Korando Ultimate – In the world of medium SUVs the SsangYong Korando isn’t a name that springs to mind quickly for buyers and that a mistake. 
Korando comes in three models with a choice of two engines and transmissions.
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We drove the top spec Ultimate with the 1.6L turbo diesel that delivers 100kW and 324Nm. It drives through an AWD drivetrain and an Aisin 6 Sp AT.
It also has outstanding economy. The ADR figures are 6.4L/100K and we easily achieved this on test. It is possible to see 900 km out of a tank of fuel.
The Korando is stylish, something SsangYong hasn’t been known for in the past. It also is smooth and comfortable to drive and handled beach, sand and dirt driving with ease.
The Ultimate also comes packed with little luxury features such as front and rear heated seats, ventilated front seats, dual zone A/C. Power sunroof and tailgate as well as a 10.25 inch digital drivers instrument cluster that is configurable all add to the luxury.
But the real bonus is the price. From $30,990 to $41,990 the Korando is stunning value and leaves its competitors behind.
This is a Motoring Minute
I’m Rob Fraser.
What is good? |
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What is not so good? |
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Also Look At
The Korando sits in between the segments because it has a longer wheelbase but with short overhangs the overall length ids shorter than many competitors. Look towards the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4, Peugeot 3008, Subaru Forester.
SsangYong Korando |
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| Model | Ultimate |
| Model Price | $41,990 RDAP |
| Engine | 2.0L 4Cyl Turbo Diesel |
| Drivetrain | 6 Sp Sports AT AWD |
| Power | 100kW @ 4,000rpm |
| Torque | 324Nm @ 1,500-2,500rpm |
| Safety | Five Star ANCAP (tested June 2019) |
| 0-100kmh / Top Speed | TBA |
| CO2 Emissions | 170 g/km Euro 6 |
| Economy ADR | 6.4L/100km / 60L capacity |
| Economy on test | 6.5L/100k |
| Servicing | 12Mth / 15000km |
| Warranty | 7yr/ Unlimited km |
| Road side Assist | 7Yr. conditional roadside assist |
*MLP Includes GST and LCT but excluding statutory charges, dealer costs and dealer delivery. See your dealer for RDAP. Does not include price of options. Some features mentioned in the article are options. RDAP means Recommended Drive Away Price (without options but including all other charges)
Overall Rating |
85/100 |
| Behind the Wheel | 9 |
| Comfort | 9 |
| Equipment | 9 |
| Performance | 8 |
| Ride and Handling | 8 |
| Practicality | 9 |
| Fit for Purpose | 9 |
| AWD/Towing Capability* | 6 (AWD 3/5 Towing 3/5 ) |
| Technology/connectivity | 8 |
| Value for Money | 10 |
*Towing and AWD capability is measured against similar vehicles in the same class.
Dimensions |
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| Overall Length | 4450mm |
| Wheelbase | 2675mm |
| Width | 1870mm |
| Height | 1629mm |
| Wheels | 19×7.5 Alloy |
| Tyres | 235/50 R19 |
| Max ground clearance | Up to 164mm |
| Wading Depth | TBA |
| Approach | 18 degrees |
| Rampover | 15.9 degrees |
| Departure angle | 24.5 degrees |
| Turning Circle KTK | 10.7m |
| Boot Capacity Min | 551L |
| Boot capacity Max | 1248L |
| Kerb Weight | 1605kg |
| Payload (kg) | 555kg |
| GVM (kg) | 2160kg |
| GCM | 4160kg |
| Towing Capacity | 2000kg |
| Tow Ball rating | 150kg |
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More SsangYong Korando Notes
Korando was first launched in Australia in its current guise in late 2019 as the most advanced model SsangYong had ever released. Then the company had financial troubles, which are finished and life goes on.
The reason I mentioned the financial problems, is that this may be a major factor in the low market understanding of the vehicle.
No advertising often means poor visibility for potential buyers.
What does the Korando Ultimate look like?
It’s actually quite stylish. Not a word associated with SsangYong styling in years gone past. They have had some disasters.
However the Korando looks good from all angles.
The bonnet has two outer bulges that give presence but are quite visible from inside. Grill is framed by twin LED s and DRLs. As well as lower fig lights
The profile has some elegant detail sculptured lines and the short overhang and longer wheelbase gives the Korando a sporty look.
The rear is well proportioned with a full width horizontal detail line.
Wheels and tyres are 19inch alloys with 235/50 19 road biased tyres.
What about inside the Korando Ultimate, is it comfortable?
Here is where the value proposition smacks you in the face.
The front leather seats are especially comfortable. They are heated and ventilated, have electronic adjustment, with additional lumbar support for the driver.
There are soft touch points everywhere, especially the whole dashboard.
In front of the driver the thick rimmed heated steering wheel is perforated, has thumb points and thickens towards the lower half. It’s actually really nice to hold.
The multi configurable 10.25 inch digital driver instrument binnacle houses controls for some driver functions in the menu. I did this every time I started to turn off the LKA.
For the most part drivers find what they like and leave it there.
Auto headlights provide clear vision. Auto high beam calibration is good but the lighting could be a little brighter. Fog lights are spot on.
The central stack and screen houses the 8 inch central touch screen. The functionality is a little basic and confusing. Touch sensitivity is good though. I just left it on the Apple CarPlay screen and used it like that.
Storage is well catered for with reasonable size centre console bin, twin cup holders in the central area, front twin bottle holders, plus extra storage bin, in each front door and single in the rear and a small phone tray.
Rear seats again are comfortable and outer ones heated, with deep sculpturing for two people. Excellent leg room as well as head and shoulder room.
They also fold flat to form a large and very practical rear load space.
The boot is smaller than others but practical. One benefit is the boot lid opens high enough for me to not hit my head.
