SsangYong is delighting in a brand-new lease on life, and the Musso stands to benefit. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertThe Korean car manufacturer lastly appears to have a steady brand-new owner after a prolonged duration of receivership and a preliminary bidder that could not pay up. It accomplished a record year for sales in 2022, though its 3 design lines sit well listed below a lot of competitors on the charts. For more Motoring associated news and videos have a look at Motoring >> We’ve stated prior to that the SsangYong Musso and the associated Rexton SUV should have to offer much better, especially thinking about how dramatically they’re priced. In spite of SsangYong having actually remained in the Australian market for longer, competing utes from Chinese brand names GWM and LDV have actually surpassed the Musso on the sales charts. It makes good sense, then, that SsangYong’s brand-new management is wanting to relabel the brand name and attempt to shed its “uncomfortable image”. It will take more than a brand-new badge on the grille to get SsangYong on purchasers’ radar, thinking about lots of punters either do not understand the brand name exists or believe it’s Chinese– not that the latter is as much of an obstacle in 2023, seeing how GWM sales continue to skyrocket. SsangYong has around 50 car dealerships across the country, while Toyota has more than 5 times as numerous. You’ll be great if you reside in a significant city and in specific local centres however, significantly, SsangYong has just 3 dealerships in South Australia and absolutely nothing north of Perth in our westernmost state. The Musso got a polarising facelift in 2021 and a slate of more modifications in 2022, however the Australian-market design didn’t get the complete range of updates. Significantly, Korean-market designs get a more effective turbo-diesel engine and an electrical power guiding set-up that brings with it adaptive cruise control, lane-keep help and active lane centring. In regards to security devices, the Australian-market Musso XLV still accumulates properly in the ute sector, however producers have actually been rapidly broadening their utes’ lists of basic security package and SsangYong dangers being left. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpert2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertThe Musso sticks out in this section for its a little unconventional styling, though it does not have the polarising lines of the brand name’s previous ute designs like the Musso Sports and Actyon Sports. The method the door is available in under the C-pillar makes it appear like an SUV with the rear lopped off, sending out strong Honda Ridgeline vibes. And yet, SsangYong has actually provided the Musso an extremely more bold front end than the associated and more classy Rexton, though there’s still appealing metal cut on the grille. Headlights are progressively unusual HID systems– much better than halogen lights, however not as efficient as LEDs. The XLV has a prolonged wheelbase determining 3210mm long, up 110mm on the basic Musso. It likewise has a longer tub, so all up the Musso XLV determines 5409mm long, or 314mm longer than the basic Musso. The stretch provides the XLV a little more ungainly percentages than the routine Musso, however that’s the cost to spend for a more large tub. Just how much does the Ssangyong Musso XLV Ultimate cost?The SsangYong Musso variety opens at $36,790 drive-away in ELX trim, with the Ultimate beginning at $43,090 drive-away. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertThe extended-length XLV body can be found in what SsangYong calls the XLV Pack, including $1500. Our tester likewise consisted of the $3000 Luxury Pack, $595 metal paint, $1790 tow bar and $620 electronic brake controller. Completing the list of choices was our tester’s $730 Constant Load Coil Spring Kit, that includes front and rear coil springs, and a spring rate upgrade of 50-100kg in advance and 200-400kg at the back. There’s likewise an efficiency coil spring set offered, in addition to a more thorough Constant Load package that consists of nitro gas shock absorbers. Our Musso XLV was well kitted out, however there’s plenty more you can include. The list of devices you can purchase through SsangYong is long, and consists of 3 various kinds of side actions, along with a bunch of sports bars, tub devices and so forth. All up, our tester had a drive-away rate of $51,325. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertKey competitors for the SsangYong Musso XLV Ultimate are the GWM Ute and the LDV T60. The previous can be had in leading Cannon-X trim at $45,490 drive-away (a more expensive Vanta black-pack design is likewise offered), while the latter will when again be offered in prolonged Mega Tub guise early this year, priced at $49,463 drive-away for personal purchasers. All 3 of these utes include sharper prices than the similarity the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, though the stalwart Mitsubishi Triton likewise targets price-conscious purchasers. The Triton GLX+ is priced at $47,190 prior to on-road expenses, though the Japanese brand name is presently using drive-away rates in New South Wales of $50,740. This is just the 2nd from base grade, nevertheless, so while it damages the HiLux and Ranger it can’t match the SsangYong on set. What is the Ssangyong Musso XLV Ultimate like on the inside?As part of a 2022 upgrade, the Musso got a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, in addition to a brand-new overhead console with LED map lights and safety belt pointers. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertThe digital instrument cluster is appealing with numerous various views, however I tended to leave it on a standard gauge display screen and not the angular, slightly BMW-like view. Surprisingly, as you get closer to a speed, that number gets bigger. Less outstanding is the infotainment system. The user interface is reasonably appealing if rather dated, however reaction times aren’t the snappiest, there’s no house button, and the screen gets rinsed in sunshine no matter just how much you fiddle with the display screen settings. The interior overall has rather a high end atmosphere for a ute, with soft-touch perforated leather-look trim throughout the front of the control panel and soft-touch plastic throughout much of the dash top. