SsangYong Musso XLV 2019 Review

Accompanied by fat, icy bullets of rain melting an overnight dump of snow, the 2019 SsangYong Musso XLV press launch drive in and around Marysville in central Victoria promised to be a good test for a vehicle that is meant to be an all-weather, go-anywhere tool of trade or recreation.

The Musso looks XLV looks long and tall in the metal and while some of its styling is undeniably fussy (the crease lines on the tray sides and tailgate, for example), the overall impression is of a fairly conservatively styled ute.

You don’t get the sense that this is one of the cheapest dual-cabs on the market when you jump inside. There’s a nice contrast of grey and matt-silver hues and no shiny, brittle plastics to make the whole thing look downmarket.

The driver’s access to controls is mostly a simple affair, with only minor issues to encounter such as the XLV’s use of the left wand for lights/indicators and right wand for wipers.

Interior storage is useful rather than spectacular, with large door pockets (moulded to take bottles) a centre lidded bin and glovebox. There’s a tray on the dash top and a centre console tray ahead of the gear lever, which is quite shallow.

The entry-level ELX variant lacks the Musso XLV Ultimate’s lush 7.0-inch LCD instrument screen but its mainly analogue set-up is clear and easy to operate. The central 8.0-inch infotainment screen doesn’t hold any nasty surprises, either -- although the ELX’s standard reversing camera didn’t work on the test cars as they were waiting for a software upgrade.

If it’s as good as the Ultimate Plus’ reversing camera screen we did get to sample (which also gets the extra feature of 360-degree view), there should be no complaints.

Front seats offer good lateral and under-thigh support and, combined with the steering column adjustment (rake-only on ELX; rake and reach on upper-spec models) and multiple seat adjustments, most should find the correct driving position.

The back seat is comfortable and offers plenty of head, leg and shoulder room. There are also door pockets, a centre armrest and rear-vents, plus an open storage space under the seat.

The lack of a centre rear lap/sash seat belt (it’s lap-only) is the obvious omission here. SsangYong is developing a fix, and promises a three-point belt will soon be in production. At least there's a head restraint for each of the five occupants.

While the SsangYong Musso XLV has the bonus of one of the biggest trays in the class, you pay for it when parking. At 5405mm long, it’s going to poke out of most marked urban parking spaces. Then again, there’s always the Musso SWB if you’re worried about parking and are willing to forego tray capacity.

The first thing you notice about the XLV’s tray is how long it is for a dual-cab -- 1610mm. That’s 60mm more than in the Ford Ranger and a massive 90mm more than the Toyota HiLux’s.

Tray width, width between wheel-arches and height are also right up there at the pointy end of the class too (if you ignore the RAM 1500). There are six tie-down points and while you get a rear bumper bar in this entry model, there no flat section so you can step up into the tray.

The engine is quiet and smooth for a diesel and serves as a sharp contrast to competitors such as the Ranger 3.2 and HiLux 2.8. The engine revs up to 4000rpm almost as willingly and quickly as a petrol engine, and while there is the familiar turbo lag off the line, it isn’t too bad.

The only complaint is if you are holding revs high (descending a steep off-road hill holding first gear, for example) the engine gets a little boomy from about 3500rpm.

While we’d need more time with the Musso XLV to obtain tank-to-tank fuel readings, the fuel consumption on the trip computer showed a par-for-the-course 11.0L/100km on the launch.

The six-speed auto did its thing unobtrusively with smooth shifts and a decent ratio spread, and offers the option of manual/sport modes.

The SsangYong’s steering is a little numb and certainly not direct as, say, the Ranger’s, but you’re not left feeling as though you need to correct all the time to keep things on track.

The utes we drove had empty trays, so of course ride quality was going to be shown in its worst light. Although a little fidgety and busy up front on the road and of course firm over bumps at the back, ride was not as harsh as in some competitors.

While SsangYong Australia is working on an Australian suspension tune to be ready by the end of this year, it’s not like the engineers will have to throw out the existing suspension settings and start again.

The launch drive included a loop on forestry trails that were steep and slippery in sections but not undulating -- there was no crossing-up of axles or any real need to pick a line here. Which is a good thing, because you won’t make the Musso XLV your first choice for such hard-core trail work.

It has an acceptable 25 degree approach angle, but it goes downhill from there, with poor 20-degree ramp-over and 20-degree departure angles. The average rather that fantastic 215mm ground clearance and wide turning circle don’t help, nor do a low-range reduction that is not quite low enough for steep work.

On the slippery downhill trail section we encountered, neither the standard hill descent control or low-range first gear reduction was quite slow enough.

If you need to take a plunge into a water crossing, the air intake is in the upper grille area -- not ideal, but it appears well-protected -- and the alternator is at mid-point up the engine bay. There’s a skid plate up front, the mid-mounted fuel tank is well protected and everything else appears tucked up out of harm’s way.

While the SsangYong Musso XLV ELX would not be your first choice as the basis of a hard-core off-road tool, it would carry off easier trail work or desert touring without much effort.

Add to that its large interior and tray, benign on-road manners, strong seven-year after-sales back-up, bargain pricing and ample standard equipment and safety list including AEB, and you’ve got a very enticing alternative to the bigger names in the ute market.

How much does the 2019 SsangYong Musso XLV ELX cost?
Price: $35,990 (drive-away)
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 133kW/420Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 233g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested