All Sections

SsangYong Turismo is a people (and wardobe)-carrying behemoth

South Korean car manufacturer SsangYong has announced the Turismo people carrier is here. No, don’t go just yet.

A seven-seater brick with wheels, the Turismo is far from an automotive pin-up, especially as it looks like a dated Subaru that’s melted slightly in the sun. But when it comes to ferrying large families, few road-legal vehicles can match it.

The Turismo is essentially a van with lots of (very flexible) seats. In seven-seat mode it’ll still carry a massive 875 litres of luggage comfortably. Fold the two rearmost rows of seats and it’ll house a staggering 3,146 litres of luggage.

Hauling that bulk is a 2.0-litre turbo-charged e-XDi200 diesel. At 4,000rpm it can churn out a respectable 155PS and from as little as 1,500rpm it’ll deliver a healthy 360Nm of torque – enough not to be bogged down by a houseful of Ikea goodies.

In either its 5-speed Mercedes-Benz T-Tronic automatic or 6-speed manual gearbox form, the Turismo manages a combined cycle of at least 37mpg, with the manual offering slight improvements versus the auto. CO2 emissions also come in around 199g/km and get a bit worse if you want to be lazy with gears.

Each of the three trim levels available – S, ES and EX – come with air-conditioning, electric and heated door mirrors, leather on the steering wheel and gear knob and an MP3 CD and RDS stereo player with USB, Bluetooth and AUX connectivity as standard.

There’s also Active Roll over Protection, Electronic Stability Program, Brake Assist System, two high strength sub-frames fitted to the front and rear of the car and dual front and side airbags to ensure you and passengers and wardrobes are kept as safe as possible.

Spend a few quid extra on the ES model and you can enjoy leather upholstery, an electrically-adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats and rear-parking sensors. The top-of-the-line EX has a partially heated windscreen, solar controlled glass and rain sensitive wipers.

A five-year unlimited mileage warranty sweetens the deal.

Prices start at £17,995 for the 2.0-litre entry-level S model and rise to £23,995 for the daddy 2.0-litre EX automatic.  

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *