This Korean firm presents enormous worth for patrons on a funds.
SsangYong, which is about to quickly be rebranded KG Mobility after a protracted takeover course of, has all the time been thought of the ‘different’ South Korean automobile maker behind Hyundai and Kia.
And in Australia, the corporate has all the time hung its hat on worth for cash as one of many key issues for patrons. In 2023, that’s like whispering candy nothings into the ears of new-car shoppers, as costs proceed to rise and spec sheets always change.
SsangYong isn’t proof against that sort of exercise, with the 2023 SsangYong Rexton line now being topped by this mannequin, the Sport Pack. For 2022 it was often known as the Black Version, and this automobile even has that badge nonetheless on it.
However the spec is identical, the worth continues to be enormous, and there’s quite a lot of containers ticked for patrons who desire a seven-seat, diesel-powered, 4×4, automated, 3.5-tonne-towing-capable SUV that occurs to have an impressive on-paper possession promise.
Is there a catch? Are there a number of? Learn on to seek out out.
How a lot does the Ssangyong Rexton Sport Pack price?
Costs haven’t modified since 2022, and we now have the flagship Sport Pack on check, which lists for $56,585 drive-away.
2023 SsangYong Rexton pricing:
2023 SsangYong Rexton ELX: $47,9902023 SsangYong Rexton Final: $54,9902023 SsangYong Rexton Sport Pack: $56,585
Costs are drive-away
These are drive-away costs relevant nationwide, which is a pleasant contact from the model, and helps you dodge the gouging that some sellers would possibly attempt relating to extra charges at buy time.
I’ll element the extras you get within the Sport Pack mannequin beneath, however simply know that it’s a fairly value-packed wagon for the cash.
What are the closest rivals, then? The apparent decisions embody the Mitsubishi Pajero Sport, Isuzu MU-X, Toyota Fortuner and Ford Everest, although none come even near providing what you’re getting within the Rexton for this type of money.
What’s the Ssangyong Rexton Sport Pack like on the within?
You don’t really feel such as you’re sitting in an reasonably priced SUV while you saddle up within the SsangYong Rexton – and that’s a pleasant change in comparison with another cut-price choices within the ute-based SUV section.
The inside of the Rexton makes a Fortuner really feel prefer it was made for the Nineties, and leaves the Pajero Sport wanting like a late-2000s laggard.
A lot of that comes all the way down to the therapy used within the cabin, which incorporates stitched materials finishes on the doorways and dashboard, and quilted nappa leather-based seat trim that feels correctly particular for a car like this.
There’s additionally the lately added 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, which provides a little bit of aptitude to the cabin. It makes the 8.0-inch touchscreen look a bit underdone, and that display is, in actual fact, a little bit of a downer. It’s acquired a bizarre sheen to the show which suggests it may be laborious to see at instances, and the menus aren’t as intuitive as they could possibly be.
However I really like that there are buttons and dials for the media controls, not only a easy touchscreen by itself as another manufacturers provide.
Plus there are extra buttons and dials beneath for the local weather management system, and fortunately, there’s not that a lot piano black used within the cabin, both. It’s higher than some rivals for ergonomics, too – although the HUGE steering wheel does make it really feel a bit like a bus.
There are heated and cooled entrance seats, electrical seat adjustment for each entrance seats, and – as you’d discover in a high-spec Hyundai, Kia or Genesis – the passenger-side entrance seat has controls on the interior aspect of the backrest so you may modify it for higher rear-seat entry, if that you must.
There may be cheap storage on provide, together with a wi-fi telephone charger with a canopy, cup holders between the seats, a centre console bin, glovebox and door pockets with bottle holders, too.
Within the second row there may be good storage on provide too, with a pair of map pockets, a flip-down armrest with cupholders, bottle holders within the doorways, and there are directional air-vents, and a pair of USB ports, too.
Youngster seat fitment is a second-row-only proposition, with window-seat ISOFIX factors and three top-tether factors for the center row. The again row doesn’t have any child-seat fitment choices.
Second-row house is nice, and I might simply match behind my very own driving place (at 182cm or 6’0”) which may’t be stated for another rugged seven-seaters. In contrast to some three-row autos, although, the Rexton’s again bench doesn’t slide fore and aft, that means it does make extra sense as a five-seater, as a result of you may’t tailor the house to cater for the capability.
