New Korando : SsangYong's crossover

is right on the money! SsangYong has a long towing history. Its roots in rugged military vehicle design going right back to the company's startup in 1954. Now, in the rather comely shape of its new Korando crossover, SsangYong is aiming to bring state of the art Korean values of reliability, quality and value to caravanners and trailer towers. The specification is impressive.

Unlike its massively strong, seperately chassised Rexton and 4x4 Rodius EX stablemates, the Korando has an all new monocoque body. This reduces weight without compromising strength or rigidity. There's a punchy 175bhp 2.0 litre turbo diesel under the bonnet and a good choice of transmissions of offer. Besides the 6 speed manual or T-Tronic gearboxes, there's also the option of 2 or 4 wheel drive

LAVISH KIT

Modern Korean cars rarely skimp on standard kit, but even by those high standards the Korando is lavishly equipped. The entry level S comes with a leather steering wheel and gearknob, air conditioning, tinted glass, cruise control, heated windscreen, rear parking sensors, puddle lamps, six speaker CD audio with MP3 and Bluetooth, allow wheels, roof rails and a remote keyless entry system. The ES and 4x4 EX models get full leather interiors, and build quality generally looks excellent, with plenty of soft touch materials. But how does it perform on the road?

TOWING TALENT

The answer, with a four berth Bailey Orion 430-4 attached at least, is 'brilliant'. A towing vehicle's own weight plays a part in stabilising the towed mass. The Caravan Club recommends that the weight of your caravan shouldn't exceed 85% of the weight of the towing vehicle, but the Korando's 360Nm of torque from 2000 to 3000rpm (topping Kuga, Qashqai, Sportage and quite a few other bigger-engined cars) allows it to tow almost 100% of its 2180Kb gross vehicle weight*. That means it can tow a breaked trailer of up to 2 tonnes, or an unbreaked one of up to 750Kg, with a robust towbar maximum of 80Kg. Because its road behaviour is based on grip and balance rather than ballast, the Korando is unflustered when it's towing and quick when it's not. It handled our 1247kg Orion easily, with minimal push or rear-end steer. Solo top speed is 112mph, or 116mph in autoe quise.

A STAR IS BORN?

A comprehensive standard package of driver aids like ESP, Active Rollover Protection, ABS + EBD and Hill Start Assist adds peace of mind on the road, and you dont need to be a caranner or tower to appreciate the Korando's full complement of front, side and curtain airbags, Isofix child seat anchorage points and official combined consumption figure of 47.1mpg on the 2WD manual. Throw in a 5 Year limitless mileage warranty and this £16,995 Korando suddenly looks like a lot of car for the money. In its Korando ads, SsangYong asks 'what's stopping you?' Its a pretty good question.... * S and ES Models: 2260kg for 4WD EX model.