SsangYong Musso 2018 Review

The new SsangYong Musso puts to rest the car industry maxim that you can only ever launch a vehicle once. The implication is the first impression is the one that counts.

Obviously, no-one has told the Korean brand, which is back in the market – again – with the Musso pick-up – again.

But considering what it’s launching, it’s easy to ask why SsangYong didn’t wait just a few months and launch the new Musso when it was, well, finished.

Right now, Musso doesn’t have autonomous emergency braking (AEB). It will have in two months.

Right now, it’s only available with a small tray – a longer wheelbase version with a full one-tonne capacity is coming in a few months.

Right now, the suspension is a global tune. In a few months, it will be specifically set-up for Australia.

Right now, the Musso doesn’t have tow hooks or proper off-road underbody protection. A local solution will be ready in a few months.

Right now, the Musso has a lap-only safety belt in the middle-rear seat. Yes, SsangYong Australia knows that’s unacceptable and is trying to get it replaced with a lap-sash as soon as possible. Getting the picture?

The loose ends wouldn’t matter so much if the new SsangYong Musso was just a dud, just another forgettable tinfoil crudbox populating the cheaper end of Australia’s booming pick-up segment.

But it’s not. It’s actually quite good, which makes the issues all the more annoying.

So, what is the Musso? Well, the first question might be what is SsangYong? It’s the number four car manufacturer in Korea, building about 250,000 pick-ups, SUVs and people-movers per annum.

It’s claimed to be the oldest Korean car company and it’s the one with most turbulent recent history.

In the 2000s it has tripped in and out of financial crises, tried to stand alone, been owned by Daewoo, SAIC and nowadays by India’s Mahindra.

Over the years, SsangYong earned a reputation for building some of the most, erm, distinctive cars on the planet. No let’s call a spade a shovel. They were just plain ugly. It’s no longer the case thankfully, otherwise this latest revival attempt would have been DOA.

In Australia SsangYongs been around since the mid-1990s when the Musso wore a Mercedes-Benz badge and was sold in Benz dealerships. True story. After that SsangYongs were rebadged as Daewoos, and then went back to being SsangYongs.

Since 2005 there have been three independent distributors here, none of which managed to achieve much. After two years out of the market SsangYong Australia has been launched by the factory to cement the brand’s place in Australia.

Ambitions are substantial, but then the offer is pretty impressive too, with national drive-away pricing, a seven-year warranty, seven-year capped price servicing and standard AEB on all models -- except the Musso until the end of January.

So back to where we started.

The SsangYong Musso first bobbed up here as an SUV in the 1990s, then in the early 2000s the Musso Sports pick-up appeared. We could go on tracking the convoluted history and name changes but we won’t.

The point is the new ladder-framed dual-cab ute now on sale in Australia does have some heritage here.

There are three equipment grades in the range – the EX, ELX and Ultimate. The same grades are spread across the other three models that are part of the SsangYong relaunch; the small Tivoli, stretched Tivoli XLV and the SUV the Musso is based on, the Rexton.

All Mussos are powered by the same 2.2-litre (2157cc, to be precise) turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine producing 133kW at 4000rpm and 400Nm over 1400-2800rpm.

Transmissions are a choice of six-speed manual or six-speed Aisin automatic. They transfer drive to a part-time 4x4 system that includes low range gearing, an automatic locking centre differential and a limited-slip rear diff (no manual locker here).

Officially, the combined fuel consumption rating is 7.9L/100km for the manual and 8.6L/100km for the auto.

Overall length is 5095mm, width 1950mm, height 1840mm and wheelbase 3100mm. The deep but short 1300x1570x570mm box on the back is rated to carry 790kg, kerb weight is a meaty 2192kg for the auto, gross vehicle weight is 2880kg and gross combined mass is 5980kg.

Maximum braked towing capacity for the auto is 3500kg. The manual hasn’t got a tow rating yet.

The Musso’s approach angle is 22.8 degrees, ramp-over angle 23 degrees and departure angle 23.4 degrees.

So how does all that compare against the Toyota HiLux? Well, based on the SR5 specs, the market leader is longer in overall length, but shorter in wheelbase, narrower in width and lower in height.

The tray measures up at 1569x1645x481 and can carry up to 925kg. The HiLux is heavier than the Musso, has a 3000kg GVM and 5650kg (AT) GCM. It tows 3000kg.

For off-road use the HiLux is much better tucked away at the front with a 31-degree approach angle, ramp-over is the same as the Musso and the departure angle superior at 26.7 degrees.

Pricing starts at $30,490 for the EX – add $2000 for the auto. The ELX ($35,990) and the Ultimate ($39,990) are auto-only. That’s dirt cheap by dual-cab standards. The aforementioned HiLux SR5 costs $54,440 plus ORCs.

Standard EX equipment includes six airbags, cruise control, 17-inch steel wheels, Bluetooth, fabric seats and rear seat child anchor points.

