1 Feb 2006
SSANGYONG’S mid-size Kyron XDi four-wheel drive joined compatriot Hyundai’s Terracan as one of the first turbo-diesel SUVs under $40,000.
Visually, the five-door five-seater, which was designed by Brit Ken Greenley, moves away from some of SsangYong’s more adventurous styling efforts of the past, adopting a fresh wedge shape.
The manufacturer claims the vehicle moves SsangYong up a notch in quality, safety and body strength. It claims the bodyshell is one of the most rigid yet built by the Korean brand.
Engineering work was also undertaken on dust sealing, suspension tuning and hot-weather testing for Australian conditions.
The XDi is well equipped, coming with dual front airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, anti-lock brakes, foglights, rear three-point centre seatbelt, 18-inch alloys, leather steering wheel, 60/40 split-fold rear seat, in-dash CD stereo, rear parking sensors, cruise control and electric windows/mirrors.
The headline engine is a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel, which develops 104kW at 4000rpm and 310Nm from 1800rpm, and is mated to either a standard five-speed manual transmission or a five-speed sequential automatic manufactured by Mercedes.
There’s also a 121kW/342Nm 2.7-litre CDi diesel as well as a 162kW/312Nm 3.2-litre in-line petrol engine – both originally Mercedes-Benz units.
Based on the Rexton 4WD, Kyron rests on a smaller 2740mm wheelbase and at 4660mm in length is also a tad shorter overall. It is 1880mm wide and 1755mm high with a front and rear track of 1570mm.
The Kyron’s part-time 4WD system offers two-wheel drive as well as high and low-range 4WD modes via a dashboard-mounted switch.
It sits within a ladder frame, triple-layer steel chassis with a separate subframe and rigid bodyshell.
It offers a towing capacity of 2300kg. Suspension is via a double-wishbone front with a five-link coil system at the rear.
