Ssangyong Musso: First impression

It was earlier this year, sometime during July, when the word came out that Ssangyong is planning to bring its Musso in the Philippines. However, not much details regarding the same were known back then. Now, at the 2018 Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) Ssangyong did reveal some information about the Musso. So, what is the Musso and how well would it sustain in our market, read on to find out in our first impression.

Styling

In order to make the Musso stand out from the rest of the competition, Ssangyong has given it a distinctive face. The headlights are big and sweep back a bit for an angry look. The LED daytime running lights are an integral part of the headlight assembly. They are located at the top of the unit in an orderly fashion. The front grille of the Ssangyong Musso has been kept very simple. There are two horizontal chrome slats. One on the top is in close proximity with the bonnet whereas the other passes through the middle of the grille. The brand logo is also placed here.

The side view of the Ssangyong Musso is pretty handsome. There are a couple of flowing lines and also a single bold character line that keeps things busy. The large alloy wheels look nice, too. The rear end has nothing much going on. There is a couple of vertically stacked tail light clusters, brand’s logo at the middle of the tailgate, and a sturdy bumper.

Interior

The interior layout of the Ssangyong Musso is pretty simple. The steering wheel seems to be a bit bulky and doesn’t look that great. It does get mounted controls for controlling various functions. The seats appear to be quite comfortable and provide good support. In international markets where the Musso is available, Ssangyong provides Nappa leather upholstery for seats in the high-end variant.

The features inside the cabin vary depending on the variant you pick. Just like the leather seats, there is a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a larger touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, navigation, and rear camera, and so on.

Engine

Earlier it was being speculated that the Musso would get a 2.2-litre diesel engine with 178 hp and 400 Nm of torque and a 2.0-litre petrol engine that has got 222 hp and 350 Nm of torque. These are the same engine variants that are available in South Korea. Now, at 2018 PIMS, Ssangyong has revealed that the Musso for the Philippines will get a 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine that churns out 179 hp at 4,000 rpm and 420 Nm at 1,400 - 2,800 rpm. These figures look promising and would give the Musso the required amount of power to get things done. As far as the transmission is concerned, there will be a six-speed Aisin automatic transmission.

Ssangyong has said that at the starting, the Musso will be available only in a 4x2 variant. This could be an issue for the pickup as many rivals are offering the 4x4 system as standard. Let’s see what Ssangyong has up its sleeves.

Verdict

For Ssangyong, the Musso is a successful product as it is already available in many international markets and is being sold in good numbers. For the Philippines, the Ssangyong Musso price is said to start from Php 1,495,000. There are other rivals that are already present in the local market and share a strong bond with the local people. Getting them to trust the Musso, Ssangyong would need to work harder and provide more features. But again, we don’t have a full spec sheet of the pickup truck as of now, and Ssangyong has not disclosed any more details as well. So, let’s wait and see what the Koreans have got for us.