Ssangyong Rexton Sports

Ssangyong Motor Company rings out the new year with a brand new model and this one is, you guessed it, a midsize sport utility truck that is the evolution of South Korea's first sport utility truck since the Musso Sports of 2001. Meet the Rexton Sports, the pickup derivative of last year's G4 Rexton.

2018 Ssangyong Rexton Sports

Let's have a quick history lesson first before getting to know more about Ssangyong's latest SUT. Back in 2001, Ssangyong brought us South Korea's first pickup, the Musso Sports (later called Musso SUT) and while the pickup body is new, it's actually a decade-old Musso underneath and it feels as refined as a PUJ that was still smoking the roads for a lifetime. In 2006 and 2012, there were the Actyon Sports and the Korando Sports and while they're known to be the modern-day equivalent of the banger truck it replaces, the bed seems a bit shorter than its predecessor and annoyingly not the best truck to live with.

Now, come 2018, Ssangyong finally called it quits on the Korando Sports and in return, uses the new and improved G4 Rexton, which was launched on Korean roads last year, for the basis of their best pickup yet, and here it is, it's their best-ever take on South Korea's first pickup truck or ute or bakkie, whatever you may call it.

Like I said, it was actually based on the G4 Rexton except that now, Ssangyong converted it into a pickup truck and the result is the one that used to be a crossover now comes with a rear bed possessing a biggest space than any of the Ssangyong sport trucks of yesteryears, capable of 1,011-litres of boot space, which is great for all work and all play, making it a not-so-dull pickup truck you can use every day. However, there's a big catch; it's not really a one-tonner because it can carry up to 400kg of payload, a hundred less than the Toyota Hilux's 500kg payload limit. Bad mark for Ssangyong there.

2018 Ssangyong Rexton Sports

Under the hood, the Rexton Sports uses the same LET 2.2L turbo diesel engine from its G4 derivative, capable of producing 181PS of power and 40.8kg-m of torque. But unlike the G4, it comes with a choice of a 6-speed manual or an AISIN 6-speed AT. In 2WD models, a 6MT variant can return combined fuel consumption of around 11km/L and that puts it awfully close to the Toyota Hilux.

If you go for the 4WD variant, the Rexton Sports comes with a 4TRONIC part-time 4WD system with three driving modes that can be picked at the flick of a switch. Those going for a muddy Sunday drive can go for the low-range 4WD because this is where it can unleash its offroad potential, which is great when you're taking shortcuts. Thanks to its high-tensile steel plates on the bodywork and ultra-high-tension quad frame, it's as tough as a kid who keeps on playing soccer even when his knees are covered in boo-boos. Brave stuff.

If you're on normal mode, you can switch it to 2WD and have a cozy driving on your point of interest, which is kind of average for a pickup truck of this magnitude. Not good but not bad either so it's a so-so, even for a truck that comes with double wishbones at the front and multilink suspension at the back. While navigating through traffic, the Rexton Sports comes ready with some safety tech such as Brake Assist System, Emergency Stop Signal, Hill Descent Control, Hill Start Assist, and many others, standard and optional alike. When opting for some Smart Driving Package, your Rexton Sports can have Lane Change Assist, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, and Blind Spot Detection.

2018 Ssangyong Rexton Sports interior

2018 Ssangyong Rexton Sports interior

Unlike any other pickup truck, the Rexton Sports boast a very luxurious interior with very decent legroom at the back. It even has some fancy instrumental panel and an available sat-nav that comes with smartphone connectivity that works with iPhones (via CarPlay) and Android (via mirroring), giving you plenty of reasons to toy around with the interior but because the seats are leathery, if you take it for a leisurely drive around Pyeongchang in time for the games, your butt crack will fall victim to the icy menace when the leather seats are as freezing as snowballs. Better pull your pants up before seating on those, folks.

The Rexton Sports starts at 23,200,000 Korean Won and it comes with four trim levels and two drivetrains. So, thoughts on the new Rexton Sports? Well, it's basically an improvement compared to past Ssangyong pickups of yesteryears since the ancient Musso Sports, it's luxurious on the inside, surprisingly spacious, and surprisingly tough. Downside? The bed is not as tough as the Hilux's, less efficient than the Hilux, and the driving feel is average. With the advent of Rexton Sports, Ssangyong has positioned itself as the recreational vehicle specialist selling only vehicles bearing the Rexton, Korando, and Tivoli banners. The Chairman is now dead and in return, Ssangyong's lineup now only bears a truck, a minivan, and four crossovers. Looks like Ssangyong's going mainstream now and they only focus on recreational vehicles to win back profits.

Available colors: Grand White, Fine Silver, Marble Grey, Indian Red, Maroon Brown, Atlantic Blue, and Space Black.

Photo: Ssangyong Motor Company