When a new car manufacturer arrives on our shores, it invariably uses a familiar tactic: low prices, a few goodies included as standard and the inevitable phrase, ‘You get a lot of car for your money.’

Lada tried it but failed to keep pace with the modernisation of cars and eventually cleared off. They won’t be missed. The overpowering smell of plastic and rubber when you climbed in was enough to put off anyone.  The FSO Polonez was no better and neither was the Yugo.

Skoda, Kia, Hyundai, Seat and Chinese-owned MG all arrived here and offered terrific value for money if you wanted cheap wheels that weren’t truly awful, like the Lada, Yugo and FSO.

But those manufacturers moved with the times and their products are now up with the best and generally come with excellent warranties and a reputation for reliability. Entry level prices are on the rise though and you can no longer call them cheap.   

The latest arrivals are Chinese electric cars from BYD and Great Wall Motors. And then there’s SsangYong.

Hands up if you remember the SsangYong Rodius? It ranks as one of the most ugly cars ever produced. The rear of the car looked as though someone had done some DIY and tried to attach what can best be described as an attic extension.

SsangYong is another of the newcomers who’ve moved with the times. The SsangYong Musso pick-up collects awards like confetti. The Tivoli is a thoroughly decent small SUV and, let’s face it, if you can get a nicely sorted, reliable car which comes with a 5-year warranty and costs a shade over £20,000, then it’s easy to see why it sells well. The Korando is certainly worth a look if you need something bigger, just add around £2k to the Tivoli price.

However, when you chuck yourself into a lion’s cage to rival the likes of the Land Rover Discovery, Toyota Land Cruiser and Kia Sorento, then you know that the SsangYong Rexton has a battle on its hands.  

That’s before the Rexton plays its trump card, though. The Disco kicks off at a shade over £60k and the Toyota will be around £50k, while the Kia Sorento weighs in at £45k.

Coming in cheaper than the rest is the SsangYong Rexton, which starts at £39,500 and is loaded with kit.  

If you like your cars to be big, you won’t be disappointed by the Rexton. It’s enormous and easily seats seven people. If you need a workhorse, the Rexton won’t let you down because it’ll easily tow 3.5 tonnes. The all-wheel drive system means you should manage to tow something like a horsebox over a soggy field or reverse a boat into a lake.

It’s a handsome beast too and the front grille is very distinctive.   

Of course, there’s the temptation to assume that if the price is low, then something like the interior build quality and equipment will also be low rent. Wrong. Even though the Rexton may have slightly old fashioned driving manners in a rugged sort of way, the interior is very tidy indeed.

The suspension set-up is typical of cars which are designed to earn their keep as well as offer family holiday transportation. It needs to be able to cope with a lot of heavy work but still be capable of eating up the motorway miles. What this means is that the ride is fairly firm and you can feel the dampers working on lumpy road surfaces, but at motorway speeds with a family on board, the ride is nicely controlled. SsangYong has done a lot of work on this latest Rexton, and it shows. The old model used to roll quite a bit on quicker corners and if you hit a pothole, the whole car used to tremble. Thankfully this latest model is much more controlled.

And if you really do need to travel over seriously muddy ground, the locking centre differential and low-ratio gearbox settings will keep you moving. I tried one towing a trailer loaded with hay bales and it had no problem crossing a boggy field.  

The newly updated 2.2 litre 199bhp diesel engine (it’s the only one available in the Rexton) is no flying machine with 0-60mph taking around 10 seconds, but when you’re cruising along, it’s nicely muted. Top speed is 114mph. The 8-speed auto gearbox also shifts smoothly. As for economy, you’re looking at 33 mpg. 

Four levels of trim are available - Ventura, Ventura Plus, Ultimate and Ultimate Plus. All come with a 12.3-inch central touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB radio, air con, powered and ventilated front seats, heated front and rear seats, heated steering wheel, reversing camera and 18-inch alloys. The instrument cluster behind the steering wheel is excellent and is programmable

Only the entry-level model has to do without a sat nav and powered tailgate, so add £900 and go for the Ventura Plus model, which will likely be the top seller.

SsangYong is building a reputation as a manufacturer of reliable cars. The standard 5 year / 100,000 miles warranty can be extended to 7 years and 150,000 miles which hints at their confidence in not needing to do a lot of repairs. Taxi drivers are probably drooling at the thought of 3-year old models appearing on the used car market.

Yes, if you put the SsangYong Rexton up against a Land Rover Discovery, you’ll see the difference in interior quality and on-road manners, but that is missing the point. The Rexton is aimed at owners who plainly can’t afford a Disco but would still like the ability to carry seven people and all of their baggage; haul 3.5 tonnes and be capable of some genuine off-roading. They also get plenty of kit and a load of safety gubbins included as standard - and they can also keep £20k in their pocket.

SsangYong is a company worth watching. If they can maintain their sensible pricing levels and don’t fall foul of reduced quality and ability, their army of loyal followers is certain to grow. 

words: Graham Courtney
pictures: SsangYong