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertSilver-finish speaker grilles and black patterned dash trim likewise offer some welcome contrast; there’s some gloss black trim, however it’s utilized reasonably moderately. There’s likewise however one button blank, while the headliner is better than the mouse-fur rubbish discovered in a lot of utes. All that’s missing out on for the atmosphere is some leatherette trim on the sides of the centre console (like in the Triton) and the quilted leatherette door cards of the GWM Ute; just the arm rests on the Musso’s doors are soft. The variety of high-end functions is unexpected for this sector. There’s a single-pane sunroof, a rarity for a ute this size, though its operation is cumbersome– pushing the open button does not open the shade also, and to do so you require to both push and pull a deal with. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertSeats are heated and aerated in advance; to get aerated seats in any other ute in Australia, you ‘d require to pony up for something like a Ram 1500 Limited. There’s likewise a heated guiding wheel which helpfully remembers what setting you had it on when you reboot the automobile, and an easy nicety: lit up vanity mirrors. Some touches belie the Musso’s age, a minimum of compared to the similarity the Ford Ranger. There’s no electronic parking brake, while the shifter is of the gated range, and the manual mode lies on the left-hand side. The bottle holders in the doors can fit bigger water bottles, the centre console bin is relatively deep, and there’s an insert atop the centre stack with a rubberised base. At the base of the centre stack, where you’ll discover 2 USB-A outlets, there’s a rubberised insert you can take out. This little specific niche isn’t rather big enough for a lot of modern-day mobile phones, and there’s no cordless battery charger. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpert2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertStep into the back and you’ll discover air vents and heated outboard seats, though there are no USB or power outlets. Map pockets can be discovered on the front seatbacks. The back of the cabin isn’t excessively large by class requirements, with rather typical knee space. The flooring is fairly flat, and there’s plenty of headroom; at 180cm, I was able to sit in the somewhat greater, firmer centre seat without my head touching the roofing. In addition to storage area underneath the bench, there are leading tethers on the back of all 3 seats, and ISOFIX on the outboard seats. Remarkably, SsangYong continues with a centre lap belt in the Musso in 2022– a black mark in regards to security. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertAround back, the tub has 2 tie-down points on each of the sides and 2 at the back of the taxi. It determines 300mm longer than the standard-length Musso at 1600mm, with a width of 1570mm (1100mm in between the arches) and a depth of 570mm. What’s under the bonnet?The Musso continues to be powered in Australia by a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel producing 133kW of power at 4000rpm and 420Nm of torque in between 1600 and 2600rpm. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertIt’s mated with a six-speed automated transmission and selectable 4×4 with low-range tailoring and a locking rear differential. Korean-market designs, on the other hand, get a 2.2-litre with 148kW and 441Nm. SsangYong states the Australian-spec engine satisfies Euro 6 emissions requirements and does not need Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF), which would have demanded an extra tank that would have avoided the business from setting up a full-sized extra wheel. The Musso XLV Ultimate has a payload of 880kg, a gross automobile mass (GVM) of 2980kg, and a gross combined mass (GCM) of 6480kg. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertBraked pulling capability is a class-competitive 3500kg, in line with the similarity the Ranger and HiLux and much better than the LDV T60 and GWM Ute (3000kg) and Triton (3000-3100kg). While the Musso is down on power and torque versus the T60 (160kW/500Nm), it’s basically line-ball with the Triton (133kW/430Nm) and bests the GWM Ute (120kW/400Nm). On a loop including inner-city, rural and highway driving, we balanced 8.7 L/100km– really a little much better than the main combined cycle claim of 9.0 L/100km. How does the Ssangyong Musso XLV Ultimate drive?The Musso might be originated from an SUV, however it sure does not ride like one. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertIt feels gently emerged front, however effects from growth joints and so on resound through the structure when driving unladen. It wiggles a bit at the back, even over reasonably well-surfaced roadways, and bounces around on rural roadways. Body control on undulating roadways is average, and there’s some kickback through the steering. It’s clear, then, the Musso XLV is finest driven with a load in the back. While it can’t use Ranger levels of flight quality, or the unrivaled convenience of a Mazda BT-50 with its suspension upgrade, it’s rarely even worse than a Triton. In some methods, the Musso XLV is much better than a Triton. Case in point: the steering. It feels great and fluid, and regularly weighted. It’s lighter than a Triton’s tiller without being rather as light as a BT-50, and for that reason strikes a good balance. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertNoise levels are rather low, with just a little wind rustle at highway speeds. It’s not too loud, as the rather pedestrian noise system isn’t excellent at drowning out sound. The normal diesel 4 soundtrack is rather controlled, though the engine makes the odd croaky, spluttery sound. None of this shows too invasive. Mid-range grunt isn’t extraordinary, however the Musso has a lot of torque readily available great and low in the rev variety that makes it feel quite zippy around town. There’s an adequate quantity of efficiency on tap, though more would be welcome. The Musso uses an option of Eco, Power and Winter drive modes, and you can by hand move equipments by pressing the shifter to the. