After years doggedly plugging away on the UK pickup market, Ssangyong has instantly discovered itself catapulted to a heady fourth spot within the gross sales rankings.

Facetious it could be – a lull in demand has led to mass desertion, leaving only a quartet of makers within the sport – however there’s advantage within the endurance it has demonstrated whereas extra highly effective foes have succumbed to market forces.

See additionally: Pickup purchaser’s information 2022-23

And there’s really a lot to love in regards to the Musso. Its capability to tow and carry matches – and in some circumstances beats – the competitors, its inside is pleasingly car-like, and the value half wise.

Its greatest weak point, beforehand, was the efficiency of the rear suspension.

UK-bound fashions have been retrofitted with stiffer coils that, with none load within the mattress, had the dislikeable knack of wobbling passengers à la jelly on a plate – even on innocuous trying roadways.

However what of the newest iteration, seen right here in high spec Saracen guise?

In response to Ssangyong, it obtained not simply beauty tweakments however a Madonna-esque “aggressive facelift” in 2021.

The Musso appears a bit younger for that form of caper – it was solely launched three years earlier…

New look

Thankfully, the surgical procedure isn’t as excessive as intimated within the blurb.

New stuff features a ladder-like grille and a few finicky folds and creases within the tinwork, together with two entrance wing coves that, from much less beneficial angles, look fairly like dents.

As it’s based mostly on the Rexton SUV, there are additionally some quirks to its design.

For instance, the rear doorways are clumsily stepped on the base of the window, forming a protruding nook with a nasty behavior of catching unsuspecting passengers plumb on the humorous bone as they slam them shut.

It additionally means extra space is devoted to inside than exterior, leaving a brief, deep load space.

This will nonetheless swallow a Euro pallet however lumping in luggage and buckets with out opening the tailgate depends on executing an Olympic commonplace clean-and-jerk to keep away from inflicting hurt to the bodywork.

The upshot is liberal area in and across the entrance seats.

The driving force will get a well-positioned relaxation for the left foot, snug, softly upholstered perches for the elbows and an A-pillar seize deal with, leaving this author with few ill-effects from a 1,500-mile slog.

One other deal with within the roof lining can be the icing on the cake.

The entrance chairs, completed in luxurious Nappa leather-based on the Saracen, provide cooling/heating capabilities and electrical adjustment in most instructions, together with lumbar help.

Even these within the again row get single-stage seat heaters and, by pickup requirements, bountiful legroom. In-cab space for storing can also be sensible and ample.

However the mass of tech is each blessing and curse.

The objects talked about above are usually helpful.

Cruise management is price having and the Automotive Play-compatible touchscreen, commonplace on all however the base EX and measuring 9.2in on the ritziest fashions, is of respectable decision – albeit troubled by a glitch on our take a look at mannequin.

Nevertheless, different bits fall into the solution-in-need-of-a-problem camp.

A number of subtly totally different variations of the dashboard show can be found by thumbing one among umpteen buttons on the steering wheel, which appears considerably pointless.

And, as in earlier iterations, it has a behavior of sounding alerts and displeasure too usually – binging and bonging for velocity restrict breaches (not me, guv), the presence of velocity cameras, handbrake place, key location, and varied different unfathomable causes.

Then there’s the overzealous central locking system, which makes it close to not possible to succeed in the gas filler from the driving force’s facet with out having to dig out the important thing once more. Keyless entry can be a boon.

It’s additionally lacking probably helpful devices, lots of which could be discovered on the Isuzu D-Max.

Examples embrace autonomous emergency braking, site visitors signal recognition and, on high spec fashions, adaptive cruise management.

Driving

The two.2-litre e-XDi220 block is surprisingly refined, with efficient baffling retaining engine noise to a library-like murmur and loads of rubber across the doorways largely eliminating the drone of tyres on tarmac.

It has respectable poke too, with its 202hp and 420Nm of torque handsomely trumping the D-Max (164hp/320Nm).

Nevertheless, that almost all actually doesn’t translate into velocity, with the dash to 62mph taking 12secs.

No shock, then, that the Musso doesn’t lend itself to overly spirited driving, regardless of having the identical chassis and engine because the Rexton.

Gear shifts by way of the six-speed auto are largely accomplished with stealth however get too eager, or too indecisive, on the throttle and lumps rapidly seem.

As for consumption, we discovered it yielded 30mpg on a motorway run, however nearer 25mpg on the again roads.

Physique roll is saved pretty effectively in examine and, although the coil springs on the again nonetheless have a high-frequency jitter with out weight within the load mattress, it’s far much less pronounced than earlier than and customarily snug.

The exception is flippantly pockmarked roads, which are likely to make the experience extra fidgety.

The change to four-wheel drive is finished by way of a small dial neighbouring the handbrake.

This can be a part-time 4×4 system with a locked central differential, which means it’s predominantly rear-wheel drive with energy to the entrance engaged and disengaged based on velocity discrepancies between the 2.

In consequence, it’s not designed to be used on the street.

There’s additionally a low vary and digital traction management (though no manually engaged lock for the rear diff), plus hill begin help and hill descent methods.

Its sub-par 215mm of floor clearance isn’t splendid, and definitely not helped by a chin that dangles unnecessarily low on the entrance.

Notably, the Musso is the one pickup rated to hold a 1t payload and tow 3.5t concurrently (6,750kg gross prepare weight).

Nevertheless, that solely applies to fashions with the automated transmission – manuals are restricted to a 3.2t Towing Capability.

Farmers Weekly verdict

Ssangyong stays one thing of an automotive outlier, however it’s ramping up its UK presence and now has 80 sellers unfold throughout the nation.

Whether or not it may well proliferate fairly as successfully as Isuzu, notably within the countryside, stays to be seen, nevertheless it has the uncooked components to succeed.

With a easy engine, respectable energy and adequately slick transmission, there’s little to dislike within the drivetrain division, and there are many creature comforts too.

At simply over £25k, the base-spec EX seems essentially the most appropriate farm car, with its DAB radio a suitable downgrade from the flamboyant display and among the much less essential techy bits thinned out.

Nevertheless, its 3.2t towing capability is perhaps an issue.

That stated, even the Saracen isn’t a bank-breaker – and it’s backed up by a five-year, 100,000-mile guarantee. Food for thought, certainly…

Likes and gripes

Respectable carrying and towing capability on auto fashions

Easy engine

Good, spacious inside

✘ Brief, high-sided load mattress

✘ Towing restricted to three.2t on guide model

✘ Restricted floor clearance, notably on the entrance