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Ssangyong Korando

Troubled Korean firm Ssangyong are turning over a new leaf with this compact crossover - its first model ever to feature a monocoque chassis.

Ssangyong Korando front

Text: Paul Bond / Photos: Mike Bailie

October 2010

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KOREAN firm SsangYong is turning on the style! Meet the Korando SUV – the first new model from the troubled maker since 2007’s Kyron. Auto Express has driven it.

The bold styling is courtesy of Italian design house Giugiaro. It’s handsome and well proportioned – a huge improvement over ugly previous efforts like the Rodius.  

The Korando breaks ground in other areas, too, as it’s the first SsangYong with a monocoque chassis. From launch in January, there will be a choice of two or four-wheel drive as bosses target the Kia Sportage and Hyundai ix35 crossovers.  

On the move, the light but numb steering makes the SUV easy to manoeuvre around town, while the soft suspension and low noise levels give relaxing, comfortable progress. 

Despite producing 173bhp, the new 2.0-litre diesel struggles to offer meaningful performance at low revs, and becomes harsh when pushed. The manual box’s poorly spaced ratios make it hard to stay in the narrow powerband, especially when driving uphill.

Inside, there’s generous space front and rear, while the boot has 486 litres of room with the back seats in place – 30 litres more than in a Mazda CX-7. The dash is well laid out, but cheap materials mean the Korando still lags well behind the class leaders.

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Pictures

Ssangyong Korando tracking
Ssangyong Korando interior
Ssangyong Korando

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FIRST OPINION

    The Korando isn’t a bad car, but the cheap interior and dynamic flaws mean that it needs to be priced extremely competitively to win over buyers. Although this isn’t the saviour that the brand was hoping for, it’s certainly a big step in the right direction. A petrol model and a less powerful diesel will become available from the middle of next year, and these should offer even better value for money – which is still the SsangYong’s main selling point.
 

AT A GLANCE

    Price: £18,000 (est) 
    Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbodiesel
    Power/torque: 173bhp/360Nm
    Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive 
    0-60mph: 10.1 seconds
    Top speed: 111mph 
    Econ/CO2: 47.1mpg/157g/km
    Equipment: Heated seats, 17-inch alloys, climate and cruise control, puddle lights, tinted windows, hill-start assist, rain-sensing wipers, acoustic parking sensors
    On sale: January
     
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