First drive review: SsangYong Korando

Saturday, 14 March 2020

**SSANGYONG KORANDO

Take a look at the all-new SsangYong Korando, it might surprise you - it sure surprised us, and in a very good way.

Price range:** $29,990 to $39,990

Powertrains: 1.5-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder with 120kW/280Nm, 7.7L/100km, 6-speed automatic, FWD and 1.6-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder with 100kW/324Nm, 6.3L/100km, 6-speed automatic, AWD.

Body style: 5-door SUV.

Does the new Korando have a few hints of Volkswagen Tiguan to it? Or is it just the colour?

On sale: Now.

From its beginnings as a licensed Jeep CJ7 and its name that was a cheesy contraction of 'KORea cAN DO', the Korando has come a long way, making stops at being a cheeky Jeep knock-off (second gen) and a competent, but low-budget SUV (third gen). Has it now finally landed on being a truly equal competitor for the other Korean mid-size SUVs?

Make me an instant expert: what do I need to know?

Like its larger Korean compatriots in the car business, SsangYong has made massive strides in terms of design, technology and quality in recent years. And, okay, it really did need to. Particularly that design part… I mean, we've all seen the Stavic…

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While we're not too sure about that strip of chrome between the tail lights, the Korando is a handsome thing.

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* Price drops feature in changes to SsangYong lineup**

But it is the impressive leaps in both material and build quality that have impressed the most and the newest incarnation of the medium Korando SUV is no exception to that rule - while the last Korando was several generational leaps over the previous model, it was still obviously built down to its budget price. It was a good thing, but you were certainly buying it on price more than anything else.

This new one, however, aims to turn that all on its head. The new Korando lands here in Sport, Limited and SPR forms, with the Limited and SPR forming the top-spec model, with the sole difference between the two being the drivetrain.

The Sport and Limited are both powered by SsangYong's new 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol engine that produces 120kW of power and 280Nm of torque. It is hooked up to a six-speed automatic transmission and drives the front wheels.

Decent boot space and a flexible floor arrangement that also hides a full-size spare in the Limited and SPR.

The SPR has exactly the same specification and equipment as the Limited, but is powered by an equally new 100kW/324Nm 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel engine that drives all four wheels via the same six-speed auto.

And the level of standard equipment is impressive as well, with the $29,990 entry level Sport packing 17-inch alloy wheels, a tyre pressure monitoring system, steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, cruise control, an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple Car Play and Android Auto, a backing camera, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist and six airbags.

The larger 18-inch diamond cut alloy wheels come standard on the Limited and SPR.

The $35,990 Limited and $39,990 SPR add roof rails, privacy glass, 18-inch alloy wheels, projector headlights and LED fog lamps and DRLS to the exterior, while also gaining a leather steering wheel, one touch power windows, a smart key, an electronic parking brake, automatic air conditioning, adaptive cruise control, a driver's knee airbag, front and rear parking sensors, lane departure warning, safety distance alert, driver attention alert, hill start assist and high beam assist. Again, the SPR tops this off with its diesel AWD drivetrain as well.

While $29,990 is the introductory price for the Sport, SsangYong's local distributor Great Lake Motor Distributors plans on holding the price there as long as it can. But it might not last forever.

Where did you drive it?

Unusually, literally in my own back yard - instead of a traditional media launch event, GLMD went with a series of one-on-one meet ups where they presented journalists with all the necessary info on the cars then set us loose in one for a couple of days.

The brilliantly orange hued Korando Limited I was sent off in quickly impressed with its slick transmission and brilliantly flexible and willing petrol engine. Smooth, refined and more than powerful enough to haul the Korando around in a surprisingly eager and spritely fashion, the engine was a revelation compared to the elderly 2.0-litre in the previous Korando and even manages to throw no small shade at a lot of other engines in the segment - not just the Korean competition, but also a lot of the Japanese efforts too. Yeah, it's that good.

On the road the Korando feels eager and adjustable, with a refined edge to its ride that was previously absent. Once again, it has no problem footing it with the competition in its segment, with both pleasingly confident and competent handling and excellent ride quality.

Hard, cheap plastics are largely banished from the interior of the new Korando, although there are still a few small hints here and there, while the design and layout is pleasant, and while the seats are nicely shaped and impressively comfortable, I would have some question about the long-term durability of the soft-feeling fabric used. Time will literally tell with that one.

While the touchscreen infotainment systems layout is still somewhat confusingly laid out (something common across SsangYongs with the system), it still works very well, with surprisingly good sound quality from the audio system.

There are still a couple of areas that aren't quite so up there with the competition, including the feel of some of the plastics (not awful, but not quite as good as, say, a Hyundai on teh dor trim) and the adaptive cruise control which, while perfectly fine in fast, flowing traffic, struggles a bit with abrupt responses in slower-speed and stop/start traffic. Both are minor irritations, rather than deal-breakers, however.

What's the pick of the range?

I only drove the petrol Limited, but get the strong feeling it will be the sweet spot in the Korando line up.

The $6K jump over the Sport to the Limited comes with well more than that in terms of equipment, making the Limited the value-for-money king of the range, while that petrol engine is so impressively good, that you would really have to have a desperate need for either diesel or AWD to make the leap further up to the SPR.

Or it would have to be extremely good indeed.

Why would I buy it?

Here's the thing: the Korando can now legitimately said to be as least as good as its Korean direct competitors - there are a few areas it doesn't match them, but there are also a few it exceeds them - but is still significantly cheaper, with the top-spec SPR costing the same as an entry level Kia Sportage and a few thousand less than an entry level Hyundai Tucson. Plus the fact that it is a handsome Euro-style small SUV that is a pleasure to drive. That always helps.

Why wouldn't I buy it?

You still find some aspects of SsangYong's styling challenging - they are massively improved, but still feature a few quirks that may not appeal to all. Or perhaps you are sold, but really want a petrol AWD or diesel FWD, in which case you are out of luck.