2024 KGM SsangYong Musso Ultimate Luxury XLV review

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2024 KGM SsangYong Musso Ultimate Luxury XLV

Tongues are wagging about the incoming Kia Tasman, which is the first time that particular Korean brand has brought a proper four-wheel-drive ute to the Australian market. Its looks are certainly divisive, but we’re yet to know exactly how it drives.

But don’t forget, this is not the original ute from the Korean peninsula. Long before Kia started placing headlights on fender flares, Australians have been on a slow and steady diet of the SsangYong Musso.

It started with the Actyon Sports back in the mid 2000s, and morphed into the Musso (which started life as a wagon) in 2018.

As evidenced by the recent success of this particular model at the Drive Car of the Year 2024 awards, the Musso is better than many expect. It’s got plenty going for it, and is our clear pick of the sub-$50,000 brigade.

Now it has been refreshed with new technology and features to keep it fresh against the competitors, the Musso will continue to impress in this neck of the woods.

Since we last drove a SsangYong, there has been a global rebrand toward a new ‘KG Mobility’ moniker. Locally, the brand is hedging its bets with the adoption of ‘KGM SsangYong’ branding.

Is the KGM SsangYong Musso good value?

The major appeal of the Musso is price, with this top-spec model sliding in underneath the 50-grand threshold at $49,500 drive-away. But while the price is sharp, the quality of the offering is great.

In other words, this isn’t just an average ute that’s easy to forgive because of the low price: there are many things about the Musso that make it good. And when you look at the price, it could be considered great.

Firstly, there’s plenty of kit included in the top-spec Musso. On the outside, there isn’t much to report on beyond the 18-inch wheels, HID headlights and LED daytime running lights. On the inside, though, you have twin 12.3-inch displays for infotainment and driver’s instrumentation, dual-zone climate control, heated and ventilated front seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and ‘premium leather’ seating upholstery.

This spec also gets a sunroof, 360-degree camera, heated steering wheel, and smart key with one-touch door locks and automatic locking.

The Ultimate also gets improved safety credentials, with blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-change collision warning and safe-exit warning picked up through the addition of rear-facing radars and sensors.

On one hand, you could consider the base ELX specification from as little as $40,000 drive-away, or down to $38,000 for runout 2023 stock and with an ABN. Ultimate spec does seem like good value for the additional spend, however, with the long-wheelbase XLV Pack throwing in a dose of torque to the motor for $1500 extra.

How big is a KGM SsangYong Musso?

Without the XLV option ticked, you’ve got a relatively stubby ute that is just over five metres at 5095mm. The standard 3100mm wheelbase is relatively short as well, which yields a decent 11.8m turning circle.

This would make sense for those who don’t need to load up lots of gear, even though the payload is a relatively healthy 790kg.

Stepping into the XLV stretches the wheelbase by 110mm, and the length is extended to 5409mm. Payload is bumped up to 880kg for the 300mm of extra length in the body, while the turning circle is increased to 12.2m.

A manual handbrake persists in the Musso, but storage is still well taken care of through the two cupholders, central storage bin and small space in front of the gear shifter. There are two USB-C power outlets up front, along with a 12V plug in this space.

Otherwise, the build quality inside the Musso is impressive, and the mix of materials helps to elevate the experience above what you’d expect for a ‘cheap ute’.

The Musso is also good from an ergonomic point of view, and was plenty comfortable once the seat and tilt/reach steering column are adjusted up. But once you step into the second row, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised by the amount of space on offer.

Perhaps it has something to do with the bolt-upright C-pillar, and owing to the strange silhouette of the Musso compared to other utes in the segment. But regardless, the amount of leg room on offer is better than most, if not all, other competitors. It’s impressively car-like and comfortable, and a reminder that this ute was developed off the back of the Rexton wagon. Normally, the wagon follows after and is based upon the ute.

The Musso is good for width as well, but those who are sitting in the middle might think they have time-warped back to the 1990s because of the lap belt here that only goes over your hips. Only outboard seats get the safer lap-and-sash that we are all accustomed to.

There are no power outlets in the second row, but there are air vents, map pockets and room for bottles in the door.

Does the KGM SsangYong Musso have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

The 12.3-inch infotainment system, which replaces an antiquated 8.0-inch display used in older models, feels like a huge step forward for the Musso.

This system has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto through a wired system, AM and FM radio reception, but no digital radio or native navigation built into the system. But if you’re happy to plug your phone in and chew up some data (if you’re in phone range), then it’s less of an issue.

There’s no companion app technology with the Musso, but the driver does get a snazzy 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, which has a decent range of information to plug through. There’s a lot of vehicle and settings customisation that one can wrangle through here, along with some different display modes.

Is the KGM SsangYong Musso a safe car?

The KGM SsangYong Musso doesn’t currently have an ANCAP rating, even though it has been on the market in this generation for more than five years. Therefore, it remains officially unrated.

What safety technology does the KGM SsangYong Musso have?

The safety technology is a bit of a mixed bag for the Musso, and it’s certainly behind the pace in comparison to the latest and greatest in the segment.

And this is highlighted (in a bad way) by the insistence of using a lap-only seatbelt in the rear middle seat. Compared to a lap/sash seatbelt that just about every other vehicle has, this is not as good.

And as evidenced by the below table, there are some elements missing from what’s deemed a ‘complete’ safety suite. Traffic sign recognition, driver monitoring and semi-autonomous driving modes are becoming more prevalent these days, but having elements like autonomous emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring and lane-departure warning keeps this Musso almost up with the Joneses.

