Ssangyong Viewtiful Korando

Since 2011, Ssangyong revived the Korando as a crossover and marked a fresh new chapter for Korea's SUV specialist, under the rule of its current owner Mahindra. Although underperforming compared to the competition, the Korando crossover shows just how up-and-coming it may be and now, for 2019, the underclassman of the midsize crossover class has been regenerated while picking up where its predecessor left off.

2020 Ssangyong Korando

The new generation Ssangyong Korando is a fresh new take on the crossover that brought Ssangyong back to the spotlight under Mahindra ownership while staying true to its up-and-coming personality that charms customers who are not interested in established ones like Kia and Hyundai.

2020 Ssangyong Korando

On the design department, the new Korando borrows styling from its little brother, the Tivoli, while it's now surprisingly longer, wider, and lower than the previous model. Although it looks above regular for a crossover of that size, it truly blends through the daily commute like what a normal car should be.

2020 Ssangyong Korando interior

Thanks to its increased dimensions on the outside, the new Korando is now more roomier than the competition, meaning there's more room for your legs to breathe without having complaints about the extra load behind you, which is not bad for the Korando because of its luggage capacity which ranges from 551 litres with all seats, to 1,248 litres with the rear seats folded. Handy in the event of going out on the estate sale, road trip with your mates, moving day, and so on.

In more expensive variants, you will be greeted not by the optional sat-nav with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto compatibility but also the 10.25-inch high-tech instrumental panel that looks like it came from the pages of science fiction. This futuristic instrumental panel displays like the Audi Virtual Cockpit in so many ways and it's hard to differentiate it from the real thing but let's not get too jumpy on the high-tech stuff the Korando delivers because what's under the hood really matters.

2020 Ssangyong Korando

The new Korando is only available with the 1.6L e-XDi160 LET diesel engine mated to either a 6-speed MT or an AISIN 6-speed AT with paddle shifters which lets drivers in control with the gear change, which isn't half bad but somewhat regular when you toy around with it. The engine produces about 133PS of power and 33kg-m of torque. For front-wheel drive ones, combined fuel economy is around 15.2km/L with the manual gearbox while the 4WD variants get about 13.3km/L.

The 4WD system on the new Korando comes with a Drive Mode system which allows the Korando to be driven in different modes as well as setting the crossover to its 4WDLOCK feature for some off-road capability when needed. Although it wasn't as sophisticated as its more established ones, the new Korando sure knows how to keep up with the times ahead, whatever it takes, for good times and bad times.

While the new Korando is now more rigid than the previous model it replaces as well as having seven airbags all over, such wasn't enough because to be road-ready, you need to have safety features, and looks like the new model is prepared with a wide range of passive and active driving aids to ensure that it can get home unscathed.

The new Korando starts from 22,160,000 to 28,130,000 Korean Won, making it one of the most reasonably priced medium-sized crossovers you can buy. So, should you buy it or not? Although this is basically the underclassman of the medium-sized crossover class that makes it difficult to keep up with the established ones, the pricing, and the packaging makes the Korando a smart buy for first-time buyers as long as they don't have any regrets buying one.

Photo: Ssangyong Motor Company