KGM Musso vs Mercedes-Benz S-Class

What's the difference?

KGM (formerly SsangYong) has revised its Musso range for 2026 with some new features and revised styling throughout the Australian line-up, as well as a name-change for this grade: the Advance which used to be the Adventure.

The updated Musso is a dual-cab 4WD ute with high and low-range gearing, an auto-locking rear differential and 3.5-tonne towing capacity, and all for under $50,000.

And with the optional XLV (extra long vehicle/version) pack, which our test vehicle has, it gets a longer wheelbase (110mm extra), a 300mm longer tub and 90kg of extra payload over the standard Musso (880kg rather than 790kg).

So, is the Musso an affordable alternative to the likes of Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger?

It's only in the running for the title of world's best luxury car. No biggie here, then.

Like Rolex and Concorde, S-Class has become a byword for ultimate, and deserved or not, the Mercedes-Benz defines its segment despite the best efforts of the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8, Lexus LS and (sadly now-defunct) Jaguar XJ, as well as pointing the way forward with new technologies that eventually trickle down to more proletarian models.

Replacing the half-million selling W222 unveiled in 2013, the W223 is the latest in a long line since the first W187 Ponton debuted in 1951, and includes the famous ‘Finnies' and Stroke-8 models that followed immediately afterwards, but it is the 1972 W116 that really set the template.

Now, seven generations in, the 2021 S-Class is all-new again, with progressive safety and interior features that should help keep it Australia's bestselling full-sized upper-luxury sedan.