SsangYong Rexton 2018 Review

Rexton. It’s the kind of name I’d give a dog – perhaps a Labrador – not a car. Despite the peculiar name there’s no gimmickry here and, after a short test drive of the SsangYong Rexton, I walked away pleasantly surprised.

Yep, this rugged SUV is a lot better than I expected.

The fourth-generation SsangYong Rexton is a quiet, refined machine with a well-designed, premium-feel cabin with lots of room and features. Like the rest of the SsangYong range, which relaunches in Australia from November 2018, the Rexton will come in three grades — EX, ELX and Ultimate — with the choice of rear-drive and all-wheel drive models, and 2.0-litre turbo-petrol (165kW/350Nm) and 2.2-litre turbo-diesel (133kW/420Nm) engines in Australia.

It’s also tipped to have a strong warranty of up to seven-years and unlimited kilometres, and competitive pricing.

The entry-level SsangYong Rexton will get the 2.0-litre turbo-petrol hooked up to a six-speed Aisin automatic transmission driving through the rear wheels. Up-spec models will be AWD diesel and get a smoother-shifting Mercedes-Benz supplied, seven-speed automatic cog-swapper.

Equipment levels and prices are still to be hashed out but the importer expects all models to get plenty of safety gear as standard, including high-beam assist, blind-spot and lane departure warning systems, rear cross-traffic alert, AEB, stability control and seven airbags.

We had a short half-day drive in the top-shelf SsangYong Rexton Ultimate 4WD diesel, which had all the bells and whistles.

We’re talking automatic power-retracting side steps, 20-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, push-button start, dual-zone climate control, diamond-stitched brown Nappa leather upholstery, heated and cooled seats, a heated steering wheel and an 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment display with lots of functionality. Think sat nav, 360-degree surround view parking camera, reversing camera, active lane keep assist, digital radio, Bluetooth streaming, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto… you get the picture.

The seats are comfortable and power adjustable, the leather is of an above average quality and looks great splashed across the door inserts. There’s tasteful colour-matched stitching across the seats, doors, dash and steering wheel, good quality plastics throughout, along with visually appealing metallic highlights, including the door handles, speakers and control nexus under the touchscreen.

It looks good, it feels good and there’s loads of space. Unless you’re unusually tall, front occupants will never struggle for extra room and the rear seats are just as roomy – but not quite as contoured. The vehicles we drove were five-seaters, so I can’t comment on the third-row seats or how they fare for leg room.

You get one USB port and a pair of circular 12-volt sockets up front, plus another USB and 12-volt socket in the rear console along with rear seat vents.

There’s a powered tailgate on Ultimate models, which is de rigueur these days, and the boot size isn’t bad. The claimed 820 litres in the five-seat version (649L in the seven-seater) compares favourably to the Toyota Prado’s 742 litres. The five-seat Rexton’s cargo space expands to 1977 litres with the back seats folded down (1806L in the seven-seater).

Prices have not been announced for Australia but expect the SsangYong Rexton ledger to open at around $40,000 for the manual rear-drive poverty pack. The Rexton needs to undercut SUV rivals such as the Isuzu MU-X, which starts at $43K, because buyers will still be unsure of the brand. Yet it needs to appear more upmarket than Chinese cheapies like the LDV D90, which kicks off at $37K.

Despite its (predicted) budget positioning, the SsangYong Rexton feels anything but cheap. It has an appealing, well-executed interior that should tick plenty of boxes for family buyers looking for a spacious SUV.

The 2018 SsangYong Rexton we drove features an all-wheel set-up, coerced by a SsangYong-built 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine (133kW/420Nm), paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission supplied by Mercedes-Benz.

There’s also a six-speed manual version and although it gets the same engine it generates slightly less torque (400Nm) and it doesn’t have the full 3500kg braked towing capacity – 3200kg instead.

Although the turbo-diesel engine lacks a little bit of response off the line – it feels like turbo-lag – it delivers a nice spread of torque. As a result, the Rexton is good around town, eating up busy Seoul traffic, and although throttle response isn’t as prompt as some rivals, the seven-speed gearbox does a good job of finding the right gear at the right time.

It also does a better job than the Aisin six-speeder in the Rexton’s twin sibling we drove, the SsangYong Musso ute.

The view of the road from the driver’s seat is excellent, thanks to upright windows and a high riding position. Whether cruising around at triple digit speeds on the freeway or 60km/h along a busy urban arterial road, the turbo-diesel engine is smooth and quiet. There’s very little engine noise or tyre noise to speak, with only a touch of wind noise entering the cabin.

For the most part, the Rexton feels predictable and settled at higher speeds.

The brakes, discs all round, are up to the task of decelerating the SUV’s tubby 2233kg mass and we saw a fuel consumption figure of around 11.5L/100km – slightly more than the claimed 8.3L/100km.

The SsangYong Rexton is compliant with Euro VI emissions standards and the fuel tank has a 70 litre capacity.

Turning the car is easy and the steering is well-suited to low-speed manoeuvers and parking; the 11 meter turning circle isn’t bad and we liked the way the 360 degree and reverse facing cameras work in tandem.

The SsangYong Rexton also gets a push-button park brake with auto hold (Musso doesn’t).

However, the suspension needs work. Like the Musso it offers good ride comfort but is a bit jiggly over some rougher surfaces. It shares the Musso’s platform and coil-sprung suspension, albeit with a multi-link rear end, but the rear feels a bit unsettled. It felt more composed with four people in it and felt like it had been tuned with towing in mind.

A short, basic off-road loop proved a cinch for the Rexton. Sensible ground clearance (224mm) and a torquey engine aids off-road progress, although its approach and departure angles aren’t exceptional — 20.5 and 22 degrees.

The Rexton’s default pose is rear-wheel drive to save fuel and you can flick the car into 4H for wet roads or dirt tracks and 4L for serious off-roading. Our test vehicle was shod with 255/60 profile tyres.

One thing we did notice when off-roading was a couple of squeaky panels underneath the centre console. Although it should be noted the SsangYong Rexton in question had 30,000km on the clock.

The SsangYong Rexton large SUV will be available with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), seven airbags – including side curtain airbags that cover all three seating rows – plus blind-spot monitoring, automatic high-beam headlights, rear cross-traffic alert and possibly active steering to keep the car from meandering out of its lane.

In theory the SsangYong Rexton could get a five-star NCAP safety rating. But it’s not clear whether the vehicle will be crash tested in Australia or Europe at this stage – although it’s a moot point as the ratings are now standardised.

SsangYong Motors Australia has said the Rexton won’t be tested by NCAP, the independent safety authority, until 2019, which means when the car launches here in November 2018 it won’t have an ANCAP safety rating.

All models will be equipped as standard with a reversing camera, plus hill start assist and hill descent control along with cruise control. There’s no word of adaptive cruise control at this stage.

Although it’s unlikely to be cross-shopped against the top-selling Toyota Prado (from $53,000) – the SsangYong Rexton is nonetheless in a similar category. Measuring 4850mm, it’s about 145mm shorter than the popular Toyota and could represent a cost-effective alternative.

How much does the 2018 SsangYong Rexton cost?
Price: TBC
Engine: 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 133kW/420Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel: 11.5L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 218g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: TBC