SsangYong Musso Revised engine and now better value than ever

Look elsewhere in the one-tonne pick-up market and you’ll notice that while some other manufacturers have raised their prices steeply while not changing much about their trucks, SsangYong has combined significant updates to the Musso with the most modest price hikes anywhere in the sector. The Korean vehicle only costs a little less than 5% more than it did last year – yet here it is with a revised engine whose output is up and whose fuel consumption is down.

This comes hot on the heels of another previous round of upgrades made last year, which in addition to various detail changes saw automatic transmission become standard on all but the entry-level EX model.

The engine is the same 2.2-litre diesel as before, however it now produces 202bhp at 3800rpm and 325lbf.ft from 1600-2600rpm. These are increases of 12% and 5% respectively, and fuel economy has been improved by 7% across the range to 33.8mpg for the manual EX and 31.5mpg for everything else.

We mentioned the restrained nature of SsangYong’s price rises, and this reflects the high-value approach the company has always taken. So too does the vehicle’s warranty, which at 7 years or 150,000 miles crushes all before it.

The engine is standard across the Musso range, which contains just four models. All are double-cabs, though there’s more variety in them than that makes it sound.

Even the entry-level EX has 17” alloys, air-con, DAB and Bluetooth, so it’s no mug. By the time you get to the Rhino, which sits at the top of the range, you’ve got nappa leather, 9.2” sat-nav, all-round parking sensors, powered, heated and cooled seats, smartphone pairing and a reversing camera.

Pictured here, the Saracen is the lifestyle model. It has the same leather, media and so on as the Rhino, as well as 18” alloys to go with its bling styling.

The Rhino is the most interesting model, though, because it’s so different to anything else on the market. It retains all the Saracen’s luxury and tech but drops back down to 17” alloys, because in addition to being a pose wagon it’s also built to be a work truck.

Sceptical? Look underneath and whereas the rest of the range has coil springs, the Rhino has leaves.

It has a longer wheelbase, too, by about 4.5”. And its rear overhang

comes close to doubling that, the result being a load bed that’s 1.61m long as opposed to 1.3 elsewhere.

Its payload limit is a little higher, too, at 1140 rather than 1095kg. Automatic models can tow 3500kg, while the EX can haul 3200kg; SsangYong makes the point that unusually, the Musso can legally carry its full payload and pull its max trailer weight at the same time.

The Musso is based on SsangYong’s massively underrated Rexton, which means its cabin has the most SUVlike styling and materials of any pick-up ever sold in this country. As we’ve said, top models are laden with kit – and it’s good kit, too. The rear-view camera, for example, has a sharper picture than the one on the Bentley Bentayga.

The cabin layout is excellent, too. You get a good driving position and an imperious view in all directions, and the controls for all those many functions are clear and easy to see.

Another bonus of the Rexton connection is the space in the back. There might be a little give and take if you’re carrying a full crew of big lads, but they’ll all still get on board no problem. Headroom in the back is exceptionally good, too – and the seats in general are extremely comfortable, with a variety of fabric and leather trims that are as tactile as they are tough.

List (ex-VAT) OTR (inc VAT)

EX Rebel auto

£24,265 £29,463 £28,265 £34,263 Saracen auto £31,665 £38,343 Rhino LWB auto Rhino LWB auto £32,665 £32,665 £39,543 £39,543

The Musso seems to come back every year with a new set of revisions. The latest is a big one, with its engine now delivering more power and torque while using less diesel – which makes it all the more impressive that in the same period, this is the pick-up whose price increases have been the most restrained. Combine this with SsangYong’s epic warranty and you get a stronger than ever proposition in terms of value. But the Musso is not just a cheap truck; the equipment is piled high but more than that, it’s good stuff, bringing a strong scent of the Rexton SUV whose cabin it borrows. Mainly, though, the Musso is far better to drive than you might expect, with a blend of handling, ride and refi nement to go with its zesty performance. People are still put off by SsangYong’s name – but the case for ignoring that is getting stronger all the time.

Driving a SsangYong was once a job best left to masochists, but that time is well in the past. The company got Pininfarina to tune the Musso’s NVH – meaning there’s very little in the way of cabin noise or drivetrain harshness in any driving scenario, on or off the road.

The Rhino is no different to the rest of the range to drive, despite its leaf springs. In each case, the back is well enough damped and it feels hefty but not overweight.

We’re not fans of the manual gearbox, but the auto is very smooth in every situation. So too is the Musso’s ride, which remains nicely planted on fi dgety surfaces and doesn’t go unduly loose when the road turns British on you. It handles and steers with greater alacrity than you might expect, too.

Off-road, meanwhile, the Musso is sure footed and tractable but with no rear locker even on the options list it relies on electronics a little more than we’d like. The Rhino’s extra rear overhang would need to be taken into account in extreme terrain, of course, but be sensible and it will do what you ask of it.