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SsangYong Kyron gets a facelift


Mothers around the world have long advised that “You should always tell the truth.” And it seems it can pay off. Take the peculiar-looking Kyron, for example. In March last year, SsangYong attracted plenty of attention in Australia when it launched its Kyron SUV with looks only its mother could love.

With its “ugly-duckling” appearance, SsangYong admits the attention wasn't all positive. But the South Korean manufacturer took the criticism on board and made some changes.

The facelifted Kyron has just hit town with a cleaner, more modern look. It's not quite the swan of the segment, but a big improvement over its predecessor. The new Kyron has fewer lines for a cleaner, smoother look and features completely new front and rear ends.

It wears the SsangYong family grille on its nose and while the design has been altered, it still has that identifiable SsangYong and Kyron DNA.

It continues to be available with two diesel engines with the block and cylinder heads sourced from Mercedes-Benz. And while changes have been more than skin deep, the powertrains deliver the same performance.

The smaller 2.0-litre engine produces 104kW and 310Nm from as low as 1800rpm, while the 2.7-litre, five cylinder turbo diesel extracts 121kW and 340Nm also from 1800rpm. There has been some engine tweaking, with the main improvement an Exhaust Gas Recirculation system to satisfy the latest emission standards. This means the Kyron now meets Euro IV.

The fuel consumption sits at a claimed 7.7-litres per 100km for the smaller engine and 8.7-litres per 100km for the larger one. Although there's no onboard fuel consumption reading to confirm this, the needle barely moved after 200km of mainly highway driving.

The price tag has also been 'tweaked' and is now $2000 less than the previous starting prices.

The 2.0-litre manual, known as the M200XDi, starts at $32,990. The 2.7-litre M270XDi is priced from $36,990. The five-speed T-tronic automatic transmission adds $3000 to the price. Despite the price drop and a reasonable package, it still seems a little too expensive for what it is.

On the road, the 2.0-litre automatic we tested was an adequate drive. While the almost truck-like noise of the engine was loud at slow speeds and when working up through the gears, it was less noticeable once we hit the highway.

At faster speeds it cruised along discreetly and was a comfortable drive, although feeling a little bouncy at times. There's a noticeable delay in power delivery, especially from a standstill, which can be a problem when you think there's enough break in the traffic, but it takes you a little longer to get up to speed.

For most of the time, the Euro IV Kyron operates in rear-wheel-drive, but head off-road and there's a knob that allows you to manually switch into high or low-range four-wheel-drive.

The Kyron proved quite strong on the dirt track, even powering through a steep incline. The new 18-inch wheels provide a strong stance on the road and grip nicely off-road, too.

Inside, the setting has been updated with a black theme throughout, changed gauges and a new cloth seat trim.

The centre console is positioned towards the driver and has a very simple layout.

At this stage, the Kyron doesn't come standard with Electronic Stability Control and it's not even offered as an option. But SsangYong says it may be available in the near future.

Keith Timmins, managing director of Rapson Australia, which distributes SsangYong here, says it's currently a pricing issue. The company is not convinced there would be a big take up of the feature if offered at the price it would be given. But it is something the company is considering.

SsangYong has added side curtain airbags to the front and rear of the 2.7-litre.

Standard equipment on both models includes ABS, dual front SRS airbags, reverse parking sensors, a single-disc CD player and roof rails.

SsangYong sees its main competitors as including the Holden Captiva and Kia Sportage, and while the Kyron comes in at $500 dearer than the starting diesel Sportage model, the Captiva base model is $2000 more expensive.

The face-lifted Euro IV Kyron is an improved model but in such a competitive segment, seems to be priced a little too high for what it is.

 


Snapshot

Ssangyong Euro IV Kyron

Price: M200XDi $32,990 (manual), S35,990 (auto), M270XDi $36,990 (manual), $39,990 (auto)

Engine: 2.0L/4-cylinder turbo diesel, 104kW/310Nm, 2.7L/5-cylinder, 121kW/340Nm

Economy: M200XDi 7.7L/100km, M270XDi 8.7L/100km

Transmission: 5-speed manual, 5-speed T-Tronic auto

 

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