Ticks every single box except design
The SsangYong Turismo is not a new car, in fact it has been on the market in the UK for two years and was a direct replacement for the Rodius; which was one of the most widely ridiculed cars in recent years. You can be forgiven for saying you have never heard of the Turismo and there is certainly a huge possibility that you have never seen one.
The Turismo, it has to be said from the outset, is much better looking than its predecessor, but then again that doesn’t take much doing; the Rodius was pretty ugly. The Turismo has some sharp lines, a purposeful stance and some clever exterior lines, but I'm still not sure it would win any design awards. However the Turismo is not about style, flair or image, it has been designed to be functional and do a number of things, all of which it does reasonably well.
For a start it is a full seven seater and unusually these days, the layout of the seats are: two in the front, two large individual captain chairs on the second row and a three seat bench at the rear. But even with all the seats up, there is still plenty of room for shopping and luggage. The interior is huge to say the least, you can easily transport seven adults with luggage and therefore it gets a tick for interior space.
The seats are all very luxurious and up to the standard of a luxury saloon. The general standard of quality in the interior is up to a high level and when you are sat in the car you can easily forget what badge is on the outside, you could easily believe you were travelling in a car twice its price, therefore it gets a tick for interior quality too.
We drove the Turismo from the Millbrook test facility in Bedfordshire onto the local roads and then onto the M1, which gave us the opportunity to test the new 2.2 litre diesel engine. This unit develops 178ps, although we don’t know what the 0 to 62mph figure is as it is not available yet from the manufacturer. The CO2 emission figure is a fairly hefty 189g/km, which equates to a first year VED rate of £490, although the CO2 is reduced from the previous 2.0 diesel which this new engine replaces.
It drove pretty well on all types of roads and was a good cruiser on the motorway at 70mph. It was quiet enough and with low noise levels in the cabin. It has a commanding driving position, with fairly good all-round vision, except reversing where vision is slightly hampered by a metal pillar that gets in the way: more glass at the rear would have been better, therefore it gets a tick for improved CO2, the ride and for being a nice place to sit.
This new improved model also gets a new seven speed Mercedes Benz automatic gearbox, which seemed quick, effortless and very refined and will no doubt be very reliable too. A six speed manual gearbox is standard, with the auto costing an additional £1,500 on the EX derivative. Therefore it gets a tick for a nicer, smoother auto gearbox and a slick manual.
All models in the SsangYong range are covered by a five year unlimited mileage warranty, with unlimited meaning just that - unlimited - with no small-print (except of course for parts that would normally wear out) so the Turismo certainly gets a tick for its warranty.
Now to the price: the SE 2.2 manual costs £18,995. The next model in the range, the 2.2 EX manual costs £20,995, with the automatic priced at £22,495. But the most interesting model is the top of the range ELX 2.2 4X4 automatic. This car offers full four-wheel drive with a low ratio set of gears as standard, automatic, seven full seats, five year warranty and is priced at £24,995, so definitely we can give it a tick for value for money.
The numbers of true car-like large seven seat people carriers is low, with examples such as the Ford S-Max, Seat Alhambra, Volkswagen Sharan, Peugeot 5008 and Citroen C4 Grand Picasso. There is an increasing amount of very good, well-built van-based seven seaters that offer a really good alternative to the more commonly known vehicles, and these are often cheaper and offer good value. So the public do have much more choice now, whether they chose the traditional well-known brands, a converted van or the Turismo.
These types of vehicles are used for a number of reasons, ranging from families who need plenty of room, taxi’s, executive travel, businesses and anyone who needs van, that happens to have some seats as well.
The Turismo is an unknown quantity, you are hardly likely see one on a regular basis, unless you are a SsangYong dealer. It does have a lot to offer for not a lot of money. But - and this is a BIG but - as good as it may be, as much as it has to offer, as much as it looks good value, as good as the warranty is - does the design just remove it from the list of cars to consider?
Or will potential buyers just view it as a practical, reliable people and luggage carrier, with a long list of standard equipment and not be concerned that it isn’t the latest fashion accessory?
Martin Ward, Manufacturer Relationship Manager
UK Press launch, Millbrook
