Ssangyong Kyron Range
As many manufacturers have found, stretching your brand too far up or downmarket can often have catastrophic consequences. Management textbooks espouse the need to stick with what you know best. SsangYong have developed a reputation for offering large but inexpensive 4x4s, often with unconventional styling. Extending their corporate expertise into the compact 4x4 market seems only logical, but their first crack at this sector, the Kyron, finds itself in probably the most cut-throat arena of all.
As any motoring expert will tell you, small 4x4s and MPV style vehicles are hot tickets in terms of sales and all of the big fish have cottoned onto this fact, directing some serious research and development budget at the task of being top of the compact 4x4 pile. This is why the prospective buyer is faced with a wide Range of frankly excellent cars to choose from. The big Japanese manufacturers like Nissan with their X-Trail, Honda with the CR-V and Toyota with the RAV4 all present stiff opposition to any manufacturer looking to establish a foothold. Land Rover and Jeep still own the upper sector of this market and Hyundai, Suzuki and Kia have pretty much mapped out the lower Range.
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Many industry observers place the blame on the styling direction the company has taken, and although the Kyron is a far more socially acceptable shape than, say, the Rodius, its still not what youd call compact 4x4-generic.
"The Kyron faces an uphill task but SsangYong seem very confident of its prospects indeed"
Prices start from £16,995 for the entry-level 2-wheel drive model, then there are S, SE and SX specification 4-wheel drive variants priced from £17,995. All models feature alloy wheels, electric windows and mirrors, air-conditioning, a CD player, an alarm and ABS with ABD (Automatic Brakeforce Distribution), Plus the ESP (Electronic Stability Programme) and HDC (Hill Descent Control) on Plusher variants. Power for all versions comes from a 2.0-litre turbo diesel common rail unit developing 141PS and 310NM of torque from 1.
800rpm. Sixty is 16.2s away from rest on the way to a top speed of 104mph (in the 4WD versions at least), so you wont be buying this car is performance is your top priority. Its reasonably economical though, recording 36.
7mpg on the combined cycle. Theres a decent braked towing capacity too of 2,300kg. The top of the Range Kyron SX features a Mercedes-Benz five-speed T-Tronic transmission which offers a manual mode "with the responsiveness of a stick shift", Plus two reverse gears to give better traction in ice or snow. Designed by Ken Greenley, SsangYong Motor Companys British creative director and former head of Automotive Design at the Royal College of Art, the Kyron is well proportioned, albeit with a couple of rather unconventional details. The rear lights take a little getting used to. Just as most manufacturers have decided that high mounted tail lights are the way forward, SsangYong seems intent on bucking this trend, the Kyrons tail lights hanging down below the cars belt line in a shield-shaped cluster.
The front grille sits above the apex of the headlamps, giving the front end a curiously snouty look and from the side, the nose is a lot more tapered than the bluff fronts of most 4x4s. One has to admire SsangYong for refusing to follow the herd but as cars like the Fiat Multipla have shown, adventurous design doesnt always result in big sales. The Kyron looks great in profile with a wedgy waistline thats a whole lot sportier than the average block on stilts. The cabin isnt quite as boldly designed as the exterior and is the most obvious area where costs have been pared back.
While SsangYong have shown with the Rexton that they can shoehorn in an admirable amount of standard equipment for the money, if youre a student of fine design, the fascia of the Kyron isnt going to get you excited. All the controls are easily comprehensible and ergonomics are decent but there needs to be a spark of flair if the Kyron is to stand out in the showroom. A circular metallic band that surrounds the gear lever and drops down one side of the transmission tunnel is an intriguing detail and the console that slopes towards the driver is another but there needs to be less of an emphasis on grey plastics for the SsangYong to excel. The three-spoke alloy wheels also made the show car look rather dated.
Where the Kyron really scores is in terms of good old-fashioned load lugging practicality. Theres a lot more baggage space in the back than in most compact 4x4s, with a total cargo volume of 1,222 litres and volume under the luggage cover at 625 litres. Moreover, for odds and ends, SsangYong have also introduced a few practical touches more at home in a mini-MPV. In case you were wondering, the name Kyron is derived from a combination of the Greek word "Kai" meaning unlimited, and the English word "run". Of perhaps more immediate relevance is the inclusion of multilink rear suspension and an emphasis on safety. This is a model that offers a lot of car for your money, as you would expect from this manufacturer. Even the tape measure shows that at 4,660mm long, the Kyron offers more than the average compact 4x4.
Contrast that with the latest Toyota RAV4 which is 24.5cm shorter, or a Land Rover Freelander which short changes you by 21.3cm. In fact, the Kyron is within 7mm of something like a BMW X5 lengthwise, which explains why theres such a generous amount of space inside.
It may be big, but SsangYong have needed to box clever in bringing the Kyron to market. They havent hung about either, taking just 30 months from initial design proposal to the finished article, with an investment of $249m. Thats still over a quarter of a million dollars a day going into building this model, a sum that Chinas Shanghai Auto has ploughed into SsangYong to endow it with a greater global reach. The product looks a decent proposition, offering the sort of space most would expect from a family-sized 4x4 at compact prices.
If youre looking for a hefty slug of 4x4 real estate and dont fancy being bankrupted by a flashy badge, the Kyron may well have something to offer.
Facts At A Glance
CAR: SsangYong Kyron 4x4 Range
PRICES:£16,995-£22,495 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 12
CO2 EMISSIONS: 197-217g/km
PERFORMANCE: [4WD] Max Speed 104mph / 0-60mph 16.2s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [4WD] (Urban) 28.5mpg / (extra urban) 44.8mpg / (Combined) 36.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Active rollover protection, hill descent control, ABS with ABD brake assist
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4460/1880/1740mm
