SSANGYONG MUSSO RHINO

SsangYong Musso Rhino Long Bed

What is it?

A few years ago when the Musso was introduced, I remember driving down south somewhere for its UK launch. At the time I was driving a Mercedes-Benz X250D pick up, and after a full day of driving the Musso, I wondered why anyone would even consider spending and extra £10-20k on the Merc!

The Musso not only comes with a standard 7 year, 150,000 warranty, which is the best warranty in the business, but in the UK, the Musso is the only pickup that can carry its max payload of 1 tonne and tow 3.5 tonnes at the same time. I think at the time I wrote that the Musso was the thinking man’s pick up.

So, what’s new?

Well, included in the new model year SsangYong Musso line-up in the UK market, there’s a new long-bed variant, the Rhino, which offers an extra 300mm in the load area.

On the road

Over the last few years I’ve driven a number of Mussos, and I find them comfortable, quiet and refined; simple as that really. It’s quietness can be contributed to its rigid body on frame construction being carefully tuned by Pininfarina to ensure that the noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) levels are excellent.

It even has polyester wheel-arch linings that reduce road noise and the engine bay includes better sealing than the outgoing model to improve sound, dust and waterproofing.

The steering always feels light and offers plenty of feedback and it’s ride, unladen, isn’t that much different to any other pick up, there’s a degree of choppiness, which is expected, but around corners on undulating roads it handles itself really well.

Off road

The Musso has a part-time 4WD system with 2WD high, 4WD high and 4WD low, but it lacks a rear diff-lock, though its electronics easily compensate for that. Balancing the Musso on its two opposing wheels caused no embarrassment as it simply drove forward without even a scramble from its tyres. The system includes hill descent control and hill start assist to provide optimum grip, traction and safety.

which it proved more than capable, from grassy hills to mud and rocks, the Musso managed them with ease. The only downside, and this isn’t a criticism, but its 19.5° approach, 20.5° departure and 20° ramp-over angles are among the lowest in the sector, so the Musso wouldn’t be my first choice as a weekend off-roader.

Credit where credit’s due, those side steps are sturdy as hell, I actually lost count the number of times I bashed and scraped them and they remained straight and in one piece, which proves how heavy duty they are. Throughout the week I drove a fair number of green lanes on

As I mentioned earlier, it’s very capable off the beaten track, but its target audience are more commercial who won't necessarily need the clearance of an off-roader.

Interior

Inside the Rhino is a very nice place to be, with a 6-speed Aisin auto, automatic climate control, front and rear parking sensors and reversing camera, blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert, lane change assist, dark tinted rear privacy glass amongst other things, but there’s a problem.

The Musso is the only pick up I’ve driven in that the centre infotainment screen reflects in the rear window. Consequently, whilst driving at night and glancing in the rear view mirror that’s all you see!

However, once I slid down the seat a few inches to see what it’s like for a smaller driver (I’m roughly 6ft 2”), and adjusted the mirror to suit, the reflection wasn’t half as bad.

Other than that, the Musso is a well put together vehicle and a comfortable and squeak free place to be. The seats are well shaped for the XXL amongst us and there’s just enough soft plastics around to make it feel a bit classy.

All models feature an advanced infotainment system that includes DAB radio, Bluetooth and MP3 connectivity, while Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come with the middle and top specification models, as does a rearview reversing camera. Everything is displayed on either an 8.0” screen or a 9.2” screen with TomTom navigation on the top models. Carbon nanotube front speakers, front door tweeters and rear door speakers are also fitted. Other standard features include an adjustable tilt & telescopic steering wheel, electric windows, cruise control, central locking, airconditioning with fine dust filters and a 12V/120W power outlet in the cargo deck area.

Back seat passengers are in for a treat, as the rear seats are the comfiest of any pick up I’ve sat in, and leg room is plentiful as well.

Pick up stuff

As I said earlier, the Musso not only holds the UK record for being the only pickup that can carry its max payload of 1 tonne and tow 3.5 tonnes at the same time (automatic), but it also has the longest pick up bed of 1,610mm, that 300mm longer than the normal Musso. To accommodate the extra length, the wheelbase has also been extended from 3,100mm to 3,210mm. Overall length, if you’re interested, is 5,405mm.

Engine ’n’ transmission

The Musso is powered by the same 2.2ltr diesel engine found in the Rexton and delivers a maximum power of 180bhp at 3,800rpm and a maximum torque of 420Nm at 1,600 to 2,600rpm. What that means is that it’s no slouch from a standing start with a 0-62mph in 11.9 seconds, and has a strong low-end torque.

Although there’s only one engine you do get a choice of either a 6-speed manual or an Aisin 6-speed automatic gearbox. I seem to remember the manual box being quite smooth, it’s been a couple of years since I drove it, but the 6 speed auto takes the hassle out of stop/start M6 and town centre motoring, and probably the ‘box I’d go for.

Fuel wise, I was seeing figures around the 29-30mpg mark.

Conclusion

SsangYong are the longest-running Korean vehicle brand, manufacturing vehicles since 1954, so they know a thing or two about building cars. The new long-bed Rhino is available with all the latest safety gadgets and toys all wrapped up in an attractive package, and like the rest of its siblings, it enjoys SsangYong’s 7 year and 150,000 mile warranty.

It could be argued that SsangYong have the market to themselves when it comes to out and out value for money and confidence they have in their own vehicles. By that I mean you don’t see Mitsubishi, Mercedes or Toyota having the same level of confidence in their trucks by offering a class leading warranty, I wonder why…

price - £21.995 on the road EX spec to £29,995 Rhino LWB (tested) website - https://www.ssangyonggb.co.uk