2023 PICK-UP OF THE YEAR
SSANGYONG MUSSO Multiple Best-Value award winner • Revised engine has more power, less thirs • Most
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ook elsewhere in the one-tonne pick-up market and you’ll notice that while some other manufacturers have raised their prices steeply while not changing much about their trucks, SsangYong has combined significant updates to the Musso with the most modest price hikes anywhere in the sector. The Korean vehicle only costs a little less than 5% more than it did last year – yet here it is with a revised engine whose output is up and whose fuel consumption is down. This comes hot on the heels of another previous round of upgrades made last year, which in addition
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to various detail changes saw automatic transmission become standard on all but the entry-level EX model. The engine is the same 2.2-litre diesel as before, however it now produces 202bhp at 3800rpm and 325lbf.ft from 1600-2600rpm. These are increases of 12% and 5% respectively, and fuel economy has been improved by 7% across the range to 33.8mpg for the manual EX and 31.5mpg for everything else. We mentioned the restrained nature of SsangYong’s price rises, and this reflects the high-value approach the company has always taken. So too does the vehicle’s warranty,
which at 7 years or 150,000 miles crushes all before it.
RANGE
The engine is standard across the Musso range, which contains just four models. All are double-cabs, though there’s more variety in them than that makes it sound. Even the entry-level EX has 17” alloys, air-con, DAB and Bluetooth, so it’s no mug. By the time you get to the Rhino, which sits at the top of the range, you’ve got nappa leather, 9.2” sat-nav, all-round parking sensors, powered, heated and cooled seats, smartphone pairing and a reversing camera.
Pictured here, the Saracen is the lifestyle model. It has the same leather, media and so on as the Rhino, as well as 18” alloys to go with its bling styling. The Rhino is the most interesting model, though, because it’s so different to anything else on the market. It retains all the Saracen’s luxury and tech but drops back down to 17” alloys, because in addition to being a pose wagon it’s also built to be a work truck. Sceptical? Look underneath and whereas the rest of the range has coil springs, the Rhino has leaves. It has a longer wheelbase, too, by about 4.5”. And its rear overhang
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