First drive: SsangYong Rexton

[LizziePope]

Could the all-new Rexton be the car that makes SsangYong a serious tow car contender? Quite possibly... Motty has been behind the wheel!

 

[Craigyoung]

Looks a very nice car . They've come a long way in the last few years , there's a lot of competition out there known for tow cars. I would have one . any competitions going where we can win one !!

 

[Martin24]

I've had two. No issues with either of them. Swmbo however preferred towing with the 110 Defender and the current D-Max. I was quite happy towing with either Rexton.

 

[otherclive]

I have read many reviews of SsangYong cars and they do seem to be coming of age. Also Owner reviews of the brand are favourable. This new Rexton reminds me of when the original Sorento came out. It was “God’s gift to caravanners” but then around 2010 the Sorento morphed into just another large SUV which diverted from its roots. I could see myself giving serious attention to the new Rexton and as well as a tug, and everyday car I could once again venture onto the Salisbury MTA for some off road adventures as I did with my Sorento.

 

[Martin24]

Absolutely spot on Clive. The Rexton must be the only reasonably priced 4X4 tug left on the market. I think there was a bit of a glitch along the way with the short lived 2 litre. The Sorrento was spot on at the start price wise as were the smaller Kia's. Where do we turn these days for a well priced car for any use these days???

 

[Raywood]

They look good for towing, but have always seemed a bit crude, and you spend more time driving solo which put me off looking at previous models. The fuel consumption needs to improve and the emissions always looked high on the older models which needed to improve, but the report does not show them. They do need a petrol alternative in the current climate as diesel sales are stalling.

 

[otherclive]

I agree that their solo performance isn't likely to be as good as many other SUVs as they are still built on a ladder chassis and don't have the sophisticated rear suspensions of others, but they are tough. Must be getting old but I recall the original Musso and 2nd generation Korando which were both based on Korean army military designs and prior to the first generation Sorento were highly rated for their reliability.

 

[SamandRose]

I think the key point is that it's not an SUV. It's a tough, basic 4x4 capable of seating seven, going off-road and towing heavy loads and if those are your priorities, as Clive has said this is probably the only such car in the marketplace right now.

However, if you're looking for the qualities of a car - comfort, ride, handling, economy, on-road ability etc) there will be better 4x4s available from just about every other car maker in the world.

So as to whether it's 'a serious towcar contender' well that probably depends. How much towing would you do with it, and where? Do you mostly want a towing vehicle, or do you want a car?

 

[Craigyoung]

Or something else to be looking good dropping the kids off outside the school gates cause most the people I see these days dropping kids off , bumping up the curb is probably the only off roading it / they will do !!

 

[SamandRose]

If 'looking good' is the priority they probably won't want a Ssang Yong then! I'm sure it's many things, but 'cool' isn't one of them.