2019 Ssangyong Musso

Well it has arrived, and doesn’t it look sharp!  The 2019 Ssangyong Musso replaces a ute that started its journey back in 2002 with the Musso Sports.  Various new models have evolved, but this one is all-new and is based on the latest Ssangyong Rexton SUV which was released just last year.  Rextons are an excellent SUV that seats occupants in fine comfort with plenty of room.  The ladder chassis in the new Musso, however, is stretched in the wheelbase with wishbones up front and a five-link rear end suspension with a Panhard rod and coil springs taking the load.  And while the latest Musso is bigger all round compared with the pervious model, it’s still not as large as some of its main competitors.  In standard form the Musso’s size is actually quite nice, not being overly bulky.  Those who would like more size and space can opt for the XL version that puts it in a class of its own for space and practicality.  In XL form the Musso ute boasts a bigger tray out the back than any of its competitors.

So, the Musso shares its body-on-frame construction with the latest Rexton to give an extremely strong vehicle that delivers excellent off-road driving performance and safety from its quad-frame and 4WD system.  The 4×4 models make short work of any off-road environment and feel as tough as nails.  Having a 790 kg load weight for the back tray makes it a very handy beast of burden, and the Musso can easily tow 3.5 tonnes.  This excellent combination of utility pick-up and SUV cabin space means that the new Musso offers the perfect blend of functionality, practicality, performance and comfort.  Designed to carry passengers in comfort and loads securely, the 2019 Musso ute combines a five-seat crew-cab body style with a workman-like load deck that will transport a full-sized Euro pallet along with any other sort of stuff you might need.

2019 Ssangyong Musso

Riding inside the new Ssangyong Musso is a pleasant experience.  The body has had superior sealing techniques performed to suppress engine noise, and the wheel arches have also been lined for a reduction in road noise.  Inside the spacious cabin it is easy to get comfortable even in the rear seats with great levels of leg, head and shoulder room.  There’s plenty of space in the rear, while the seat back offers more of a recline angle than the normal seat position you’d find in the ute class.  You’ll find the 2019 Musso is extremely well equipped compared with rival utes, and as well as offering excellent shoulder and leg room, Nappa leather seats can be found on the top of the range model for premium luxury and comfort.  DAB radio and Bluetooth connectivity feature across the range, while all but the entry level EX model feature a high-tech infotainment system that includes an 8-inch screen, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and wi-fi mirroring.

2019 Ssangyong Musso

The Ssangyong Musso Ultimate is the top of the range model and definitely it delivers on luxury and comfort to make it one of the best quality cabins in this class of vehicle – easily giving the way more expensive VW Amarok a big scare with the finish and trimmings superbly designed and put together.  Soft touch plastics are present along with some harder surfaces but the blend is very nice.  The front seats are comfy and trimmed in soft Nappa leather.  Powered front seat adjustment is a feature, as are seat heaters and ventilators.  This top model also comes with a smart key, a surround view camera system and dual zone air-conditioning.  An eight-inch touchscreen is standard on the Sport and SPR models and you get CarPlay and Android Auto for playing all your favourite music tracks.

All the safety basics are present, and top models get six airbags with full length curtain airbags.  Isofix points and top tethers are present too.  I would really hope that the lap belt in the centre rear seat is quickly replaced by a three-pointer!

The cheapest model is the Ssangyong Musso EX, and at a little over $30k drive-away for the six-speed manual, or another $2k for a six-speed automatic this represents excellent value.  17-inch steel wheels and a basic level of equipment that extends to items such as cruise control and Bluetooth connectivity make it a very nice base model for getting the job done.  Though the windows are wind-up ones (I personally don’t mind at all) things like autonomous emergency braking (AEB) is standard even on this base model.

The Ssangyong Musso ELX is the next model, and it can be purchased for around $35k.  Here you have the Aisin six-speed auto as standard, while 18-inch alloy wheels, power windows, front and rear parking sensors, tyre pressure monitoring and an 8.0-inch touchscreen incorporating Apple CarPlay and Android Auto step it up.  The ELX also gets rear cross-traffic alert and blind-spot warning making this quite the ute package.

At the top of the new Ssangyong Musso model range is the Ultimate, and you can purchase this for less than $40k.  Sportier exterior detailing, 20-inch alloy wheels, leather trim, a sunroof, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, a 360-degree camera and powered front seats with heating and ventilation sets this up as being one of the nicest utes on the market.

Worth mentioning here is that the new Musso will also get the XL versions shortly.  The XL versions offer the biggest load tray on the market for this class of ute, and it will be capable of carryings loads of different cargo.

The brand new Ssangyong Musso is powered by the same 2.2-litre e-XDi220 diesel engine found in the Ssangyong Rexton SUV, and it delivers a maximum power of 133 kW at 4000 rpm and a maximum torque of 420 Nm between 1600 and 2600 rpm (automatic transmission).  The EXL and Ultimate both use this very good diesel engine.  In six-speed manual guise the torque is rated at 400 Nm, while the auto can handle 420 Nm.  Both the six-speed manual and the six-speed Aisin automatic are robust units, and their success has been proven by a number of other automotive brands.

Opt for the base model Musso EX ute, and you’ll enjoy RWD and smooth 165 kW power with 350 Nm of torque all from the very nice 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine.  While petrol utes are much harder to locate on the roads these days, it gives the Musso range a desirable low entry price ute that will be hard to overlook.

The 2019 Ssangyong Musso tow capacity is 3.5 tonnes braked for diesel powered Mussos, and 2.8 tonnes for the petrol variant.  All new Ssangyong Musso utes are covered by a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty. That’s at least two years more than any other ute on the market.  And, while some unlimited kilometre warranties cap the distance you can travel if you’re using the vehicle for commercial purposes, the Ssangyong warranty covers commercial users too.  Ssangyong has capped price servicing for the first seven years, with services due every 12 months or 20,000km.

All this is rather impressive, and hopefully buyers will get the implication that Ssangyong means business.

2019 Ssangyong Musso

The current 2019 Ssangyong Musso models include the:

• Ssangyong Musso EX
• Ssangyong Musso EXL
• Ssangyong Musso Ultimate
• Ssangyong Musso XL (bigger tray)

For any more information on the new Ssangyong Musso ute or, for that matter, any other new car, contact one of our friendly consultants on 1300 303 181.  If you’d like some fleet discount pricing (yes even for private buyers!), we can submit vehicle quote requests out to our national network of Ssangyong dealers and come back with pricing within 24 hours.  Private Fleet – car buying made easy!