What do two horses in the trailer weigh? When it comes to heavy specimens, it becomes scarce for almost all towing vehicles. In principle, the legislature allows up to 3500 kilograms on the hook. Only there is hardly a car that can pull such heavy loads. One of the reasons for this is the concept: today’s self-supporting bodies are not as stable as the old frame bodies.
That explains a key target group for the Korean carmaker Ssangyong. Its Rexton model comes across as a large SUV of the past, it has the characteristics of a real off-road vehicle and can pull up to the maximum limit mentioned: Heavy-duty ladder frame to which the body is bolted, both are made of high-strength steel and should be extremely safe in the event of an accident being; In a small car you don’t want to have to deal with such a colossus of 2.2 tons empty. Secondly, there is a somewhat hesitant switching on terrain reduction for the eight-speed automatic, a hill descent control, a driving program for snow and in the upscale Sapphire equipment line we drove a self-locking rear differential. The overhangs are short for a 4.85 meter long strand, and the ground clearance is large at 224 millimeters. Also classic, unfortunately in this case, is the four-wheel drive, it is switched on rigidly by means of a rotary wheel, so that it cannot be used on dry roads.
There is plenty of space
Otherwise, the freshly revised Rexton is surprisingly modern. From the outside it pleases with its beefy stance with the low-slung and vertically sloping grille, inside with large window surfaces and well-designed seats that politely retract to facilitate their boarding. There is also plenty of space in the second row, and if you want, you can get a third for an additional 900 euros. Without these, the tailgate, which opens electrically but not particularly high, opens up a trunk that, with a volume of 820 liters, easily accommodates the saddles belonging to the horses mentioned at the beginning, with the seat folded down it is almost two cubic meters.
Inside there are a lot of generous shelves, a pleasingly high-quality impression of the materials and shiny chrome decorations that are not in the European taste. It doesn’t look old-fashioned, but the steering wheel, which is flattened at the bottom, bothers us because it has a rim that is a bit too thin. At least it can be heated, but we don’t understand why the setting stops when you take a break from driving, but not the seat heating. If we’re already complaining: the speedometer rushes ahead, at 100 km/h it’s actually 92. These are small things.
The Rexton offers a lot of car for the money
The Rexton is already a well-equipped car in the basic variant for just under 43,000 euros with an army of assistance systems up to an exit warning, the Sapphire variant leaves nothing to be desired for 53,000 euros, so the list of options is short. The test car was still equipped with the Elegance package, which includes leather seats and a useful all-round camera for 4000 euros.
The four-cylinder diesel engine is also very classic, although it seems a bit narrow-chested for such a large car with 2.2 liters. It has of course been revised and instead of 181 hp it now has 202 (149 kW), the maximum torque has increased by 21 to 441 Nm. That’s enough for reasonable progress up to a top speed of 185 km/h, especially since the new automatic is better than its predecessor in all disciplines. It switches smoothly up and down, only the slip should be a little less.
Consumption is low for a car of this size at 8 to 10 liters per 100 kilometers. The tuning is comfort-oriented, at high speeds and cross winds the Ssangyong starts to swim a bit. The Rexton offers a lot of car for the money. People who need space and want to tow heavy trailers should give it a look.
#Ssangyong #4×4 #Knight