Item: Ssangyong Turismo
Rating: 2
Author: What Car? Team

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Ssangyong Turismo

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Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Costs & verdict

Despite its shortcomings in various departments, the Turismo is staggeringly cheap, undercutting similarly specced rivals by several thousands of pounds. Whether that’s enough to overlook its other shortcomings will ultimately be down to personal circumstance, but it is certainly a big consideration if you’re looking to save money.

Running costs won’t be especially cheap, though. Claimed fuel economy ranges from 39.2mpg to 36.2mpg depending on your spec, while CO2 emissions are high at between 189g/km and 205g/km. All of this is worse than its rivals, but not by an embarrassing amount.

Three trims are available with the Turismo: SE, EX and range-topping ELX. Entry-level models come with climate control, Bluetooth and electric heated mirrors. Bump up to EX and you’ll get alloys in place of steel wheels and the option of an automatic gearbox as well as a leather interior. ELX gets four-wheel drive and the automatic transmission as standard, but an infotainment system with sat-nav is an option on all trims. Every model gets the same standard of safety specification, which includes an anti-lock braking system and dual front airbags and side airbags, but there are no optional extras to improve safety. It also gets a five-year unlimited mileage warranty.

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For all the praise Ssangyong attracts for its competitive pricing, the Korean manufacturer has yet to make a car that is especially good to drive. The Turismo is no exception to this.

All versions are powered by a 178bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine, which is just about powerful enough to make progress predictable if a little frustrating. Being of considerable bulk, there’s enough low-end pull to drag it off the line, but it’s difficult to pick up speed with any real urgency; and when you do, there’s not much dynamic satisfaction to be gained in return, with body roll being very noticeable through corners.

There’s precious little feedback or weight from the slow steering. Around town, this isn’t really an issue. In fact, it’s a positive that such a big car is actually easy to steer around congested areas or into tight parking spaces. But when you pick up speed, the steering fails to weight up.

The suspension is very soft, which results in a generally compliant and comfortable motorway ride, but a jittery one at low speeds. However, regardless of your pace, any imperfections send a heavy and loud jolt through the cabin.

There’s a choice of manual or automatic transmissions, and while we have yet to try the manual, we’d wager that you’re best off picking the automatic. It’s slow to shift but smooth enough for gentle use – which is how the car should be driven – and, thanks to having seven speeds, it helps keep the engine quiet at a cruise. But any acceleration brings out an agricultural roar from the diesel unit.

The Turismo is rear-wheel drive as standard, but top-sepc ELX models can select permanent four-wheel-drive traction in high or low-ratio modes (the latter being for low-speed off-road use only).

Of course, driver engagement isn’t the be-all and end-all in the MPV class, but there are others that offer far better handling and are more comfortable to drive than the Turismo, including the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/galaxy/mpv/review/n142">Ford Galaxy</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/alhambra/mpv/review/n17146">Seat Alhambra</a>, but they do command a much higher price.

For many car buyers looking at the MPV class, there is one crucial ingredient that is important above all else: space.

Ssangyong’s designers clearly never let this thought stray too far from their brushes when creating the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/new-ssangyong-rodius-unveiled/n9984">Rodius MPV</a>.

Large it was; pretty it was not. The Korean MPV majored on space but not on driving dynamics, and it looked as though it had been dealt a hearty thwack with the ugly stick. That said, it did have a rock-bottom price.

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Now, that same ethos has been carried on to its replacement – the Ssangyong Turismo.

Just like the Rodius, it promises acres of space and a remarkable price, covering a price band that undercuts all of its seven-seat rivals such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/galaxy/mpv/review/n142">Ford Galaxy</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/seat/alhambra/mpv/review/n17146">Seat Alhambra</a> by several thousands of pounds.

However, does it suffer from the same driving pitfalls of the Rodius? Or is it a must-have bargain-basement purchase for those after as much space as possible? Read on to find out.

The layout of the instrument dials is odd. The driver’s display shows which gear you’re driving in, which is quite useful but surely not enough to warrant it pride of place within an easy glance of the driver. The speedo and rev counter – which have distinctly ‘90s styling and quality – have been banished to the top of the centre console, making them harder to glance at than if they were directly in front of the driver.

The materials generally look and feel a bit second-rate – especially the plastic buttons – and are way behind its rivals. But, for what you pay for the car, it remains outstanding value.

The Kenwood infotainment system is a cost option on every trim and has a distinct after-market look to it. It’s a bit clunky to use and it seems a bit stingy that it isn’t included as standard on any trim.

You sit very high up, so visibility of the road ahead is good. However, the A-pillars are very thick and don’t help the view around corners and at roundabouts.

Ssangyong has made giant strides in recent years, after it was taken over by a new owner and given a injection of investment to help its bid to become a credible car maker.

The result so far is a range of cars dominated by SUVs (as well as a single pick-up), most of which are below the class average standard but all of which have merits, including the amount of space and practicality they offer for the money.

The highlight in the range is currently the Korando, a Nissan Qashqai rival that offers all the space of that car but for a price closer to the much smaller Nissan Juke’s. It is very roomy and has decent engines, but it’s let down a bit by interior quality, high running costs and poor resale values.

SSANGYONG

TURISMO

If you want lots of space for not a lot of money, then the Turismo delivers. But in every other respect, it is drab and uninspiring

Just as the instrument dial design is strange, so too is the seating layout. Unlike most seven seaters, which have two seats in its rearmost row, the Turismo goes for two armchair-style seats in the middle row and then three seats on a bench across the back.

This gives those in the middle row plenty of room to stretch out and get comfortable, while the third row is still decently spacious and comfortable compared with most seven-seaters. Access to the rearmost seats is a little tricky, though. If you can’t squeeze between the two seats in the middle row, then you have to slide and tilt the middle-row seat forward from outside the car. And, even then, you’re given a gap to fit through that is best left to those of a svelte and athletic disposition.

The boot is big but it isn’t very deep with the rear seats in place. A large suitcase will easily fit in sideways and, as the car has such a tall body, you can put lots more luggage in as long as you’re happy to stack them. You can handily slide the rearmost seats forward to increase capacity more, and if you fold the rear seats, the overall capacity is truly cavernous. However, when you fold those rearmost seats, you are left with a huge lip up to the seat bases. To remedy this, you can remove all of the third-row seats to have the Turismo double up as a minivan when needed.

If you want lots of space for not a lot of money, then the Turismo delivers. But in every other respect, it is drab and uninspiring

<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plenty of space for all the family and their paraphernalia</li> <li>Comfortable ride for everyone inside</li> <li>Seats with plenty of adjustment and versatility of layout</li> <li>Engine that can cope with a full load of people and luggage</li> <li>Excellent efficiency to avoid big fuel bills</li></ul>

Practicality is king in the MPV market, which has taken a hit as buyers have turned towards trendier SUVs. There are still plenty of decent offerings to suit most budgets, though, with Citroën fielding a particularly strong line-up. The French manufacturer’s Berlingo offers bags of space for not much money and you can easily haggle off thousands of extra pounds in discounts, too.

Citroën also scores with the larger Grand C4 Spacetourer, which offers seven seats, lots of oddment space and appealing running costs for something so large. A similarly priced and even better option is the Volkswagen Touran. Meanwhile, if you prefer a premium badge, there's always the BMW 2 Series Active and Gran Tourers or Mercedes B-Class and V-Class.

But for something sizeable that's still decent to drive, we’d recommend you check out the Ford Galaxy, which can offer three rows of seats and decent luggage space at the same time. It’s not that much pricier than the smaller S-Max.

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