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February/March 2018 | $7.50
INSIDEH: AN
T MORE ES OF 20 PAGTESTS ROAD
G N O Y G N SSA
N O T X E R G N I N N U T S H T I W E COMES OF AG UCK WITH R T U Z U IS Z N 9 421900 196159
ISSN 2382-1221
ORADO PUT L O C N E D L O H UNDER LOAD
T AUSSIE TWIS
ROAD TEST | SSANGYONG REXTON
G4 R S
Main: New G4 Rexton goes as well as it looks. Facing page: New Rexton takes SsangYong brand to a new level (left). Reston handles and rides extremely well, feels like well-sorted sedan rather than a body-on-frame SUV (right).
THE FIRST SSANGYONG I DROVE WAS A MUSSO UTE, BACK when the then distributor’s idea of a road test was a couple of hours. Naturally, I refused his terms, insisting on at least a morning-tofollowing-morning chance to assess whether this thing was any good. After all, if you’re keen, you can log up hundreds of city and country kilometres in a 24-hour period. It was a weird-looking truck with duckbill front end styling and significant gaps between major components like the rear of the cab and the wellside load tray. It all looked kind of disconnected. But it didn’t drive all that badly, and the Mercedes-derived engine was lusty; today that awkward Musso has morphed, through at least one also odd-looking derivative, into the well-regarded if now a little dated, Actyon. The Actyon is nearing the end of its production life and a new variant is about to burst on to the world scene. My second vivid recollection of the SsangYong brand was at a Sydney motor show where, in a backwater inhabited mainly by motorbikes, a colleague and I came upon a vehicle such as we had never seen before. It was an oddly-styled MPV with a cabin section topped at the rear by an incongruous angular section which, we were told later, was intended to suggest the rear of the superstructure of a cabin cruiser motor launch. Really and why? This weird vehicle bore the moniker Stavic which led me to remark in typical foot-in-mouth style: “what the goodness is this, something out of Eastern Europe?” – or words to that effect.
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The legacy of the Skodas and Russian Lada Nivas lingered on, you see. Remember the Lada Niva SUV with its usually out-of-harmony driveshaft which made driving in one at speed feel like you were in the bowl of an old agitator washing-machine? You don’t remember the Niva? Probably best not to. “Hello guys,” came a voice from the shadows – the SsangYong distributor who told us he was going to bring this oddball vehicle to New Zealand. Not, he said, in the 11-seat version SsangYong was showing at Sydney but in a more Kiwi frame-friendly seven-seater. We never drove it but by all accounts the Stavic was pretty good with plenty of power, good cabin space and good on-road dynamics. You just had to ignore the open-mouthed stares of people who saw you driving it or getting out of it. Which brings us in a roundabout way to SsangYong’s newlylaunched Rexton SUV, a SsangYong very different from any that has gone before. It’s the fourth SsangYong to wear the Rexton moniker – hence the G4 label – and it looks, in a way, like an enlarged version of the Tivoli compact crossover SUV the Korean brand launched a couple of years ago. When the Tivoli arrived it was heralded as a new kind of SsangYong, the first of a new breed of vehicles to wear the double dragon badge. It was a nice enough little car, though we drove it for only a short
REXTON TAKES SSANGYONG TO A NEW LEVEL BY MIKE STOCK
time on the model’s media launch; but I can’t recall there being much that made me think that here was a vehicle that was going to change any games. But the G4 Rexton certainly is; it’s one of the best vehicles that we drove in 2017, impressing us in much the same way as Skoda’s Kodiaq SUV did. It’s a traditional-style SUV, using body-on-frame construction with the seven-seater bodywork mounted on a ladder chassis with side rails made of ultra-high-strength steel. The Rexton weighs in a little over 2000kg, is diesel-powered, and has quoted fuel economy on the combined cycle of 8.3 litres/100km. It has double wishbone front suspension, and NZ market models have a solid rear axle which increases towing capacity by 500kg. Safety kit is extensive and the Rexton G4 has nine airbags, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and headlight high-beam assist. Entry and door-locking are by smart key, and there’s push-button engine start/stop. The parking brake is electronic. The Sport model we tested has high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights, chrome-look 20-inch alloy wheels (including the spare), LED foglights, and cornering lights. The Sport’s cabin has a classy look and atmosphere, and the well-shaped and supportive seats are upholstered in leatherette. Dashboard design is clean and uncluttered, and the instruments are easy to read.
