Well they still won’t win many beauty contests but other factors make the new dual cab Musso a very compelling case.
AU$30,500 driveaway for the base model with 2.2 litre TD engine (133 kw, 400 Nm), six speed manual, 7 year unlimited kilometre warranty, 7 year free roadside assistance & capped price servicing and forward collision warning and auto emergency braking is standard. 2800kg maximum braked towing too.
Plus there’s a longer bed version (extra 400 mm) with a leaf spring rear end and 3500kg braked tow limit coming early next year.
SsangYong, despite being South Korean, are part of the Mahindra Group now along with Pininfarina (who apparently had a hand in the NVH component of the Musso).
To put this all in perspective, I drive a 2001 VW Transporter Syncro dual cab that I bought new in 2002 for AU$45,000. It has a 2.5 litre TD that churned out 75 kW 250 Nm through a 5 speed AWD transmission. It came with few mod cons bar air conditioning. The 3 year/90,000 km warranty lapsed sometime ago. Braked tow limit is 2000 kg. The only way it beats the new Musso on paper is the 2400 mm (8') tray length.
Damn...