Ssangyong Chairman Pricing and Specs

The one thing you haven’t told me, Graham, is whether your Musso has a manual or automatic gearbox. If it’s a manual, my suspicions would be with the clutch. If a clutch plate is damaged or worn, the clutch sometimes doesn’t fully disengage. That can lead to the gearbox not wanting to select gears from standstill with the engine running.

However, if the transmission is an automatic, then you could, indeed, be looking at a low transmission-fluid level. Unfortunately, the automatic gearbox in this vehicle doesn’t have a dipstick for easy checking of the level, so the first thing to do is take a look underneath the car to see if there are any leaks form the transmission. If there are signs of a fluid leak, then the vehicle needs to go to a transmission shop to have its level checked and the leak fixed.

Overall, the automatic transmission in the Musso Sport was a solid unit, but it’s now getting on a bit in years, so who knows what state the inside of the transmission is in. If you’re lucky, it will just need a service and a new filter and fluid. But there could be a lot more going on inside. Automatic transmissions rely on simple principles but very complicated assemblies. The valve body is a great example: While it relies on relative hydraulic pressure to choose a gear, the reality is a hugely complex circuit of hydraulic passages and valves.

To get a vehicle with meaningful (as opposed to a theoretical) towing ability of 2.5 tonnes, you really need to shop for a relatively late-model dual-cab 4X4 ute. The reason for that is that many vehicles that claim a 2.5-tonne limit in the brochure fail to explain that there’s also a Gross Vehicle Combination Mass in play and, by the time you’ve added passengers, gear and a full tank of fuel to the towing vehicle, there might not be much of that GCM to devote to a towed load.

Going for a vehicle with 3000kg or even 35000kg towing capacity in the first place is a good way to ensure you do accidentally start driving around in an overloaded vehicle with all the legal and insurance connotations that involves.

A lot of the current shape dual-cab utes fall within your budget on a second-hand basis, but there are caveats. Make sure you only buy a ute with a full service history. Some of these vehicles were worked hard by their original owners, so be very careful before handing over the cash. Avoid ex-mine fleet vehicles and don’t be afraid to buy a base-model vehicle if it offers better value. Even a single-cab version of these utes will be a lot cheaper than the dual-cab and, if you don’t need the rear seat, are often a more practical solution. Makes and models include the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux, Mazda BT50, Mitsubishi Triton and Isuzu D-Max. For real value for money, vehicles like the Ssangyong Musso can tow 3.5 tonnes, are well equipped and can be had for less than $35,000 drive-away, brand-new. That also gets you a seven-year factory warranty. All of these options are available with the automatic transmission you want and, indeed, this is the best option for a tow vehicle.

For a start, some owners are not mad about the Subaru’s CVT transmission. It’s not that it’s necessarily unreliable, they just don’t like the way it works with an occasional hesitation and a slight jerkiness at light throttle applications. Some people never notice it, but others find it a real distraction. The Kia meanwhile, has been getting good reviews across the trade, largely thanks to the Australian-input into the model’s suspension settings.

Of course, you need to personally drive all three cars on your short-list as there will be things you like and dislike about each one, some of which will be deal-breakers.

The SsangYong is certainly the unknown quantity, but mainly because of the brand’s on-again-off-again relationship with the Australian market. But now, with head-office support (the Australian operation is the only factory-owned distributorship outside the brand’s native South Korea) things are looking a bit brighter for buyers and that’s backed up by the factory seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty that also includes fixed price servicing and roadside-assistance for seven years. That’s got to represent peace of mind.