There is a 9.2 touch-screen and the expected connectivity features; the Rexton is Apple Carplay and Google Androidcompatible, and also has Bluetooth phone and audio functions. The audio system is high-quality and delivers superb sound. From the driver’s seat, the Rexton G4 doesn’t feel big; I was thinking in terms of mid-sized until by chance I parked it next to a Kia Sorento and realised just how big it was. Around town the SUV is manoeuvrable and easy to handle, offering good visibility; an excellent camera system helps to make parking easier. Where the G4 comes into its own is on the open road – not just on motorways and state highways, but on tight and winding roads where a body-on-frame SUV can often feel like a duck out of water. Most of the time the Rexton runs in rear-wheel drive, with fourwheel drive available on demand, and the general handling feel is like a well-sorted rear-drive vehicle. The thing is it felt more like a big car than an SUV. Turn the Rexton into a corner and it does so with alacrity and goes exactly where you point it. There’s none of the wibble-wobble feel common to body-onframe SUVs when they first change direction. And unlike most rivals, the Rexton will handle a road on which corner follows corner and left follows right like a well-sorted big sedan rather than a big, high-riding SUV. It never once felt ungainly and could be flowed from corner to corner smoothly, never ever looking likely to get flustered.
LCV | 13
ROAD TEST | LDV T60 UTE
THERE’S A LOT OF COMPETITION FOR attention during any typical family drive. Whether it’s snacks for the kids, spilled drinks, questions, commands, cries or any combination of the above, to us a quiet drive only happens on a golf course. Attention-seekers are met with scorn, and I quickly found myself scorning the LDV. From the beeping upon opening the driver’s door, to the beeping for the seatbelt, just a few seconds in the cabin and I’m already irritated. Then after a few kilometres of suburban running, the car keeps beeping, thanks to the overly sensitive Lane Departure Warning, sounding off when straight-lining a gentle corner, when crossing an intersection or even, occasionally, for no reason at all. Digging into the menu reveals a setting which showed it was already at its least sensitive. So after locating the off switch on the dash, things became a little less stressed. But it still beeped on occasion. That all draws my attention away from the practical side I’m supposed to be focusing on,
so back to it. On paper, I was quite impressed by the LDV T60, as this Luxury model has all the modern equipment. It’s a relatively high climb aboard, helped by the big sidesteps, only to drop on to – rather than into – a rather hard, high-set seat, devoid of any lumbar adjustment. Even after a few days, I was still not comfortable, partly hindered by the lack of steering wheel reach adjustment. The stand-out feature of the LDV is the big 10-inch central touch-screen, which looks great and offers a big view of the options or the reversing camera. But my affection ends there, as the layout of the controls is not intuitive, overly complex, and keeps reverting to a screen saver after 60 seconds (the maximum time allowed). So I can’t view at a glance, for example, the radio station we’re on, or the temperature the climate control is set at, without pressing a button. The screen suffers badly from reflections at particular angles, and there’s no marking
on the shifter, either, to signal which gear has been selected, only the display in the dash. I like the basic layout and design, but it’s less friendly in use. Other things grate: like the lack of an ‘OK’ button when a dash warning illuminates (as it did after 90 minutes relentlessly suggesting a coffee break). Also, there’s no back-lighting of the buttons on the steering wheel, the semi-covered seatbelt release button, or the ability to easily adjust the climate-control air-conditioning by one degree without waiting for the screen to wake up and display the set temperature. It leaves you wondering if that was the last temperature setting or the new one. The interior mirror also interferes with the driver’s sunvisor, there is no driver’s left foot footrest, and though the Bluetooth phone connection worked well, there was no ‘answer’ button on the steering wheel, only one to hang-up. On the positive side, ‘cooled’ can-holders
Below: 1. Rear seats are basic – they have a drop-down centre armrest and there are power windows, but there’s not much else in the back cabin. 2. Big 10-inch screen offers a big rear view, with steering guidelines, though can be heavily pixelated at night. 3. Space in the rear is good, as is the B-pillar handle to assist entry. 4. After 60 seconds, the main screen reverts to a screensaver. Does it really need saving, because it’s highly impractical?
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Right above: The clean gauge design suffers from reflections from the steering column surround.
LDV T60 LUXURY AT-A-GLANCE Brief Specifications
Right: The seatbelt release button is partly hidden behind the seatbelt buckle. Far right: Along with the twin centre console cupholders, two pop-out can-coolers are located in front of each side vent.
pop out from each side vent. The T60 Luxury may be the top-spec model but the frills are few in the back seat, with a fold-down centre armrest with cup-holders, and a 12v socket and power windows. There is decent legroom, and entry/ egress is easy thanks to the steps and handy B-pillar handle. The rear cabin is basic but competent. But even with three adults and two kids aboard, the ride is not for this family. It’s both floaty and harsh, and even after 10 minutes of floating and bobbing over undulations, we had to knock off 20km/h to make it bearable for passengers. It’s not the noisiest diesel I’ve driven but it’s close to it, and its performance conjured the word slow, even considering
the low kilometres the test T60 had travelled (0-100km/h in 12.8 seconds). Even 100km/h was marked by an audible increase in wind noise, which we hope was down to the optional weathershields. At least the trade-off in fuel consumption offers some respite, clocking 8.6 litres/100km for our 600km of suburban/motorway miles, impressively better than the claimed 9.6 litres/100km. I was told that the T60 towed well, and I’m sure there will be many who love the T60’s attributes, and its competitive pricing, and those who can live with the beeping and quirks. But as family transport, the T60 is solid and capable, but there’s plenty of room for improvement. – Arna Evans
ENGINE
2.8-litre four-cylinder turbodiesel. Maximum power, 110kW @ 3400rpm. Peak torque, 360Nm @ 1600rpm.
