What's the difference?
KGM – formerly SsangYong – has revised its seven-seat Rexton range for 2026, with some minor changes throughout the Australian line-up and a name-change for the Adventure, which has now become the Advance.
The Advance is a seven-seat large SUV with high and low-range gearing, an auto-locking rear differential and 3.5 tonne towing capacity.
Is this a value-for-money rival for the likes of GWM Tank 500, Mahindra Scorpio and LDV D90, or could it be a viable (cheaper) alternative to the Isuzu MU-X, Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport or even Ford Everest?
Do you know how many bones you have in your body? Stop counting, there are 207. And if say half those bones were replaced with different ones would you consider yourself to still be the same? Well that’s what Benz has done with the new C-Class – sort of. Of the roughly 13,000 parts which make up a C-Class car, 6500 of them have been modified or changed.
You don’t need to know every change to the new C-Class, but at the end of this review you will be across the differences that you can see, feel and hear.
Just a note before we start. The top-of-the-range Mercedes-AMG C63 S arrives in early 2019 and wasn’t available to drive at the Australian C-Class launch. That’s why we’ll focus on the other grades here - the C 200, C 220 d, C 300 and C 43. We’ll test drive and review the Australian C 63 S when it arrives – promise.
The KGM Rexton Advance is a large 4WD wagon packing an adequate amount of appeal.
It’s nice to drive on the open road, it’s comfortable and it signals continued incremental progress for KGM in terms of quality and functionality.
It’s fine for light off-roading but its 4WD efficacy is lacking. While it's not in the same class as something like the Ford Everest in terms of refinement, comfort, and general quality, ultimately, a lot of its rivals represent greater value for money and all-round driveability as family vehicles.
And even though it does offer owners a chance to take their urban-focussed SUV into the bush, its price is climbing, and other rival vehicles offer a more refined overall driving experience.
This may well be just an update to the C-Class, but the changes made are significant in terms of technology and performance, and you’re paying hardly any extra money for it. A good all-rounder for dynamics, features, refinement and value.
The sweet spot in the range has to be the C 300. It’s less than $10K more than the entry grade C200, but gets a powerful 2.0-litre engine, leather seats, the extra advanced safety equipment, tinted windows and convenience features such as a power tailgate (on the wagon) and proximity unlocking.