Ssangyong Kyron Rexton 2009 Van Review

The 2009 Kyron and Rexton is part of a new range of vehicles from Ssangyong, a new manufacturer – but can it pass the fleet test?

It's seldom that Fleet Van welcomes not only a new range of vans but a new manufacturer to the commercial vehicle market. The last time I can remember it was back in the 1990s when Hyundai launched the H100. But it's now 2009 and Korean maker SsangYong is offering two vehicles, the Kyron and Rexton, to the UK's fleet buyers for the first time.

It's not actually as big an achievement as you might think, as these vehicles are 4x4 cars that have had the rear seats removed and a load floor added, turning them into vans which buyers can claim back the VAT. It's a trick that several of the makers are employing - Land Rover, Kia and Citroen to name a few - and it seems to work quite nicely. After all, there are plenty of fleets who need vehicles which aren't afraid of getting their feet dirty - and they'll also appeal to van drivers who don't want to drive vans, as to the untrained eye, they look just like their car brethren.

Another pleasing point is that you can fool those money-grabbers on the Dartford crossing and sneak through as a car for £1.50 instead of coughing up the £2 required for LCVs. Heh heh. But what is likely to appeal to fleet buyers most is the prices - the Kyron weighs in at £13,995 and the Rexton at £15,995 (all prices ex-VAT as at Feb 2009). For the Kyron, that's more than £3,000 less than the Land Rover Freelander Commercial we had on test recently.

The Kyron has a payload of 530kg and a cargo volume of 2.3 cubic metres. The Rexton has a volume of 2.1cu m but a bigger payload of 740kg. A special guard to separate driver and passenger from flying loads is extra at £299 inc VAT. A Mercedes T-Tronic auto transmission is an option on both models.

SsangYong is also making a tachograph fitting kit available for both models - something that isn't available from some competitors. Later, a two-wheel drive Kyron will be available at £11,999.

The Kyron uses SsangYong's latest 2.0-litre, four cylinder turbocharged common rail diesel engine delivering 140bhp and 228lb-ft of torque. Transmission is a five-speed manual with part-time four-wheel drive. Under normal road use the Kyron is rear wheel drive, with 4wd selectable at any time when the going gets tough. The Kyron gets the same specification as the passenger car from which it is derived. That includes electronic stability programme (ESP) with active rollover protection (ARP), and hill descent control (HDC) when working in slippery off-road sites. It also has ABS brakes with electronic brake distribution and electric windows and door mirrors. Two 12-volt DC power outlets and roof bars also make things easier. There's also automatic climate control air conditioning and a six-speaker Kenwood audio system with CD and RDS radio and steering wheel controls. 

The Kyron has a gross vehicle weight of 2,530 kg and will tow up to 2.3 tonnes. Extra urban fuel consumption in passenger car trim is 45.6mpg with CO2 emissions at 191 g/km. The Rexton has a greater-punch with a five cylinder, turbo common rail diesel engine pushing out 165bhp at 4,000rpm and with torque of 250lb-ft at 2,400rpm. A five-speed ‘torque on demand' (TOD) manual transmission normally supplies most power to the rear wheels, but if things get slippery, the system automatically distributes power to the axle with the most grip. A full-size 4x4, the Rexton C-S will tow up to 3.2 tonnes and it boasts similar equipment to the Kyron. It has a gross vehicle weight of 2,760 kg.Extra urban fuel consumption of the passenger version is 37.7mpg.

Kyron

This vehicle certainly looks the part with its chunky shape, alloy wheels and shiny metallic paint. A neighbour of mine remarked: 'Nice motor' and asked if it was a Nissan, which says a lot for the Kyron's designers. Climbing aboard, the cab is smart and stylish, although some of the plastics look a bit old school. The seats are big and supportive, although they do feel as though you are sitting on them rather than in them.

As this vehicle started off as a car, you get a lot more creature comforts than would be expected in a commercial vehicle, such as two sunglasses holders in the ceiling. The stereo system is courtesy of Kenwood and the sound is superb - and there are remote controls on the steering wheel which means the driver can adjust the sound without taking his or her eyes off the wheel.

There are plenty of cupholders too and a variety of little storage spaces dotted hither and tither. The tailgate has a chunky, quality feel and there's no lip at the bottom, which means that  loads a can be slid in and out easily. Inside there's a hard-wearing carpet on the floor and four load-lashing eyes to keep cargo in place. The 2.0-litre turbodiesel powerplant fires up quietly and smoothly and there is very little noise intrusion in the cab.

Underway, however, the Kyron shows a few of its shortcomings. There is a fair amount of turbolag, for example, which can be scary if you want to pull out of a junction in a hurry. The Kyron's relatively soft suspension means a smooth ride on motorways but it wallows on the corners and the power steering has a vague feel which can be unsettling.

There is no shortage of power, however, and ignoring the aforementioned lag, lively progress is possible. Changing from two-wheel drive high to four wheel drive high and low is accomplished via a twist knob on the dash which appears a tad on the puny side. It seems to work well, though, so maybe I'm just being picky.

We didn't get to try this vehicle in many rough places during its test week, but bumping up and down some muddy bits didn't seem to faze the Kyron in the slightest. Other testers I know have been satisfied with this vehicle's performance in the rough so expect satisfaction here.

Rexton

After a week with the Kyron, we changed over to the Rexton in a key-for-key swap and climbing aboard it became immediately obvious that for another £2,000 you get an awful lot more vehicle. It's bigger for starters - although not hugely so - but the general impression is of more weight, better build quality and infinitely superior road manners.

The seats are bigger and more comfortable and don't feel as though you are sitting on a  bar stool as with the Kyron. Payload is more (740kg as opposed to 530kg in the Kyron) but curiously enough, loadspace is slightly less, although it's such a small difference that you'd hardly notice in everyday situations.

On the road, the extra power output (165bhp) makes this vehicle fairly fly along, despite its massive weight. However, you pay the price in fuel economy. The official figure is  37.7mpg, but we didn't manage anywhere near that during our test week.

Another curious point about the Rexton is that the driver can't select four-wheel drive -  the vehicle decides what mode it needs to be in under any given circumstance and does it automatically. Personally, I like to make decisions like that myself but hey, that's technology for you. The Land Rover Freelander 2 Commercial we had on test the other month was the same, so presumably we'll eventually see an end to those second gearlevers.

On the plus side, the steering felt much more precise and the wallowing that the Kyron suffers from was noticeably missing, thank goodness. All in all this vehicle felt much better screwed together and much more sorted in the ride and handling department.

Verdict

For fleet seeking cheap and cheerful off-road capabilities, the Kyron will do the job and more. But unless you really can't afford any extra cash, we'd definitely recommend the Rexton instead.