There is something a bit schizophrenic about SsangYong’s latest Musso pick-up. The brand wants to be seen in the same way as Land Rover and Jeep, as a maker of rough, tough 4x4 vehicles with a touch of luxury thrown in.
So it gets the fairly sumptuous interior from the SsangYong Rexton SUV, with plenty of soft-touch leather on the dashboard and toys such as a heated steering wheel, heated and cooled leather seats and a factory-fitted TomTom sat-nav.
But whereas the Jeep and Land Rover models carry off the tough-but-luxurious trick with ease, it is less convincing in the Musso, which is Korean for Rhino.
Its toughness credentials are fine and it negotiated a five-mile off-road course featuring steep and slippery grassy banks and streams quite easily. The gearbox’s high and low ratios worked fine and the hill descent control provided the driver with plenty of confidence.
It was the attempts at luxury which showed where the money had been saved. The door mirror caps were covered in a silver wrap which didn’t look like it would last very long and the dashboard graphics were too small and difficult to read. There were rough edges inside the cabin and a rattle from the side-mounted running board, although the rest of the car felt well screwed together and rattle-free. Noise, vibration and harshness were well suppressed.
The most important thing about this work-horse is that it can carry 1,085kg in its load bay as well as tow 3,500kg. The cab is a four-door four/five seater with more rear legroom than most of the competition.
On the road, it doesn’t like to be hurried. It feels heavy but is easy to drive in either six-speed manual or six-speed Aisin auto guise, and its 181hp 2.2-litre diesel motor is up to the job, but with a gross vehicle weight of 3,215kg its performance was never going to be lively.
However, the Musso, which is available in EX, Rebel, Saracen and top spec Rhino trim, has a couple of aces up its sleeve. It comes with a seven-year 150,000-mile warranty, and at £19,995 to £28,245 it undercuts the competition.
If the luxury side of the equation is what matters to you, by all means spend four times as much on a Range Rover. But if you need a versatile 4x4 that is as tough as old boots, the SsangYong Musso provides a very reasonably-priced option.
Details: SsangYong Musso Saracen 6-speed manual
Top speed: 121mph
Combined mpg: 32.9
0-60mph: 9.5secs
CO2: 211g/km
Price: £24,995