And, as you’d count on, third-row house is subsequently a one-size-won’t-fit-all deal. I managed to clamber in simply sufficient, however the house with the second-row in its static place was not nice. I had extraordinarily restricted foot and knee room, and a really uncomfortable knees-up place.
I match, certain. However it’s going to be a greater match for actually small occupants, in the event you dare.
I say that as a result of there is no such thing as a airbag protection for the third row. You is likely to be okay with that, however I’d err on the aspect of “you may take your personal youngsters to soccer”, personally.
If you happen to determine in any other case, there’s a set of vents within the again row however they’re down above the wheel arch on the motive force’s aspect solely, the place there may be additionally a fan controller. Ceiling vents are all the time a greater possibility.
Okay, so what about boot house?
This grade will get a proximity opening and shutting tailgate, which is nice while you’ve acquired your palms full. It’s even higher when it really works. Generally it simply didn’t appear to recognise the important thing was shut by.
With all three rows up there’s 236 litres of cargo capability. There’s a false ground part you may put in while you decrease the third row, to create a flat load house. In that configuration, the house isis 641 litres – simply sufficient for a weekend’s price of baggage and a pram.
As talked about, I really reckon this may be a very good possibility for a household who plans to make use of the primary and second rows primarily, and people third-row seats could be thought of bonus spots if wanted.
Additional, there’s a full-size spare wheel beneath the physique of the automobile, too.
What’s beneath the bonnet?
Each Rexton comes with a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine, which is what you’d count on for this type of SUV, however it isn’t essentially worrying the large boys relating to grunt numbers.
Even so, with 149kW of energy (3800rpm) and 441Nm of torque (1600-2600rpm), there’s a little bit of power from the single-turbo unit.
It comes normal with an eight-speed auto transmission, and there’s part-time four-wheel drive with low vary (so, 2H, 4H and 4L), and it has an auto locking rear diff in the event you plan to hit the tough stuff.
Towing is taken care of – no less than on the specs sheet – with the Rexton boasting the benchmark normal of 750kg unbraked and 3500kg braked towing. The down ball ranking is 350kg.
If you happen to’re curious concerning the weights of this huge rig, the kerb weight is said as 2130kg, whereas gross car mass (GVM) is 2960kg (so, 830kg payload). The gross mixture mass (GCM) for towing folks is 6460kg.
How does the Ssangyong Rexton Sport Pack drive?
Don’t go considering that the Sport Pack makes it drive far more “sporty” than the common Rexton. And in order for you the very best driving 4WD on this class, that you must purchase a Ford Everest.
Having stated that, I’d desire to dwell with this than a Fortuner or Pajero Sport, even when it does have some fairly clear flaws.
The suspension is best sorted than loads of different ute-derived, body-on-frame autos, particularly contemplating it has 20-inch wheels fitted.
It isn’t excellent, however it’s completely habitable, with a reasonably snug experience and cheap dealing with for this kind of automobile. There may be some wobble in corners and the again finish can bounce a bit over pace humps, however it’s much less offensive than the overly laborious experience of a Fortuner, as an illustration.
The high-spec Rexton fashions have speed-sensitive steering setups, which is nice at decrease pace because it makes the automobile extra manageable for parking strikes, however at greater speeds on sweeping bends it may be a bit odd in its weighting – nearly just like the steering is preventing you.
The turbo-diesel engine suffers from some low-speed lag, and it’s a bit irritating while you’re taking off from a standstill, and I had a good few situations at site visitors lights the place I overestimated the response instances of the automobiles forward, solely to need to undergo the lag-lurch sequence a couple of instances in succession.
The eight-speed auto is a good factor, harnessing the diesel engine’s torque and fortunately letting the engine pull as an alternative of shifting to keep up momentum.
However the gear selector – an e-shifter – is a ache. I had points with it when shifting shortly between drive and reverse or vice versa.
On a number of events I ended up in impartial, and some instances I used to be in guide mode with out eager to be, too. I’m certain you’d get used to it when you spent extra time with it, besides, it isn’t as intuitive because it could possibly be.
