Light commercials were one of the real growth segments of the new vehicle market last year – dual-cab 4 x 4’s the real strength – with their balance of workhorse and recreational use. Korean brand SsangYong is back in business with four new models, one of which is their Musso ute. The Musso of ten years ago built a strong reputation for ruggedness and the latest model in four variants arrives with great promise. All new Musso’ are dual-cab 4 x 4 powered by a 2.2-litre turbo-diesel. Pricing undercuts most of the volume selling 4 x 4 ‘s on the market starting at $30,490 drive-away in the entry EX six speed manual with six-speed auto adding $2,000. Move up to the better-equipped auto-only Musso ELX 4 x 4 and the price jumps to $35,990 drive-away while the top-spec Ultimate automatic sells for $39,990 drive-away and is the value buy. I drove several SsangYong Musso utes and they all feel strong and robust – the turbo-diesel has 400Nm of torque from 1400 revs – with a full ladder-frame chassis and a braked towing capacity of 3500 kg this is a great tow vehicle. The rear suspension is coil sprung limiting payload capacity to 790 kgs however a 300mm longer wheelbase Musso due shortly is leaf sprung and with a bed length of 1600mm the payload rises to 1,000 kgs. For under $40,000 drive-away the top-spec Musso Ultimate is the value buy with a front camera, reversing camera and surround view monitor, great for workhorse. All Musso’s come with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto while later this month autonomous emergency and forward collision warning will be standard across the range. I’m David Berthon

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