Dirty weekend with SsangYong

In the market for a capable SUV or a rugged pick-up? There’s no shortage of choice from the usual suspects of Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan and so on.

A left-field brand that’s well worth checking out is SsangYong. The South Korean company has been producing vehicles since the 1950s and has had a small but tenacious toehold in the UK market for nearly 20 years.

The past few years has seen the firm revamp its UK line-up, with the Korando, Tivoli and Rexton SUVs and the Musso pick-up truck.

I spent a morning in the Lake District putting the Rexton and Musso through their paces on a challenging off-road course.

The Rexton is the company’s biggest SUV. Costing from £29,995, it’s available in five or seven-seat formats. It was introduced in 2017 and has just been given a refresh for 2020.

The Musso, meanwhile, costs from £21,995 excluding VAT and is a tough-as -nails pick-up that can tow 3.5 tonnes and carry 1,085kg in its load bay – at the same time, a feat no other pick-up can match.

One big item that’s well worth

“Crawling along the shore of Lake Windermere I discovered prodigious off-road capabilities

flagging up is SsangYong’s remarkable warranty. All of its vehicles come with a seven-year, 150,000 mile warranty.

That beats even Kia’s seven-year, 100,000 mile offering and makes it the best warranty in the entire car industry by a country mile.

When I last drove the SsangYong range, well over a decade ago, their vehicles were good value and rugged but lagged behind the opposition when it came to comfort and refinement.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover the Rexton and Musso are modern on the outside and the inside, with a clear, crisp touchscreen, soft-touch materials and luxuries like heated seats.

Both models can switch between two and four-wheel drive and have high and low ratios for off-roading.

Crawling along the shore of Lake Windermere before rising into the rugged woodland of the fells I discovered both SUV and pick-up have prodigious off-road capabilities. From steep muddy hills to football-sized boulders and slippery tree roots, they conquered everything we could throw at them.

I covered around 10 miles in each on tarmac – not enough to properly assess them, but enough to discover they’re as refined and capable as most of their opposition.

Having not driven a SsangYong in a very long time I’m now relishing the next opportunity to drive one.

The SsangYong Rexton, above and left, and the Musso, below, are put through a challenging off-road course near Lake Windermere.