2019 SsangYong Rexton Ultimate in-depth review, road test & competitor analysis | Auto Expert John

WHAT IS SSANGYONG?
If you know nought about Ssangyong, and you’re worried about what you might be getting into, brand-wise, here’s the background briefing.
Ssangyong is 65 years old.
The Rexton badge has been around for 18 years, incredibly enough. And about 10 years before the first Rexton rolled off the line, back in 1991, Ssangyong jumped into bed with Mercedes-Benz.
They called it a ‘technology partnership’, but I get the feeling it was a one-way flow on the tech front - I don’t think Benz lapped up too much in-house Ssangyong tech. But this alliance did give Ssangyong access to some pretty cool engines and other components.
According to the Korea Automobile Manufacturers Association: for 2017 Ssangyong was the fourth largest carmaker in South Korea. The hit parade goes Hyundai, Kia, GM Korea and Ssangyong.
Comparative scale there: Hyundai has 66,000 employees and makes 1.7 million cars. Ssangyong has almost 5000 employees and makes 156,000 cars. That’s for 2017. So Ssangyong is about one-tenth the size of Hyundai.
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VALUE AND STANDARD FEATURES
The value proposition is pretty compelling, compared with a Prado or a Landcruiser 200. Rexton Ultimate is mid-to-late $50s on the road here in Shitsville.
Fully loaded Landcruiser is $120 grand. You could step down to the VX for about $100, and down again to the Prado Kakadu for mid-to-late $80s.
I’m not suggesting that there’s rough equivalence between the ‘Cruiser and the Rexton. There isn’t. But, depending on your requirements in a vehicle, the Rexton may do the job you need, for half the cost.
It’s close to the Prado Kakadu, however, on paper. Engine outputs: Very close. (Toyota with a slight edge there, but the Ssangyong is 200 kilos lighter off the bat, and it has that Benz seven-speed against the Toyota six.)
Slightly more ground clearance for the Rexton (versus the Prado). Slightly longer wheelbase. 535 kilos of payload for the Prado. 727 for the Rexton - a sizeable bonus there for outback touring.
Rexton also has 500 kilos more maximum tow capacity versus the Prado, and it’s $30 grand cheaper, ballpark.
Plus, Rexton Ultimate is fully loaded. I won’t bore you with the list. It’s easy to download the specs - it even gets Apple and Android integrations standard, and you don’t get that with Toyota.
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SUSPENSION - LOCAL TUNING
So here’s the current state of play on local suspension development for the Rexton: Captain’s log, star date 15 April 2019: Tim Smith tells me the Iron Man suspension dudes he commissioned to make this ride quality frown go upside-down have sent their recommendations to South Korea.
They’re tweaking an Australian-spec Rexton over there now. Iron Man is also prepping a lift kit for the hardcore adventure set. Compliance testing is under way there - it’s about two months away.
I’ve got  bit of time for Mr Smith. He says:
“Hopefully we can have a local tune by April production, with a local change for existing customers. This will cost me money, but I may absorb this into the landed cost. I need to work out a way to keep the cost low for everyone.”
Gotta give Mr Smith full points on two fronts: A) It’s notoriously hard to get the factory to bother with stuff like this for low volumes, especially suspension tuning, which is typically a hard sell because it’s just not a priority in south-east Asia. And he’s probably not making a bunch of new friends back at the mother ship over this.
And, B) not leaving existing customers up the creek with suspension that doesn’t work very well on our roads. This is part of what leads me to conclude the brand is serious about Australia this time around.
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CONCLUSION
OK - so here’s the bottom line: I’d be comparing a Rexton Ultimate to a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport Exceed.
I never thought I’d say this … but the Ssangyong is the better looking vehicle here. Both excellent value. Very close on the, capabilities, the specs and the price.
Of course, the Mitsubishi is a better known brand - but it’s facing a bit of upheaval with the integration into the Renault-Nissan black hole, and it’s basically a converted Triton ute - so not itself a world champion contender in the refinement sweepstakes.
There are more unknowns with the Ssangyong - obviously. The reality of support is still unknown. I’m sure the best of intentions are currently in play. Resale value - it’s a roll of the dice, but you are enjoying a considerable saving over a Prado Kakadu, up front. So there’s that.
Even with the south east Asian spec suspension you can see that the product has huge potential. I guess the challenge for Tim Smith and his team like in making the brand viable in Australia, turning it into a household name, and pumping up the volume, to be in a better negotiating position with the factory.
They’re going to have to sell aggressively to succeed - because there’s no shortage of choice in this segment. Great news for you, if you’ve got cash, in a somewhat depressed new car market here in ‘Straya.