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertActive security and motorist help innovation has actually been multiplying throughout the ute section, however the Musso still does not have both adaptive cruise control and lane-keep help– though these are readily available in the SsangYong overseas. There’s lane departure caution and basic cruise control, albeit without any different speed limiter function, and bizarrely holding the cruise control button just changes it by 2km/h (rather of 5 or 10km/h) increments. The Musso XLV loads an auto-locking rear differential and selectable 4×4. There’s no full-time 4×4 mode for on-road driving as you’ll discover in up-spec Mitsubishi Tritons, to name a few utes. What do you get?Musso ELX highlights: 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpert2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpert2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpert2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpert12.3-inch digital instrument cluster8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment systemWired Apple CarPlay, Android Auto6-speaker noise systemLeather-wrapped steering wheelIlluminated vanity mirrorsOverhead console with LED map lightsRear air ventsRear folding centre armrestTilt guiding wheel adjustmentKeyless entry and startLockable gloveboxCloth upholsteryManually adjustable front seatsHID headlightsFront fog lightsLED daytime running lightsRain-sensing wipersPower-folding, heated outside mirrors with puddle lights2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpert2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertMusso Ultimate includes: Heated guiding wheelTelescopic guiding wheel adjustmentStainless steel sill platesTyre pressure monitoringLeather upholsteryHeated and aerated front seats18-inch black-finish alloy wheelsLuxury Pack (Ultimate, $3000) includes: Dual-zone environment controlSingle-pane power sunroofNappa leather upholsteryPower front seats with powered chauffeur’s lumbarHeated rear seatsSome of these functions, like Nappa leather and aerated front seats, are essentially unprecedented in this section. Is the Ssangyong Musso XLV Ultimate safe?The Musso is the only automobile in its sector to do not have an ANCAP score, whether legitimate or ended, as it has actually not been evaluated by the security authority (or Euro NCAP) in its existing generation. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertSsangYong Australia has formerly stated its lorries “completely adhere to, and in numerous locations, go beyond ADR nationwide security requirements” which it “continues to deal with ANCAP on future preparation”. The absence of a ranking is frustrating. Basic security functions consist of: 6 airbagsAutonomous emergency situation brakingAutomatic high-beamDriver attention monitoringHill descent controlHill Start AssistLane departure warningTrailer sway controlFront and rear parking sensorsMusso Ultimate includes: Blind-spot monitoringRear cross-traffic alertLane Change-collision WarningSurround-view camerasThe absence of lane-keep help and adaptive cruise control is frustrating, however the Musso isn’t alone. The LDV T60 and Mitsubishi Triton likewise do not have these in all grades. Just how much does the Ssangyong Musso XLV Ultimate expense to run?The SsangYong Musso XLV is backed by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre service warranty, similar to the competing GWM Ute. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertSsangYong likewise uses 7 years of capped-price maintenance, with periods of 12 months or 15,000 km. Each service is topped at $375. The service deal is especially excellent as while some competitors provide likewise priced services, couple of deal 7 years’ worth. CarExpert’s Take on the Ssangyong Musso XLV UltimateThe Musso XLV makes an engaging case for itself at this more price-conscious end of the ute market. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertAgainst an LDV T60 or GWM Ute, it has higher towing capability and more animal conveniences, though the GWM has more security devices and the LDV has more power and torque. It’s special in providing the alternative of a longer tub– the longest in the sector, in reality– though LDV will quickly reestablish its Mega Tub choice. It mightn’t be the most effective ute, however comparing spec sheets reveals the Musso accumulates well, specifically for something with prices and an after-sales bundle this sharp. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertIts SUV-like styling inside and out recommends a level of trip convenience the SsangYong just can’t provide, a minimum of not in this specification. It has a peaceful cabin, tactile steering and a good level of grunt, which assist the Musso’s case. The absence of some progressively typical functions like adaptive cruise control grates, however the Musso counters with some truly unexpected additions like aerated front seats. The existence of heated rear seats likewise makes the a little confined rear quarters more congenial. We’re pleased SsangYong appears to have actually discovered a steady purchaser, as we’ve long believed the brand name should have more attention from Australian purchasers than it has actually gotten. Let’s see if a brand name relaunch can assist get it on more purchasers’ radar as, at this rate point, the Musso XLV is absolutely deserving of attention. 2023 SsangYong Musso XLV Credit: CarExpertMORE: Everything SsangYong Musso XLV ProsSurprisingly high end visits and functions for this segmentExcellent worth for moneyAppealing after-sales packageConsRide quality does not match premium pretensionsNo ANCAP ratingMissing functions provided in KoreaTop Line SpecsPower: 133kWFuel Type: DieselEconomy: 9L/100kmCO2 Emissions: 236g/kmANCAP Safety Rating: Untested
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