The SsangYong Rexton will surprise you
Just a little disclaimer, we haven’t done a comprehensive test drive and review on the 2020 SsangYong Rexton. We did go to the Auto Focus Test Drive Festival back in November and there we got the chance to take the top-spec SsangYong Rexton for a short spin.
For starters, the Rexton is a mid-size SUV and competes in the very popular segment with the Toyota Fortuner, Mitsubishi Montero Sport, and many others. Now it definitely surprised us and we’re sure it will surprise you too. Here are some reasons why the 2020 SsangYong Rexton will surprise you.
Interior design
While the exterior of the Rexton is indeed good looking, you’ll be in for a treat once you open the doors and step inside. You’ll be greeted by a very upmarket interior. The seats are wrapped in brown Nappa leather in a quilted pattern with black accents. Same goes for the door panels. The dashboard also gets a good amount of soft-to-the-touch surfaces.
In addition to that, the front seats are also heated and cooled. That is one feature which no other SUV in its category has. This interior will definitely put others to shame.
Driving
I won’t go deep with this one as I only spent a very short time with the Rexton. The Rexton is powered by a 2.2L turbocharged diesel engine with 181 horsepower and 420 N-m of torque. Engine specs look on par with its rivals. Initial impressions I got were excellent. With my short run in the test drive course, the Rexton definitely did well. Steering feel was the right amount of heavy and light which won’t make you tired after long drives. Acceleration is pretty quick as well and I didn’t find it lacking at all. The engine is also very quiet which means SsangYong did a good job with NVH insulation.
Ride Quality
Ride quality? The course was on a rough brick-paved parking lot. There were also humps to simulate larger bumps. The Rexton passed that test with flying colors. You can hardly feel the bumps both at low and higher speeds. Also considering that this is equipped with 20-inch wheels, SsangYong did a really good job in tuning the suspension.
Technology
The Rexton is not left behind at all when it comes to technology. For starters, just like the competition, there’s the LCD display in the instrument cluster which shows all important information related to the vehicle. Then there’s the infotainment system which can be controlled through an 8-inch touchscreen display. It’s not lacking as it is equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto which may be a deal breaker for some buyers today.
You also get front and rear parking sensors and a reverse camera. It’s only missing a 360-degree around view monitor but who knows maybe SsangYong might come up with one soon.
Value for money
When I first read about SsangYong launching the Rexton here with a price tag of Php 2,230,000, all I could think was that it was expensive. For reference, the top-spec Toyota Fortuner 2.8 V 4WD is just slightly more expensive at Php 2,286,000. Meanwhile the fully-loaded Nissan Terra 2.5 VL 4×4 is cheaper at Php 2,176,000.
After experiencing it in person, I can definitely say that the SsangYong Rexton is not expensive compared to its competition. Maybe I need to experience it more in-depth and I wish I get too but right now, all I can say is that it’s an excellent product that should be capable of giving all its competitors a run for their money.
Photos from SsangYong Philippines.
Editor’s Note: If anyone from Ssangyong Berjaya Motor Philippines, Inc. is reading this, please do give us a chance to do an in-depth review of this very promising SUV. 😉
