SsangYong Rodius Review (2008)

Despite the fact that SsangYong haven’t been very obvious in the UK, the company can lay claim to a 50-year manufacturing heritage of 4x4s.

A brief history may jog a memory of some of the company’s vehicles that were relatively well known. Founded in 1954, SsangYong began by making commercial and special vehicles such as buses and fire trucks. In 1988 SsangYong developed the Korando, a compact 4WD SUV, which, it is said, was the first to be built in Korea.

The Korando got the company’s SUV era going and in the early 90’s, Mercedes Benz AG made a capital investment in SsangYong, thus forming an alliance that still exists in parts. In 1993 the chunky and capable Musso was launched and a year or so later it all went very quiet. SsangYong didn’t close its doors but seemed to disappear from the UK, although the 60-strong dealer network remained functional. Then, in 2001 there was the launch of the Rexton and the Rodius came on the scene in 2004, however, 2008 sees the real comeback of the marque.

SsangYong is now brought to us by Koelliker UK Ltd, which is part of a large Italian-owned, import and distribution company, responsible for taking SsangYong, Mitsubishi and Kia into Italy, and other European countries. SsangYong, itself has plans for 20 models in the next few years but not all of them will be on sale in the UK.

So, for now we have the new Rexton 4x4, the Kyron a typical SUV and the subject of this report, the Rodius, all at knock-down prices under the company’s slogan that declares, ‘It works for me.’ With prices starting at just £14,995 for the 7-seater MPV, it is going to work for a good many people on a budget and you get quite a lot for your money.

For a start, the Rodius isn’t just a 5-seater with two extra occasional seats in the third row; it is a purpose built vehicle with plenty of room for everyone and 875-litres of luggage space, to boot (pardon the pun). Rather than the more usual 2-3-2 seating layout, the Rodius has a 2-2-3 format, allowing for a walkway between the individual seats of the second row, and easy access to the third row.