One different factor I observed was that, usually at speeds round 80km/h, there was a little bit of vibrational lurch.
This was not a wheel stability or alignment subject – it felt extra like there was an imbalance beneath the bonnet, and it caught me off-guard the primary time it occurred.
What do you get?
Right here’s a rundown on the gear you get in every spec:
Rexton ELX:
18-inch alloy wheelsLED headlights, entrance fog lights and daytime operating lightsAutomatic high-beam8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment systemWired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay12.3-inch digital instrument clusterLeatherette upholsteryLeather-wrapped steering wheelHeated and ventilated entrance seatsEight-way energy driver’s seatSix-way energy passenger seatHeated second-row outboard seatsSix-speaker sound systemDual-zone local weather controlTyre stress monitoringTilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustmentKeyless startRain-sensing wipersAutomatic headlightsPower-folding, heated exterior mirrors
The Final provides:
Nappa leather-based upholsteryHeated leather-based steering wheelThird-row air-conditioning vents and fan controllerDriver’s seat memoryWireless telephone charging360-degree surround-view cameraSunroofPower tailgate (electrical boot) with proximity auto opening and closingTouch-sensing entrance door locks with walk-away auto-door lockingAmbient lightingIlluminated entrance door sill platesRear privateness glassSide mirrors with reversing dip viewSpeed-sensitive energy steeringAuto up/down energy home windows entrance and rear
The Sport Pack provides:
Black-finish 20-inch alloy wheelsGloss black grilleBlack roof railsBlack chrome entrance foglamp trimBlack chrome tailgate garnishBlack chrome rear skid plate garnish
It’s truthful to say that it is a household SUV with extra gear than most rivals at this value level – although you’ll be the decide on whether or not the step up by means of the vary is price the additional money.
Is the Ssangyong Rexton Sport Pack protected?
The Rexton hasn’t been examined by any security authority like ANCAP or Euro NCAP, so there’s no method to say whether or not it’s a protected selection primarily based on unbiased testing.
I’m not going to crash check it for you, however it has a few of the stuff you’d count on in 2023 to make it a protected automobile, together with auto emergency braking system, lane departure warning, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, auto excessive beam lights, and a system that’ll chime to let you know if the automobile forward has moved on.
What it’s lacking is energetic lane preserving tech – which I didn’t actually miss. And it additionally doesn’t have adaptive cruise management, which I did miss.
The bottom mannequin comes with a reversing digicam, and the upper spec fashions have a {surround} view system, whereas all have entrance and rear parking sensors.
If you happen to plan to make use of the Rexton as a seven seater quite a lot of the time, simply word that it doesn’t have airbag protection for the third row seats. It makes 5 seater, although, with aspect airbags for each entrance and second-row seats, in addition to twin entrance and driver’s knee airbag protection.
How a lot does the Ssangyong Rexton Sport Pack price to run?
SsangYong has a candy deal for patrons who desire a hassle-free possession expertise – on paper, no less than.
The model presents a seven-year/limitless kilometre guarantee plan, which is pretty much as good as you’ll get with out having to learn the tremendous print. I did learn it, and there’s even an uncommon consideration for guarantee cowl – in the event you use the car for enterprise, so, as an Uber car, you continue to qualify for the limitless mileage cowl. Most manufacturers restrict it to one thing like 150,000km.
There’s additionally seven years’ capped-price servicing, with the speed per go to to the workshop (each 12 months/15,000km) being $375 per go to. That’s low cost for a diesel 4×4 SUV.
And also you additionally get seven years’ roadside help included, too. Good.
As for different operating prices, the official mixed cycle gas consumption ranking for the Rexton is 8.7 litres per 100 kilometres. If you happen to’re questioning, my common use over the week I drove this SUV was 10.2L/100km, throughout a mixture of city, freeway and freeway testing.
There’s no long-range gas tank, with the Rexton operating a 70-litre capability.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Ssangyong Rexton Sport Pack
The SsangYong Rexton Sport Pack presents quite a lot of worth for cash for a purchaser who desires precisely that.
It’s – like for like – very reasonably priced, and the lengthy guarantee and promising (on-paper) possession program will little question be sufficient to get some patrons by means of the door, and possibly even over the road.
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