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Home | Used Car Road Tests | Vans and Pickups | SsangYong Musso pick-up (2018-2023)

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Used Car Model Guide | Ssangyong Musso [Q200] (2018 - 2023)

Pictures: Ssangyong Musso [Q200] (2018 - 2023)

MUS DOES BETTER

By Jonathan Crouch

In modern-era Q200 form, SsangYong's Musso pick-up aimed to redefine the value proposition for customers in this segment and provide them with rugged but car-like transport. It's combined payload and towing capacity is unmatched in the class from the 2017-2023 period. If you're buying in this sector, you probably won't have been considering one of these. Perhaps you should.

History

This 'Q200'-series Musso model was introduced in Autumn 2017, sharing all its engineering with the fourth generation version of SsangYong's Rexton luxury SUV that was launched here at the same time. That gave this tough, very capable truck a car-like cabin, cutting-edge infotainment and, SsangYong claimed, pretty car-like driving dynamics too, especially in terms of refinement from the 2.2-litre diesel engine. More importantly though, this Musso could claim a 1-tonne payload and a 3.5-tonne towing capacity - at the same time.

Which meant that at the time of its launch, it could offer the highest combined total load capacity of any pick-up on sale in the UK. Sales continued until the end of 2023. At which point SsangYong was taken over and the car was re-badged the KGM Musso. It's the SsangYong Musso models we look at here.

* What You Pay

Pricing as usual with used pick-ups, varies widely, depending on spec, condition and mileage. Our sales survey revealed post-2018-era Q200-era Musso models priced from as low as around £16,000 (for a 2018 variant) to as high as £28,000 or more (for later high-spec 2023-era plusher variants).

What You Get

Creating a pick-up from a luxury SUV certainly seems like a promising concept. That's what SsangYong has set out to do here, the front half of this Musso being virtually identical to that of the brand's third generation Rexton model. The result is a muscular stance that in some ways suits this SUV product rather better. Only this Double cab body style was offered here - but that's the one the vast majority of buyers will want. Once inside, a glance around reveals interior quality and design that's way better than anything SsangYong had produced in a commercial vehicle in the past and easily a match for mainstream market rivals.

Here again, it helps that just about everything's been carried over from the Rexton - so you get a smart, three-spoke leather-trimmed steering wheel and silver-trimmed fascia highlights. Infotainment provision is far better than you might expect it to be too, courtesy of the larger, higher-set HD centre-dash touchscreen that comes as standard providing you avoid entry-level trim. A proper pick-up should have a properly high, commanding driving position - and this one does. Most models get a heated leather steering wheel too. That'll be a key benefit for operators who typically have to make early morning winter starts. The ergonomics are good. Front three-quarter visibility's excellent, judging where the extremities are is easy and the deep side windows really help at T-junctions and roundabouts.

Once on the back seat, you'll find yourself in an area of this pick-up that gives it another important advantage over some of its most direct competitors. There's plenty of room for head, shoulders, knees and feet and the deeply-set windows give a bright, airy feel too. In addition, a low centre transmission tunnel makes it easier to take a third adult back here than it would be in some rivals. And the seat back reclines by up to 27-degrees for extra comfort on longer trips.

Out back, what really sets this Musso apart from its rivals is the weight it can carry. The automatic version of this model that most buyers will probably choose is the only pick-up on the market from this period able to tow 3.5-tonnes and carry a one-tonne payload (the specific figure is actually 1,085kgs) all of this all at the same time. This gives this SsangYong a combined 'gross train weight' that's rated at a massive 6,750kgs for an automatic model. These are stats that really will get the attention of savvy operators. Inevitably, you won't do quite as well if you choose this SsangYong with a manual gearbox. Going for a stick shift reduces your potential combined 'gross train weight' rating to 6,450kgs, courtesy of a towing rating of 3.2-tonnes and a payload capacity of 1,095kgs.

