What's the news?
The new SsangYong Turismo has now gone on sale with prices starting from just £17,995. After dropping the Rodius name for this generation, the massive Turismo does seem to be in a class of one in its market.
Exterior
For a kick-off, the Turismo looks miles better than the hideous Rodius it replaces; although this isn't really saying a lot. At over five metres long it still isn't much of a looker, the wheels are disproportionately small and the rear window still has a hint of the Rodius about it. Having said that, it does at least look like someone has tried to style this one; and the front grille and light arrangement really aren't bad at all. Front fog lamps and chrome detailing also feature to brighten up its image.
Interior
Well, it's enormous in there. With all seven seats up, the Turismo still has a hefty 875-litre boot space, which rises to 3,146 litres when the five rear seats are folded. The middle two seats are actually two individual armchairs, and three adults will be more than comfortable seated on the rear bench. Air conditioning, a leather steering wheel and gearstick and a raft of connectivity options are fitted as standard across the range; with heated leather seats, parking sensors and rain sensing wipers coming in on top-spec models.
Mechanicals
Underneath, the Turismo still rides on the same chassis as the Rodius... which was originally found on the Mercedes-Benz E-Class from the late '90s. SsangYong has at least ditched the five-cylinder Mercedes diesel engine this time to make space for its own 2.0-litre e-XDi200 unit. This can be had with either five-speed manual or six-speed automatic gearboxes, with its 155hp sent to either the rear wheels or all four depending on the specification. The Turismo's 360Nm torque figure helps give it a maximum towing weight of 2.5 tonnes; making it a potentially capable off-roader as well as a sizeable MPV.
Anything else?
With prices ranging from £17,995 to £23,995 the Turismo is certainly a lot of car for the money. All versions also come with a five-year unlimited mileage warranty as standard.
James Giddings - 13 Aug 2013