What engine and drivetrain does the Korando have?
There are two engines.
First the new turbo-charged petrol engine that produces 120kW of power and 280Nm of torque. This is available between 1,500 to 4,000 rpm.
Mated to Aisin 6-speed automatic, smooth power delivery and fuel efficiency is assured.
The turbo-charged petrol engine with auto transmission is also available when moving along the model range to ELX and Ultimate.
Second the 1.6L turbo diesel 4 cylinder engine that produces 100kW of power and 324Nm of torque between 1,500 – 2,500rpm. This is mated to a six speed Aisin AT and selectable AWD.
The Petrol engine can tow 1500kg and the diesel 2000kg.
Front suspension is McPherson strut with stabiliser bar and rear suspension is Multi-link with stabiliser bar
What is the Korando Ultimate like to drive?
I only drove the diesel version. It’s not particularly powerful but will happily cruise along at motorway speeds without fuss. It punches well above its weight.
Thanks to some reasonable torque delivery low in the RPM range it will lope along ready to respond. Its sips fuel at an astonishingly frugal rate. We often got 5.9L/100K around town with simple flow on driving style.
The only time you may want more power is when it’s pushed hard.
For an Urban SUV, which is essentially what it is, there is a smooth ride, it responds well to both throttle and steering inputs and allows for an easy and relaxed driving style
There are three drive mode selections available, normal, sport and winter. It certainly changes characteristics in sport, holding gears longer and more responsive to throttle input.
Steering is well weighted and the thick perforated steering wheel falls easily to hand.
The on demand AWD system is activated by a simple turn of the dial and provides good traction for dirt roads and light sand driving. That’s about as far as you would take the Korando.
Korando Safety
With a five star ANCAP safety rating from 2019, the Korando comes with a host of features that include advanced levels of occupant and pedestrian safety equipment as standard in all models.
Features such as:
- Autonomous Emergency Braking System (AEBS),
- Lane Departure Warning (LDW),
- Lane Keeping Assist (LKA),
- LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL),
- Blind Spot Detection (BSD),
- Intelligent Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA-i) with braking intervention.
- Front Collision Warning (FCW) and
- Reverse Camera are included across the range.
Ultimate adds:
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS),
- LED front fog lights
One minor niggle is that I almost always turn off the lane keep assist function in cars. Many have a simple button to push to deactivate, however in the Korando I have to go three layers deep into the menu to deactivate and do that every time I start the car again.
SsangYong Owner benefits.
Alongside a 5-star ANCAP safety rating, every model in the All-New Korando range is covered by SsangYong’s industry-leading 777 Customer Care Package with 7-year unlimited kilometre warranty, 7-year roadside assist and 7-year service price menu which is offered to both private and fleet customers.
Korando Ultimate final thoughts
Yep actually really liked the Korando
It was especially comfortable to ride in and the seats are great.
I found myself enjoying the relaxed driving style that the smaller diesel promoted.
Super economical and many times we achieved 5.9l/100 around town without really trying. Stunning as we could have easily got 850km out of the tank.
It’s packed with little luxury and comfort features.
The real surprise is the value proposition
There is absolutely nothing on the market that has the level of luxury, comfort, safety and build quality for the price in that segment.
All I can say is take it for a drive you will be impressed.
Korando Model Walk
EX Petrol
- 5 Litre Turbo-Charged Petrol Engine
- 6-Speed Manual or Automatic Transmission
- 17-Inch Alloy Wheels
- Electric Power Steering (EPS)
- Tilt and Telescopic Steering Wheel
- Cruise Control
- Air Conditioning
- Seatbelt Pretensioners and Load Limiters
- Seat Belt Reminders for All Positions
- Autonomous Emergency Braking System (AEBS)
- Front Collision Warning (FCW)
- Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
- Lane Keeping Assist (LKA)
- High Beam Assist (HBA)
- Front Vehicle Start Alarm (FVSA)
- Driver Attention Alert (DAA)
- Safety Distance Alert (SDA)
- Electronic Stability Program (ESP)
- Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS)
- 5-Inch LCD Instrument Cluster
- 8-Inch Smart Audio Touchscreen with 6 Speakers
- Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
- Reverse Camera
- Adjustable Speed Limit Warning
- Acoustic Windscreen
- Speed and Rain Sensing Windscreen Wipers
- Power Windows with Driver’s One Touch Down
- Auto On/Off Projector Levelling Headlights
- LED Combination Tail lamps
- Grey and Black Cloth Seats
- Body Coloured Side Mirrors, Heated, Auto Folding, LED Indicators and Puddle Lamp
- Tailgate Spoiler with High Mounted LED Stop Light
- Anti-theft Alarm and Immobiliser
ELX
Key specs of EX plus:
- 6L Turbo petrol or 1.5L turbo diesel engine
- 6-Speed Automatic Transmission
- 18-Inch Diamond Cut Alloy Wheel
- Leather Steering Wheel
- Blind Spot Detection (BSD)
- Lane Change Assist (LCA)
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert-intervention (RCTA-i)
- Exit Assist Function (EAF)
- Front and Rear Parking Sensors
- Smart Key
- Power Windows with Driver’s One Touch Up & Down
- LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL)
Ultimate
Key specs of ELX plus:
- 19-inch Diamond Cut Alloy Wheels
- Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)
- Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
- Heated Steering Wheel
- 25-Inch Full Colour LCD Instrument Cluster
- Power Operated Sunroof
- Power Operated Tailgate
- Electric Park Brake (EPB)
- Dual Zone Climate Control
- LED Triple Front Fog Lamps
- Chrome Grille
- Leather Seats
- Heated and Cool Vented Front Seats
- Heated Rear Seats
- Privacy Glass Rear Doors and Tailgate