best for occasional use. They’re also more useful than the seats in the back of the Outlander mind you, while the Rexton’s impressive towing capacity of 3,500kg is better than some pickups and way ahead of both rivals here.
Ownership score 3.7
EURO NCAP hasn’t rated the Rexton yet, but the Ssangyong does have nine airbags in ELX trim as tested here. It also features a forward collision warning with autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, high beam assist, traffic sign recognition and a parking camera fitted as standard.
In addition, the South Korean model has the best warranty here, with five years’ unlimitedmileage cover. That beats the Mitsubishi’s 62,500mile limit on its five-year warranty, while the Koleos is covered for four years or 100,000 miles.
Running costs score 3.3
YOU might expect reasonable economy figures from these diesel-engined models, but there was a big difference between them on test. The Rexton was slightly more economical than the Koleos, returning 32.6mpg compared with 32.0mpg, but both were beaten by the lighter Outlander’s 40.5mpg.
Residual values are poor for all three cars here. The Ssangyong is predicted to hold on to 44.1 per cent of its list price after three years, so will lose £19,283. The Renault will shed an expected £19,154 (44.8 per cent), while the Mitsubishi loses £19,129 (43.8 per cent), so there’s not much in it.