The ELX adds some significant gear; power windows, a reversing camera, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, front/rear park assist, ventilated/heated front seats, 18-inch alloys, tyre pressure monitoring, daytime running lamps and a more upmarket instrument cluster and 8.0-inch infotainment screen.

On top of that the Ultimate goes to 20-inch alloys, HID headlights, a sunroof, a 360-degree camera, an electrochromatic mirror, real leather seat trim, powered front seats and speed sensitive steering. All Mussos get a full-size spare.

Rushing Musso to market means a heap of sophisticated driver-assist safety gear is missing. That will be rectified by late January, when the EX will add AEB and lane departure warning, and the ELX and Ultimate will additionally get blind spot detection, lane change assist and rear cross traffic alert.

Unsurprisingly, for now at least the Musso does not have an ANCAP safety rating.

It’s not an ideal situation, but the SsangYong Musso should be recognised for being only the second ute after the Mercedes-Benz X-Class to make AEB standard across the range.

It should also be noted that the Musso is one of the few utes to be fitted with rear disc brakes, not drums.

The good thing about the SsangYong Musso despite all its shortcomings is it shows promise at its core. It doesn’t drive at all badly.

Now there’s got to be provisos in this. The Mussos on test at the press launch carried no added weight in their trays and we didn’t get a chance to try them towing a load.

All that will happen down the road and it’s important it does, because the Musso has coil springs at the rear … and we all know how much drama that has caused the Nissan Navara.

Intriguingly, the LWB Musso with the full one-tonne capacity swaps to leaf springs. Just saying.

But on some testing, mountainous tarmac around Marysville in Victoria, the Musso ELX impressed with its ride and handling balance.

For a big, tall and heavy vehicle it handled the rise and fall and lefts and rights very well. Its body stayed balanced, the road imperfections were quelled by the suspension and the steering was alert and responsiveness.

On a moderately rough off-road loop it all felt a bit too tightly wound, like the Musso had been tuned for road use rather than the lumpy challenges beyond the black stuff. Having said that, it climbed and descended each greasy slope without really breaking into a sweat.

Moving to the Ultimate dulled enthusiasm. Rolling on lower-profile rubber, imperfections both on and off-road became obvious. The speed-sensitive power steering felt very light at town speeds and then abruptly weighted up on the open road. Notable force had to be applied to stop it self-centering in curves.

No serious complaints about the drivetrain. Only the auto version was available and it proved smooth and responsive. Again, there was no weight in the back and that would change things.

There was a suggestion of lag at tip-in throttle, but once through that the engine was up and about. Uphill, it needed to be occasionally stirred along with some manual gear changing, but that’s understandable.

But even when it was being revved out hard, the latest SsangYong Musso refused to turn into a clattery old tractor; this thing is quiet. Engine noise is muted and so is gravel splash off-road from the polyester-lined wheel-arches.

SsangYong says that’s because the Musso is based on the Rexton and not the other way around. So the sound deadening developed for the SUV transfers to the pick-up.

SsangYong also says developing the SUV first explains why the tray is so small. Essentially the SUV body is gas-axed at the B-pillar and that leads to a large cabin.

So, while you can’t hope to fit a dirt bike in the back, you should be able to fit four adults comfortably in the cabin. If you need more storage space, you can fold the rear backrest down. Surprisingly, you can’t flip the base up but there is storage underneath.

Look about and you’ll find there’s a bunch of irritating detail bits to the Musso’s interior.

Apart from the lamentable lap-belt, the ELX’s steering wheel is icky plastic, there’s no reach adjust for the column, the CarPlay screen comes up with the home button on the passenger’s side of the screen and the driver’s door armrest is so hard it will bruise your elbow. The gear lever can also be shifted all the way through from Drive to Park without having to disengage a lockout, although it has a staggered gate.

And those manual changes mentioned earlier? They are completed via a small tab on the right-hand side of the shifter. I’ll take flappy paddles or even a proper gearshift lever, thanks.

But conversely, the relationship between driver and contacts points, the comfort and support of the seat, the consistency of button tactility, the sensible instrumentation layout, the extensive amount of storage space is all executed to a level that seems to sit somewhere between Japan and China – a bit like Korea itself.

As one grizzled veteran of the car industry now working at SsangYong noted quietly: “We can work with this”.

He’s right too. Trouble is more of the work should have been done before the new SsangYong Musso went on sale. The Tivoli will sell better but the Musso is the one that will be the centre of attention.

But with so many obvious issues, that attention isn’t going to be all good.

Yep, the basics here promise a great deal and the value proposition is enticing. But there is no way this vehicle can be recommended as it stands today.

If you’re interested in Musso then it’s definitely worth hanging off for a couple of months for the retunes, additions and updates.

Then you’ll get the vehicle that should have been launched in the first place.

How much does the 2018 SsangYong Musso ELX cost?
Price: $35,990 (drive-away)
Motor: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 133kW/400Nm
Transmission: Six-speed auto
Fuel: 8.6L/100km
CO2: 230g/km
Safety rating: N/A