Ssangyong Rexton review

You sit high up in the SsangYong Rexton, with a similarly commanding view of the road ahead as in the Toyota Land Cruiser. The seat has standard eight-way electric adjustments with lumbar support and height control, plus the wheel can be moved in, out, up and down enough for most people to find a comfortable position.

It can be tricky to judge where the front of the vehicle ends, and we found that the over-the-shoulder view was restricted by the very thick rear screen pillars. At least rear parking sensors are standard across the range, with Ultimate models getting an all-round camera as well.

Given the bulk per buck you get in the Rexton, you might expect the interior to be particularly low-rent, but that's not the case. There’s a good spread of soft-touch plastics on the dashboard and areas you touch regularly, plus the buttons operate precisely. A 12.3in digital instrument cluster replaces the analogue dials of before. It looks quite sharp, but is not as configurable as the best systems out there and takes ages to switch between screens. 

Lower down the dashboard, there are harder plastics that are not as well finished, but it’s unlikely that you’ll come into contact with them regularly. All models have a leather-wrapped steering wheel and faux-leather seats, while Ultimate models get nappa leather seats for a touch of added luxury. The cheaper Peugeot 5008 still has the edge when it comes to a premium-looking interior, though. One bugbear worth noting is that the metal-effect trim around the gearlever in the Rexton, while looking good, reflects sunlight into the driver’s eyes on particularly bright days.

Entry-level Ventura models come with an 8.0in touchscreen infotainment system that doesn’t have sat-nav but does get a DAB radio, Bluetooth and Android Auto/Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. Ultimate trim gets a 9.0in system with TomTom sat-nav. The cheaper unit is responsive, has sharp on-screen graphics and is very easy to navigate, but some of the menu buttons are rather small. The 9.0in version is better, with larger on-screen buttons and a similarly logical layout.