Ssangyong Korando - Should you buy one in 2020?

There are four Korando trim levels - 'ELX', 'Ventura', 'Pioneer' and 'Ultimate'.

The base £20,000 price only gets you a base-spec front-driven 1.5-litre 'ELX' petrol model; unfortunately, it's not possibly to have the 1.6-litre diesel with either of the two more affordable trim levels, so prices for black pump-fuelled derivatives kick off at quite a lot more - from just under £27,000, with a further £2,000 premium being needed if you want AWD. All diesel variants come with auto transmission. The 1.5-litre petrol derivatives get a manual 'box, unless you opt for top 'Ultimate' spec, with offers an auto variant for £1,500 more.

Got that? Good. On to equipment. Even the base-spec 'ELX' comes with features like 17-inch alloy wheels and cruise control. All the diesel variants get heated front seats, fabric and faux-leather upholstery, front and rear parking sensors, a heated steering wheel, an 8-inch centre-dash infotainment screen with smartphone-mirroring ('Apple CarPlay'/'Android Auto'), a rear view camera and a full-sized spare wheel. Standard camera-driven safety features fitted as standard across the range include Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Autonomous Emergency Braking System (AEBS), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane keeping Assist (LKA) and Driver Attention Alert (DAA).

Cost of Ownership
You probably wouldn't expect a really capable SUV like this one to be anything near class-leading in terms of its fuel and CO2 efficiency stats - and this one isn't - but its figures to get nearer to the prevailing class standard than those of its predecessor. The diesel version manages a WLTP-rated combined cycle fuel showing of 48.7mpg and an NEDC-rated CO2 showing of 144g/km. That's with a manual gearbox; you'll do significantly worse with auto transmission because in this guise, the Korando doesn't get an auto start-stop system.

As with all SsangYong models, there's the peace of mind of a seven year/150,000 mile warranty. Where the Korando runs into trickier territory is in the area of residual values. With its limited dealer network and almost non-existent promotional budget, there's no getting away from the fact that public awareness of this vehicle is virtually nil. That can only have a detrimental effect on residual values which will never be as punchy as big name vehicles like the Nissan Qashqai, the Skoda Yeti or the Toyota RAV4. Some recompense comes with modest insurance ratings.

Summary
'Korea can do'. That's apparently what 'Korando' means - and it seems appropriate. After all, it's hard to think of a car maker that has come so far, so quickly as SsangYong. This Korando remains very accessibly priced and feels even more class-competitive in this fourth generation guise. Yes, as the brand itself would admit, this remains a work in progress. But the signs with this car are that this Korean marque is learning quickly just what European customers really want.

So how to summarise? Well we'd say that this SsangYong is a difficult option to ignore if you need a really capable car of this kind. It can powerfully tow, will more comfortably transport five people than direct rivals can and offers up plenty of kit on a tight budget. You'll just have to get used to explaining to people what it is. And who knows, you might even end up suggesting that they try one....

[InsideBilderberg]

Bought a used 2017 model 4W diesel (manual) over a year ago now and I am very pleased with it, I live up in northern Iceland and it´s very good in the often hard driving conditions here in winter and has turned out to be very reliable. Fuel consumption could be better but I generally don´t worry that much about that, my quite aggressive driving style might also contribute to it.
I think I might upgrade next year, but depends on reviews of the newer models, I sure love the 2017 one I have now.

[johnbradshaw]

Ssangyong have really struggled to recover from the hit their reputation took from some truly hideous looking horror boxes they made in the late 90's and 2000's. Which is sad as nowadays they are making some solid and cleanly styled cars with genuine capability and terrific value. They should sell a lot more if people can look beyond the badge.

[gerriesmuts]

Hope they bring them back in South Africa

[finalmckinney]

Can't wait to get behind the wheel

[tonyrock]

If it had adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot warning. I'd take a look.

[ibrahimseck]

Why isn't this sold in France, never seen one on the road !!

[mrjuice]

Can i ask how tall are you?
I've seen you next to the car and the car seems so tall..

[cheekeebandito]

My girlfriend bought a new manual trans gas powered Tivoli in July of 2021 (Medellín Colombia).... my first impression, driving in this very mountainous area, was how extremely underpowered it is .... at 10k, the transmission locked itself in reverse ... the brakes were also worn out ... At 15k, the clutch was gone .... at 19k, the front power windows went out of alignment ... now at 20k, the transmission is nearly impossible to get into 1st gear ... I drive a toyota back in Canada....
No issues, except for a key fob battery .... Obviously, I would NEVER recommend a Ssangyong, what a complete nightmare of unreliability... and these are not minor issues ....
No thanks

[shishjathar]

No AC vents for rear seat. How could you miss that in your review?

[opencurtin]

It looks nice a little bit more boxy than the usual clones .

[John-hhuz]

Was considering as cheap but given the Courts are deciding on whether to wind the company up their 7 year warranty will be useless. Second hand prices will crash too. Would be buyers of the company have all pulled out from what I read.

[aminesalah]

Ssangyong korando abad car in the world

[SPEAKTHETRUTH...]

I went and bought this car after watching this video and I am very disappointed. I got a 1.6 diesel engine 4x2 . Very poor fuel consumption. I would never recommend this car. Stay away from this car . If you can try and rent one for a week and see .

[Land-of-reason]

This sounds alarmingly underpowered. It seems to be a poor man's Mazda CX-5.

[tirgod]

bird wing logo ... ok this guy is not prepared and not professional at all ...