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By
EWAN KENNEDY
23 April 2007
Never a company to follow the mindless mob, SsangYong has
excelled itself with new ways of doing things with its just-introduced
Actyon range. It breaks interesting ground in styling, the range of
variants offered, and brings affordable diesel power to the masses for
the first time in the compact SUV segment.
Let us look at that shape to begin with, because it’s
undoubtedly the first thing that anyone beholding an Actyon wants
to talk about.
The front end follows a fascinating modern-retro theme, with a
distinctive bonnet that comes to a shapely 1950’s blunt-point
when viewed from above. But slopes slightly forward from the
vertical when seen in profile.
So far, so good, we really like the way it’s executed. But
then the designers seem to have been struck with an attack of cold
feet and have added early 21st century lights complete with the
currently fashionable dip down into the front bumper. To our
critical eye these lights just don’t tie in with the rest of the
frontal theme.
Which brings on the cue that it’s now time to say that beauty
is in the eye of the beholder. All we ask is that beholders should
approach Actyon with an open mind.
Actyon comes as an SUV, except that it’s not really a station
wagon, more a sporting hatchback. The way that the rear end slopes
puts it firmly into the crossover class. However, it also takes
away a lot of the practicality that buyers appreciate in 4WDs. Not
only does the slope of the roof limit the ability to carry bulky
loads, the high boot floor also does its share in pinching room.
However, those who do need a more practical load carrier will
be delighted to find that Actyon is sold as a dual-cab ute as well
as the aforementioned wagon/hatch. That does mean leaving the
luggage out in the cold, though a hard tonneau cover is one of
many options in the Actyon range, something that won’t be to all
tastes.
Power comes from a choice of petrol and turbo-diesel engines.
The latter being one of very few offered in the compact SUV class,
though of course diesels are plentiful in utes. Large SUVs and
compact cars are both being pushed with diesel options in
Australia at the moment so it makes a lot of sense for SsangYong
to give buyers the choice. The Actyon ute is only available with
the turbo-diesel engine.
The petrol engine is a 2.3-litre four-cylinder with 110 kW, and
214 Nm at 3500 rpm. The diesel is a modern common-rail 2.0-litre
unit and doesn’t lag far behind in the power stakes, producing
104 kW. Naturally, the diesel’s turbocharger pushes the torque
way up and the engine produces a hefty 310 Nm at only 1800 rpm.
A five-speed manual and four-speed automatic transmission are
offered with both the petrol and diesel.
A 4WD system is used in all wagons at this stage, though
there's the possibility a 2WD may come later. The Actyon ute,
which comes with the slightly improbable title of Actyon Sports is
sold with either two- or four-wheel drive.
We have tested both engines and are generally impressed with
the way they handle the weight of this solid vehicle. The only
exception being more turbo lag in the diesel than we like.
Our initial road testing on the central coast of NSW
incorporated a fair bit of dirt road driving of the type that
owners who like to explore. The Actyon impressed us with its ride
comfort and generally handling balance. For the class that is, the
ute certainly isn’t as good as a passenger car in these aspects.
It’s great to see an auto maker having a big stab at
producing something really different and we wish SsangYong a lot
of success with its fascinating new Actyon range.
The complete SsangYong Actyon range with prices (excluding
on-road costs) is:
4x4 Standard 2.3-litre petrol five-door wagon: $29,990 (manual),
$31,990 (automatic)
4x4 Limited 2.3-litre petrol five-door wagon: $36,990 (manual),
$38,990 (automatic)
4x4 Standard 2.0-litre turbo-diesel five-door wagon: $33,990
(manual), $35,990 (automatic)
4x2 Standard 2.0-litre turbo-diesel dual cab utility: $29,990
(manual), $31,990 (automatic)
4x2 Limited 2.0-litre turbo-diesel dual cab utility: $36,990
(manual), $38,990 (automatic)
4x4 Standard 2.0-litre turbo-diesel dual cab utility: $32,990
(manual), $34,990 (automatic)
4x4 Limited 2.0-litre turbo-diesel dual cab utility: $39,990
(manual), $41,990 (automatic)
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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