How much does the KGM SsangYong Musso cost to run?

Three years of basic servicing costs $1358, which gets you across 45,000km of distance travelled. This averages out to around $452 per year to keep the logbook up to scratch, which is decent but not one of the cheapest in the segment.

Five years of servicing costs $2298, averaging $460 per year, while going for the full seven years of capped-price servicing costs $3238 or $463 per year on average.

However, KGM SsangYong servicing isn;t all-inclusive with additional intervals that must be met for the fuel filter, front and rear diff oil (24 months/30,000km), transfer case fluid (48 months/60,000km and other service items that fall outside the capped price program.

Insurance for a top-spec Musso XLV is set at $1657 per year according to an online quote generator. This is a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Is the KGM SsangYong Musso fuel-efficient?

While the 2.2-litre turbocharged diesel engine in the Musso isn’t at the top of the class in terms of outputs, it is decent in terms of overall efficiency. Against a claim of 9.0 litres per 100 kilometres, we saw an average of 9.8L/100km during our time with the car. This was all on-road driving, with a fair mix of suburban and highway driving over the week.

The 75-litre fuel tank is slightly smaller than what is standard among the competition, and you can expect to cover around 700km of driving between refills in the Musso, depending on how game you are to really drain the tank.

What is the KGM SsangYong Musso like to drive?

While some of the cheaper-priced utes come with a clear lack of refinement and comfort through the driving experience, this Musso has a surprising depth of engineering and polish to the driving experience. Perhaps that’s because it’s based upon the Rexton four-wheel-drive wagon rather than being the other way around.

The 2.2-litre diesel engine is among the best for refinement and quietude, even when toiling away under load. And while the 133kW/420Nm outputs are among the lowest on paper, the driving experience doesn’t feel particularly sluggish or underdone.

There is a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity available, which we didn’t test this time around. Although, the on-paper figures would suggest that the powertrain’s potency would be blighted somewhat by the weight.

It’s strange to say that a six-speed automatic gearbox is lacking in ratios compared to others in the segment these days, but in reality, it does just fine. There are some moments of jerkiness and shunting from the transmission, but on the whole, it’s fine.

The way that the Musso drives – through steering inputs and ride quality – is surprisingly car-like. There’s not as much stiffness from the rear end as we experience elsewhere, even though we have the more heavy-duty leaf spring set-up in this case.

And while the Musso might not have the same kind of safety technology for lane, speed limit and fatigue detection, the car also doesn’t beep and bong at you relentlessly.

When you weigh up the driving experience against the asking price, this is the chief advantage of the Musso. And for those who want a nicer driving experience (without forking out bigger dollars), this ute is hard to go past.

In terms of off-road driving, the Musso is noticeably hamstrung by a lower level of ground clearance compared to other utes. It’s well-dialled otherwise, especially with an auto-locking rear differential and low-range transfer case.

The auto-locking diff, which is different to the more commonly found selectable locker, does have the advantage of coming into play of its own accord.

This operates mechanically: as the differential caters for a disparity in wheel spin between the two rear wheels, the locker engages through the rotation of gears. It’s nice in the way that you can’t forget to turn it on or off, but it can come into play with a real thud at times and change the way that the car behaves. And sometimes (it’s rare, but possible) you don’t want your locker to engage, but you cannot control it in this case.

But in most cases, you’ll find yourself bellying out around the sills, or getting caught up on the low-hanging but beefy-looking subframe at the front of the Musso.

How much weight can a KGM SsangYong Musso tow?

The Musso comes with a 3500kg braked towing capacity, which pins it at the benchmark of the rest in the segment. And with a 6480kg gross combination mass, you’ve still got the total 2980kg gross vehicle mass and corresponding 880kg payload to play with.

Not all other utes are like this. Most rob Peter to pay Paul, with a gross combination mass that cannot realistically cater for the weight of a 3.5-tonne trailer and vehicle at the same time.

Because don’t forget, your vehicle’s GVM needs to account for the mass that the trailer exerts onto the vehicle via the towball.

The 880kg payload is decent as well, but not as high as the four-figure number (or close to it) that you get with other four-wheel-drive utes.

Should I buy a KGM SsangYong Musso?

While the Musso has been on the market for a few years now, it has been steadily updated and refreshed, without blowing out the sharp asking price of this Korean four-wheel-drive ute.

It’s still one of the best options for those who have a budget of under $50,000, because of the spec, inclusions and overall quality of how it drives. The biggest negatives come from the safety credentials being a bit behind the times, and lacking a bit of off-road ability through the reduced ground clearance compared to others in the segment.

How do I buy a KGM SsangYong Musso? The next steps.

Because pricing is so sharp, we can’t help but focus on the top-spec model with its impressive range of inclusions, including ventilated seats, something of a rarity in the ute segment. The lower specification and shorter-wheelbase variants are worth considering, however, and KGM SsangYong is currently offering deals on 2023-model stock as well for an even sharper price.

The next step on the purchase journey is to check the KGM SsangYong website for stock of your preferred Musso variant. You can also find KGM SsangYongs for sale at Drive Marketplace.

We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ. Find your nearest KGM SsangYong dealer via this link. We'd also recommend test-driving the GWM Ute Cannon and LDV T60, being two utes at a similar price point competitively. You can also get into a base-specification Mitsubishi Triton for similar money.

If you want to stay updated with everything that’s happened to this car since our review, you’ll find all the latest news here.

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