SsangYong Musso Review: Premium Quality, Budget Cost

We’ve already had the 2023 SsangYong Musso in our mitts before, but the South Korean 4×4 and truck manufacturer has updated the brilliant Musso even further. Where it was very well equipped and felt like a nice place to sit, SsangYong have stepped up the game even further. So, sit back and see what we thought in our SsangYong Musso Review.

Before I start, it is worth noting that SsangYong have now changed their name to KGM, but this vehicle was still badged as Ssangyong and will be referred to as such.

What we have here is the recently refreshed and rejuvenated workhorse. The eagle-eyed amongst you will note that the exterior is virtually indistinguishable from the former. That means we have the huge commanding grille, incredibly useful side steps (especially for those of us who hail from Middle Earth), 18″ gloss black alloys and that 1-tonne capacity bed rounding up the rear. We’d also wager that the Indian Red paintwork we had is the coating of choice; you are free to disagree, but you’d be wrong.

The real party is inside the Musso, as the inset infotainment screen has been popped in the bin, in favour of the floating style we’ve come to expect from those more upmarket marques (looking at you Mercedes). I had absolutely no complaints at all about the previous fixture but this little update has really spruced up the dining experience, well, by dining experience I of course mean noshing on a nice bit of the Colonel’s chicken whilst utilising the heated seats to warm your coquelles.

I digress, but the sentiment remains. The Musso’s interior is now on par with the top end of the truck segment, the incredibly popular Ford Ranger and its German sibling, the VW Amarok. That’s extremely high praise when you consider this top-spec Saracen model sits at £32,000 ex VAT; a whopping £10K cheaper than the equivalent blue oval pickup – £10,000! Sure, you don’t get the badge, but with an onslaught of far-eastern manufacturers polluting the market, does that really matter now? Besides, SsangYong are South Korean; you know, where Kia, Hyundai and Genesis come from? Hardly a country with a poor track record of producing vehicles.

And perhaps that may be the Musso’s biggest issue to face, as during my time with it, I was constantly asked what it was. Which struck me as a stark contrast as I tend to see a fair amount here in Mid-Wales and the surrounding areas. But, the second question they ask is “how is it?”, and the answer, as per this review, is “really bloody good!”

Sure, I only had it for a week, but in that week it went around my local town, through Elan Valley and even down into Cardiff where it spent most of the time doing an average speed of about 0.7 MPH. However, I was incredibly surprised with how easy it was to drive in the city, it’s not a small vehicle by any means but it never felt overburdening to navigate. It doesn’t quite fit in spaces but it’s so large that people can’t miss it. As a side note, due to the sheer size of it, you never get people sitting on your backend and those in front tend to get swiftly out of its path – so that’s a bonus.

Whilst I don’t tow and didn’t use it for that, those who do will be pleased to hear that you can tow 3.5 tonne whilst simultaneously hauling 1.1 tonne in the bed. Mightily impressive for a ‘private-focused’ truck. Yes, it can still do the commercial thing and be used as a proper work-horse, but you’d feel a little bad scuffing up the paintwork or the lovely interior.

I really cannot recommend the Musso enough, if you’re budget-conscious but want something brand new, dependable, extremely well-equipped, a great drive, then you need to look no further – the Musso is the truck for you.

This whole package feels like it has been designed to target the ever-growing lifestyle market and the firms that have been taking note, such as Isuzu with the D-Max. It would be nice to see a greater appreciation for such a market, and those who want to buy a truck for the sake of having a vehicle which can do everything, rather than for the commercial aspect of it. Perhaps that’s why I like the Musso so much, as it aligns perfectly with my values and the type of vehicle I’m after.

In terms of taking a greater appreciation for the lifestyle market, I would like to see some proper aftermarket approved upgrades that can be fitted without affecting any warranty. Items such as roof tents, light bars, lift kits, bull bars etc. Companies like ARB and Truckman are poised and ready to develop kit for them, and I think it would be a good seller for the brand.

Now, I did mention driving this down to Cardiff and back earlier on, but I didn’t expound on that drive. This drive doesn’t feature any motorway but I did get to experience the Musso on decent A roads, dual carriageways and through towns/cities. The first thing to note is that the seats are very comfortable indeed, there is plenty of adjustment to satisfy all manner of weird and wonderful ways people sit and the Nappa leather is soft enough.

The fact they’re cooled and heated is a massive bonus, most cars don’t come with that so the fact they’re on a relatively inexpensive truck is brilliant, as is the heated leather steering wheel. After every drive I didn’t feel fatigued or deflated, it’s a very easy vehicle to live with and doesn’t seem to feel like you’re driving a small house most of the time.

Creature-comfort-wise, it does have an inbuilt Sat Nav as well as the usual AM/FM/DAB malarky, but I just plugged my phone in the vast majority of the time and had Google Maps with Taylor Swift on Spotify via Android Auto on that massive 12.3″ crystal-clear screen. It is worth noting that if you do use the supplied Sat Nav, you can have your directions on your digital drivers display, which is nice. There’s also a decent quality rear parking camera which works alongside the front and rear parking sensors.

Regarding listening to Taylor Swift, I found that the sound system isn’t as good as the competition, and I find it even weirder that the max volume is 31. It’s an odd choice to use, but this is a quirky truck so we’ll just pass it off as that. You also have auto lights/wipers and standard-fit cruise control, which isn’t radar and doesn’t feature any lane-keep assist, but does have lane departure warning. There’s also a speed limit warning, which was turned off almost immediately. Oh and one last thing, the Musso has heated seats in the rear, which still amazes me that a £32K truck comes with these.

So, it’s time to roundup this SsangYong Musso review isn’t it? There is so much great with this truck, and the fact it comes in at £32,000 ex VAT is just an even greater bonus. Yes, it is not perfect, but what it does well, it does really really well. Everytime I see one drive past, I am always thinking “nice one, mate, you’ve made a brilliant choice”.

I really cannot recommend the Musso enough, if you’re budget-conscious but want something brand new, dependable, extremely well-equipped, a great drive, then you need to look no further – the Musso is the truck for you. For sheer value for money, and very little compromise, The SsangYong Musso deserves a 5-star review.