SSANGYONG RODIUS MPV REVIEW

For The Rodius has a huge amount of space for people and cargo, as well as plenty of kit. The prices look tempting, too.

Against It's no oil painting, for a start, and it’s catasrophically short of safety kit. You'll also have to put up with a hard ride and disappointing residuals.

What Car? says

1 out of 5 stars

The Rodius is cheap, but you have to put up with oddball looks, poor interior quality and a hard ride. The lack of side and curtain airbags is simply unforgivable in a family car.

Reader review rating

3.588235

The Ssangyong Rodius MPV full review Read in full

Performance
1 out of 5 stars
Adequate in town, sluggish elsewhere
Ride & Handling
1 out of 5 stars
Ride is too harsh for an MPV
Refinement
3 out of 5 stars
Too much road noise
Buying & Owning
2 out of 5 stars
Reasonable value, but residuals will sting
Quality & Reliability
1 out of 5 stars
Not a classy cabin
Safety & Security
1 out of 5 stars
Simply not good enough
Behind The Wheel
2 out of 5 stars
Not the best layout
Space & Practicality
3 out of 5 stars
It’ll take seven and their luggage
Equipment
3 out of 5 stars
Hard to fault at these prices

Or view…

There are 3 Ssangyong Rodius versions available

Ssangyong Rodius MPV 270 S 5dr	£14,995	What Car? says:2 stars out of 5
Ssangyong Rodius MPV 270 ES 5dr	£16,995	What Car? says:1 stars out of 5
Ssangyong Rodius MPV 270 EX 5dr	£20,995	What Car? says:1 stars out of 5

Ssangyong Rodius MPV 270 S 5dr

The Rodius has a very attractive price tag, feels solid overall and gets you a lot of car for your cash, but don’t overlook its brutal depreciation and obvious flaws.

What Car? says:2 stars out of 5

Read review

Buyer's notes

Target Price team says:

The SsangYong Rodius is a real head-turner. Just not in a good way. This seven-seater follows the maximum-MPV-for-your-money approach, with lots of space inside and seats that can fold down, swivel around or be removed entirely.

Only one engine, a noisy 2.7-litre turbodiesel, powers the range. This powertrain churns out plenty of torque, but the Rodius’s bulk wipes out any worthy performance figures. It also causes poor fuel economy, and the CO2 emissions put the car in the highest VED tax band.

Handling is acceptable, if not on the same level as many competitors, and the ride is uncomfortably hard.

Decent equipment on the inside compensates to some extent for the interior’s cheap feel, but one big shortcoming is the absence of curtain and side airbags.

Also, before you’re seduced by its very tempting price, make sure you want to keep it long enough for the sting from its punishing depreciation to pass.