TRANSMISSION
Six-speed automatic gearbox. Rearwheel drive, selectable four-wheel drive.
SUSPENSION
Front, double wishbone. Rear, leafsprung solid axle.
BRAKES
Front, discs. Rear, discs.
WHEELS AND TYRES
17-inch alloy wheels and 245/65 R17 tyres. Full-sized alloy spare wheel.
SAFETY
5-star ANCAP rating. Six airbags, five lap/sash seatbelts, ESC, ABS, EBD.
PERFORMANCE
Tow rating, 3000kg braked trailer. Payload, 815kg. Turning circle, 12.6 metres.
DIMENSIONS
Length, 5365mm. Width, 2145mm. Height, 1844mm. Wheelbase, 3155mm. Cargo bed dimensions: length, 1525mm; width, 1510mm (1131mm between wheelarches); depth, 530mm. Fuel tank capacity, 75 litres.
WARRANTY
5 years/130,000km. Service Intervals.
LCV Magazine rating. 3.5 out of five. Good: strong performance, towing ability, safety kit. Not so Good: engine noise, floaty ride at speed on uneven roads.
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www.airplex.co.nz LCV | 19
BEST BARS. BY FAR. FOCUS ON TOWING –
HOLDEN COLORADO Z71 Colorado’s massive torque – 500Nm in the auto as tested – made light work of towing.
Hard to fault Holden’s range-topping Colorado STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY DEAN EVANS
AT LCV MAGAZINE, WE’RE IMPRESSED BY HOLDEN’S COLORADO – so much so that we awarded it the 2017 LCV Ute of the Year. Having sampled its revisions in late 2016, we were equally pleased with its refinements in steering, noise and vibration, and were unsurprised to see it hold on to its number three sales position for ute sales in 2017. Available in 12 models starting from just under $40,000, the range-topper is the Z71 4x4 model which has a sticker price of $67,000. All Colorados run the same 2.8-litre turbodiesel four-cylinder engine that produces a solid 147kW of maximum power and puts down solid acceleration numbers: 0 to 60kmh in 3.9 seconds (halfa-second faster than a Ford Ranger), and 100km/h in 9.9 seconds (one full second faster). Anything under 10 seconds is sharp in
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unladen-ute territory. Where the Colorado shines is the torque its engine produces. And though it’s only a few Newton metres above its direct topselling Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger rivals, the Holden develops a very marketable 500Nm when combined with the six-speed automatic version (440Nm for manual). That output is bettered only by the $84,000 Volkswagen Amarok V6 ute – and it’s rather handy when it comes to hauling its towing limit of 3500kg, plus a tonne of payload. Holden even has a comprehensive payload calculator on its website, to provide a guide to a final payload rating based on accessories, passenger weight, equipment and down-weight on the towball. Today, as wet test the truck with two up and some camera gear,
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Above left: Car trailer and tractor/mower combination provided a load of just over 2500kg. Above right: Tow tester Dean Evans rated the Colorado Z71’s towing ability at 5 out of 5. Below: Dual-axle trailer provided good stability when towing and distributed weights across its own axles.
we’ve loaded up the Colorado Z71 to see how it handles around 2700kg – about 75 percent of its capacity. We’re hauling a car trailer, tractor and mower, all courtesy of and available from Kennards Hire’s new branch in Hamilton. As the weight was just over 2500kg – the legal maximum without service brakes – the Kennards Hire guys even supplied us with a plug-in remote electric brake set-up that was set to match the trailer and tractor combination’s weight. The Colorado’s key rivals, Ranger and Hilux, sport similar engine capacities, power and torque, but a reasonably-high 18psi of turbo boost endows the Colorado with the magic 500Nm. Impressively, however, it never sounds like it’s working hard. There’s a normal amount of diesel noise, and from five to 30km/h, the acceleration is very impressive. It’s these strengths that remain when we hook up the Holden ute
with the burden of weight. With the 1700kg of tractor/mower perched on the trailer to distribute the load across its own axle weights, rather than the tow ball’s, the Colorado seems to barely suffer at all from any ill effects. As a guide, we measured the 0 to 60km/h acceleration time, and discovered a keen reluctance to be bothered by the extra weight. Its towing time of 7.3 seconds to 60km/h is immensely impressive – and seconds faster than other recent comparable ute tests. We guide the long and low cargo out of Kennards driveway, squeeze on the throttle and the response is equally strong and immediate, with a rush of torque and acceleration. And within three or four stop-start traffic lights, it’s almost as if the trailer isn’t there, with the Colorado effortlessly reaching the urban speed limit.