SsangYong may be the oldest four-wheel drive car maker in Korea but it is a brand name that is little known in Ireland and the revised Rexton II I’m in this week won’t really help the brand become a household name.
Rexton II is SsangYong’s best looking vehicle and let’s face it that wouldn’t be hard in a range that includes the massive Rodius MPV that, despite being huge and functional, is one of the ugliest cars ever made and who could forget the Actyon ‘Lifestyle’ SUV, which is a car that manages to make BMW’s X6 look good!
The exterior is totally inoffensive and acceptable as a full size SUV. Roof bars are standard but otherwise there are no frills to the exterior. Rexton is proudly emblazoned on the tailgate. Inside the cabin is spacious and apart from an aftermarket stereo a pleasant enough place to be - if a little dated. The seating is versatile with the last two seats a single bench set up. The steering wheel only adjusts for tilt but the driving position is good otherwise and overall visibility good none the less. There are no party tricks to speak of so you will have to make do with bragging that you have a full size SUV with seven-seats for fifty grand.
With seating for seven the genuine four-wheel drive Rexton II is a no nonsense vehicle that ticks many of the boxes off road drivers require but sadly my pulse has remained steady. Under the skin is a decent Mercedes Benz sourced 2.7 litre turbo diesel that replaces the less powerful but larger 2.9 litre unit. Both manual and automatic gearboxes are Merc sourced too and the automatic version fitted to my test car has a tip-tronic style manual override option that can be activated by steering wheel mounted buttons or by using the smallest thumb operated lever attached to the gear selector lever. If the going gets tough you can select four-wheel drive in ‘High’ or ‘Low’ gear ratios by a simple turn of a dial.
On the road the Rexton II is a comfortable machine that is set up for a pliant ride. It rolls and pitches a fair bit but manages to soak up most poor road surfaces well. The steering is geared very badly for a car that has power steering as standard. It takes far too much steering wheel input to alter your course and I found myself having to resort to palming the steering in car parks, junctions and even roundabouts.
Commercial versions start at €33,700 while passenger versions begin at €49,195 for the 165bhp manual, €52,495 gets the auto version and if you want leather and a few extra horses (186bhp) €60,195 is the asking price.
Rexton II does nothing to redefine the SUV sector, it is an average vehicle in a market that has moved on. SsangYong needs to sharpen Rexton’s steering, stiffen up the suspension a little, upgrade the stereo to one that doesn’t come from a motor factors with 1980s stock and of course, knock a good few quid off the price!
Michael Sheridan
