Last Updated: 09/09/2008
SSANGYONG KYRON
The 4x4 van market may be quite a small sector of the UK commercial vehicle business, but this month we’ve managed to get our hands on two new contenders. Elsewhere in this issue you can see how Land Rover’s latest Freelander 2 measures up as a van. But if you find the idea of spending £25,000 on a small van, even one with a Land Rover badge on it, a bit too steep then perhaps our second newcomer, SsangYong’s Kyron, would be a better bet.With a list price of just £13,995 plus the VAT, the Korean machine starts off with a pretty strong purchasing argument. Like the Freelander 2, the Kyron C-S is based on a 4x4 car, in this case the Kyron in S trim level only. It is powered by a 2.0 litre common rail diesel engine delivering 141hp and a reasonable 310Nm of torque.
That’s enough to get the Kyron up and running fairly rapidly and the vehicle will cruise with UK motorway traffic easily. However a sixth gear ratio in the manual gearbox would be welcome, to lower the engine revs at higher speeds. If you prefer the van to change gears for you, you can specify a Mercedes T-Tronic automatic transmission as an option.
As with most 4x4 pick-ups, the Kyron runs in two wheel drive most of the time, the power being directed to the rear wheels. You can however select four wheel drive at any time, with a rotary switch on the dash.
Belying any impressions that low price might equate to low specification, the van is equipped with an ESP electronic stability programme and active rollover protection. It also comes with a hill descent control (HDC) system that works through the ABS brakes to maintain control during steep descents.
This sector of the market isn’t particularly looking for massive carrying capacity, and the Kyron’s 530kg of payload is fairly representative of the breed. A cargo volume of 2,384 litres is reasonable though, and the load space is easily accessed thanks to the five door body style of the donor car, which provides two side doors to the front of the load area.
Rather oddly the half mesh bulkhead is an option, though at just £299 including VAT and fitting not an expensive one. If you need to tow with the van then the Kyron will pull up to 2.3 tonnes.
It’s a similar story inside the cab, with a relatively high specification despite that low entry price. Automatic climate control is standard, along with a rather mad looking Kenwood stereo with steering wheel controls.
This audio system, which would have looked more at home in something from the pages of Max Power, does look a little bit out of place in the sturdy grey plastics of the Kyron’s interior. It can run all sorts of things, from CDs and MP3s to USB sticks. It even has a remote control hand unit, which is a little bit unnecessary as you are sitting right in front of the player.
The design inside the cab is interesting, with a theme of circular controls broken up by the hard angular edge of the centre console. It’s a similar story outside too. There’s nothing actually wrong with the looks of the Kyron, unlike the firm’s Rodius people carrier, but the Kyron isn’t going to be grabbing customers off the street with its looks.
The Kyron is a comfortable drive, for a commercial vehicle. I’m not sure that I’d be quite so pleased if I’d bought it as a car. There is a bit of roll through corners and, not surprisingly, you do feel as if you’re sitting quite high. The SsangYong is equipped with a five link coil sprung rear end, but it’s not something that I would feel that comfortable hustling along country lanes in.
That’s not what you buy a 4x4 van for of course. The Kyron is more than capable on the road and can handle those dirt tracks when you need to. SsangYong’s second ace up its sleeve, besides that entry level price, is the fact that if the Kyron is not quite big enough for you, you can also order the larger Rexton C-S as a commercial.
It boasts a 165hp engine and 3.2 tonne towing capacity. The load area is slightly smaller, but offers a greater carrying capacity of 740kg. The Rexton C-S can be yours for just £15,995.
What’s more, if you decide that you actually don’t need the 4x4 hardware at all, but like the convenience of the Kyron as a van, there will be a two wheel drive model soon, costing just £11,999.
SsangYong vehicles are now being imported and distributed by Koelliker UK, which should provide stability and growth for dealers and customers. That means that service and back-up should be easy to find, though at present residual values are not so easy to assess.
Though the Kyron C-S is appearing in the same issue as the Freelander 2, we didn’t run them head to head as in fact they are very different vehicles, despite being designed to do the same job. Few buyers who are looking at the Land Rover will also have a SsangYong dealer on their list.
But if the Freelander is too expensive for your commercial requirements, and you need that occasional off road capability, the SsangYong Kyron does offer an interesting alternative that might well be worth a look.
