SsangYong facelifts Musso workhorse, prices rise $1000

BY CALLUM HUNTER | 16th Jun 2021

SSANGYONG Australia has announced the pricing and specification highlights of its facelifted new Musso pick-up truck with the updated range now starting from $34,990 driveaway, marking an entry-price increase of $1000.

Due in local showrooms from July, SsangYong has treated the Musso to an aggressive styling makeover to bring it more into line with its updated Rexton SUV cousin, meaning the once-minimalist grille and front fascia have been scrapped for a much squarer, borderline gaping arrangement broken up by four horizontal slats.

The headlights also have been tweaked to better match the new grille, complemented down the side by redesigned 18-inch (and bigger) alloy wheels and new LED tail-lights.

Compared to the outgoing range, the new Musso line-up on paper has been cut from three trim levels to two – ELX and Ultimate – however a $3000 Luxury Pack is available for the flagship, essentially taking the line-up back to three.

Long wheelbase XLV versions are available across both trim levels for a $1500 premium, however two notable changes for the base model ELX XLV is that it swaps out the 18-inch wheels for 17s and gets a different rear suspension.

One of the Musso’s unique selling points within the booming 4x4 pick-up segment has been its coil-sprung rear end which has been retained across the range for 2021 save for the base model XLV which continues on with a more load-friendly leaf spring set-up.

Power in all variants comes courtesy of a turbocharged 2.2-litre four-cylinder diesel engine developing an unchanged 130kW of power and 400Nm of torque – an interesting move given the updated Rexton’s outputs have been bumped to 148kW/441Nm.

“The Rexton upgrade was part of a package developed with the new auto trans but we wanted to keep the current six-speed trans for Musso,” SsangYong Australia public relations manager John Taylor told GoAuto.

“Customer feedback has been very positive regarding the real-world performance and fuel economy.

“The torque delivery and trans calibration combination appears to defy the numbers.”

The Musso’s outputs are also less competitive against rivals such as the circa-150kW/500Nm outputs of the ever-popular Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.

As alluded to by Mr Taylor, the 2.2-litre mill is once again paired to an Aisin-sourced six-speed automatic transmission across the range with only the entry-level ELX coming as standard with a six-speed manual.

Like before, most of the usual off-roading gadgets are present including high- and low-range 4x4, a locking rear differential and hill-descent control.

With prices starting from $34,990 driveaway for the manual and $36,990 for the automatic, the value fans will be pleased the base model still comes loaded with gear for the price.

Standard equipment highlights include cruise control, LED daytime running lights, front fog lights, an 8.0-inch infotainment system featuring both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a reversing camera, front and rear parking sensors, leather steering wheel, a 7.0-inch instrument cluster, autonomous emergency braking with forward collision warning and lane-departure warning.

Stepping up to the $41,290 Ultimate meanwhile adds blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic warning, lane-change collision warning, a 360-degree camera, HID headlights, speed-sensitive power steering, TPU leather-look seats, front seat heating and ventilation, heated steering wheel, tyre-pressure monitoring system and walk-away auto-door locking.

Those wanting even more can splurge another $3000 on the Luxury Pack and net themselves dual-zone automatic climate control, power sunroof, Nappa leather upholstery, power adjustable front seats and lumbar support for driver as well as heated rear seats.

According to the head of SsangYong’s design centre Lee Kang, the Musso’s new look was designed to embody “strength and toughness”, fitting for a workhorse.

SsangYong Australia has sold 723 Mussos (including the XLV) so far this year ending May, accounting for a marginal 0.9 per cent of the 4x4 pick-up market which may not sound like much, but actually marks a 203.8 per cent sales improvement year-on-year.

2021 SsangYong Musso driveaway pricing