Rexton tries on the luxury option

There's a new luxury competitor in the 4x4 market, the product of a joint effort by two Korean companies, Daewoo and SsangYong, designers of the Rexton, a luxury class 4x4. It's now available in Ireland. Can the Rexton hold it head high among luxury cars? Michael Moroney gives his verdict.

The SsangYong brand was in Ireland before we saw the Daewoo range and now its back through a connection between the two companies. The SsangYong brand was responsible for the Korando and Musso 4x4’s. The Musso was popular due to its long wheelbase and value for money. And it’s still available as a Daewoo Musso. The Korando was less so, but still reasonable numbers hit the Irish roads.

The new Rexton is a step ahead of these two tested machines. It has pretensions for the luxury classes, with a host of features that bring it up the scale in terms of the market. SsangYong is no stranger to the 4x4 market; it’s been making them since 1954 and in the early nineties developed a partnership with Mercedes Benz on engine technology. Some of this is seen in the new Rexton model.

The first impressions are that it’s a strong looking 4x4 and strength is important in this sector. It has a high body, but not high enough to make entry difficult. The overall design is good and is a move away from the Musso look, which by now is dated.

The design has Italian origins and Daewoo rate the Rexton has having a low drag co-efficient, which means that it should give a quiet drive with minimal wind noise and good fuel economy.

There is a five-cylinder turbo-diesel engine under the bonnet. This is not the TDi version that comes in the latest edition Musso, so it’s a little lower in power. It scores better on torque however it's well below the competition in both regards.

And you can feel the difference. The engine is slow to accelerate and without official figures I'm slow to make accurate comparisons. But you can take it that it won’t be the fastest 4x4 from the lights.

The Rexton has the same towing ability as the Musso, at about 2.8 tonnes with a braked trailer. That’s not bad and compares well with the competition, while still being well below the Range Rover's 3.5 tonne rating.

The fuel consumption figures look reasonable for the Rexton. It's at the more efficient end of the scale and could benefit from TDi technology and the better economy that comes from that.

The manual drive gearbox was average, in ways it should be an automatic only version, but then the relatively low engine power would be soaked up by the automatic gearbox needs. This would further dampen the already average acceleration features.

So why buy a Rexton? The decision would have to be based on price. The entry model comes on the market at €44,495 before delivery charges. That’s marginally cheaper than a short wheelbase Toyota Land Cruiser, but more expensive than a Nissan Terrano.

The Rexton is well fitted out inside. It has the creature comforts and an easy to use four-wheel-drive engagement system. The real test is how well this works when the going gets tough and I did not have an opportunity to test it to the ultimate. The test Rexton came with road type tyres, not recommended if you want serious off-road adventure.

The overall Rexton package is not quiet luxury. It has a lot of luxury fittings, leather seats, air conditioning etc., but luxury in a 2003 4x4 means air suspension and body height adjustment as standard. That’s what the luxury market wants and it seems to be able to afford it. So while the Rexton is a comfortable 4x4, it looks big and strong, but it has not gone far enough to make it a luxury marque.