So you can take really heavy stuff; that's encouraging straight off the bat. But what if the items in question are really bulky? Well, let's take a look at the load bay. SsangYong has developed a long wheelbase version of this Musso for people who really want to super-size things here but this standard variant's capacity should be quite sufficient for most. The loading height is 765mm from the ground and, once you've got your stuff on to the large, flat rear deck, you'll find you've got 1,300mm of load bay length, 60mm of load bay height and a load bay width that's a class-leading maximum of 1,570mm (100mm more than a Mitsubishi L200), narrowing to 1,110mm between the wheel arches. SsangYong has also included a durable load bed liner and a 12v socket to charge tools and machinery. Plus there are rotating anchor points so that you can easily tie things down.

What You Pay

What to Look For

There's certainly stuff to look for here. Bear in mind that unlike some other models in this segment, most Mussos you'll find will have been seriously used off road - or for really heavy loads - so previously owned examples need a thorough check - and maybe also an MoT. In our ownership survey, we came across a few reported issues. One owner had a problem with the rebound control of the vehicle's front shock absorbers over minor irregularities on sealed roads and felt the front wheels bouncing and shuddering. Another owner found his Musso losing power when towing, but only 2 or 3 hours into each journey. We've also come across vibration issues, so check those out on your test drive. Otherwise, it's just the usual things; check the alloys and the load bay for undue scratching. And insist on a full service history.

Replacement Parts

(approx based on a 2018 Musso 2.2 e-XDi - Ex Vat - autopartspro.co.uk) An oil filter is in the £6-£22 bracket. Front brake pads cost in the £30 to £48 bracket; rear are in the £13-£21 bracket. Front brake discs cost in the £18 to £49 bracket. Front brake discs are around £42-£85; rears are around £46-£142. A fuel filter is in the £2-£18 bracket. A wiper blade is around £6-£20. And a pollen filter is in the £8 to £22 bracket. An air filter is in the £8-£60 bracket. A front shock absorber is in the £26-£61 bracket. An alternator is in the £195-£401 bracket.

On the Road

If you're used to driving pick-ups, there'll be one thing that'll immediately strike you as soon as you set off in this Musso. This model's exceptional refinement. With this Q200 design, SsangYong put a huge amount of effort into improving this and it really paid off, especially at higher highway speeds. The firm suspension set-up uses rear coils rather than the crude rear leaf springs that still feature in some rivals. Away from the highway, refinement remains excellent and it'll also appeal to operators that this SsangYong offers the highest combined Gross Train Weight in the class. It can carry a one-tonne payload at the same time as pulling along a 3.5-tonne trailer.

The figures we've just quoted refer to the automatic gearbox variant that most buyers will probably choose - it's a well-proven Aisin 6-speed package. A 6-speed manual gearbox is of course also available. Either way, the engine beneath the bonnet is the same - a 2.2-litre e-XDi220 SsangYong-developed diesel unit that puts out 181PS and 400Nm of torque. That's enough to breeze you past 60mph in about 12s on the way to a top speed that's rated at 115mph in the auto model - or 121mph in the manual. As for running costs, well for the automatic version, you're looking at 32.9mpg on the combined cycle and 226g/km of CO2.

Overall

There's a lot to think about when it comes to picking out a pick-up. You're buying one in the first place because you want practical, go-anywhere ruggedness. Yet if at least some of the time, it's got to serve as your only means of transport, then you also need car-like qualities - real refinement, supple suspension and a comfortable cabin. Ideally, you'd want all of this along with a high specification and a price that looks like a misprint. You'd be asking a lot.

Yet here, SsangYong has struggled to provide exactly that - and got remarkably close to delivering it. There are, it's true, some more sophisticated, higher profile choices you could make in this sector and some of them have classier cabins and can carry or tow slightly more. All though, are painfully pricey in comparison to this Musso and in most cases, are much cruder when it comes to things like refinement and steering feel.

In summary, the word 'Musso' may mean 'rhinoceros' in Korean but what we've found here is a pick-up that can offer more than just tough robustness. True, the resulting package certainly isn't an obvious choice in this segment from this period. In many ways though, it's a rather clever one.

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