Get your money's worth
Ssangyong Kyron 2.0-litre turbo diesel 2WD automatic
What's to become of the car registration tax come the next Budget is still an uncertainty. What is certain is that the Ssangyong Kyron is true value for money.
Priced at under €35,000, the Kyron is probably one of the most accessible five-seater sports activity vehicle on the market, but you might have to make a few compromises.
Having said that, I would give the Kyron above average marks for its ease of use: admittedly I drove an automatic. Comfort and refinement, interior styling, exterior styling and build quality make it to the score sheet.
Ssangyong were relatively unknown here before Michael Attard Ltd introduced the marquee to Malta a few years back and the badge has since become a fairly common feature on the Maltese roads.
The newly revamped Kyron is one of them and stands between the smaller Rexton and the enormous Rodius. It competes well in this bracket with Hyundai's Santa Fe and Kia's Sorento.
The Kyron 2.0-litre turbo diesel 2WD automatic I had for the morning could have done with some more power. Being an automatic did not help either but on the move it was quite enjoyable.
There is a choice of two engines on this model: the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel is available in combination with 2WD (the one I drove) or 4WD, and manual or automatic transmissions. The alternative is the 2.7-litre turbo-diesel, which is offered only with the Mercedes-Benz T-Tronic automatic gear box.
I am not such a keen fan of SAVs because they're neither here nor there, neither offroad nor onroad, family car or fun car? They try to be everything. They want to be agile off the road as much as they want to be able on the road and to me that's as impossible as Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo moving to Real Madrid this season.
It's unfair to mention the car's offroad capabilities since I only stuck to the smooth surfaces of our new road network and I can stretch it enough to say that the ride was smooth but I would have liked to have less body lean around the bends.
From the exterior, the car really looks the part, although it has become even more difficult these days to distinguish between different models and brands. Is this globalisation of design? The rear end has large wrap-around light clusters and a heavy tailgate that allows access to the 625-litre capacity boot.
Within the luggage space is a cargo net and a detachable bulkhead, which will keep Fitta, the dog - not the mother-in-law - in place. It is also claimed that the 2WD model will tow a 2,100kg, braked trailer or 750kg if unbraked.
Yet again, the inside design is not what you would have expected the late Mr Pininfarina to come up with, but it does sport all the necessary comfort and accessories.
The front of the cabin is roomy and the instrument panel is well positioned behind the steering wheel making the dials easy to read. Head, shoulder and leg room are ample for five members of the US basketball team.
The whole interior is neatly finished and I would accept criticism that it's big on plastic. Fair comment.
Other than that, there's everything most motorists expect: air conditioning, electric windows, alloy wheels and ABS on all models, with other features like leather seats, CD changer and satellite navigation as extras. The automatic version has the added benefit of cruise control.
The fuel consumption figures are pretty good for the manual version: 28.8mpg (urban), 45.6mpg (extra-urban) and 37.7mpg for the combined with CO2 emissions of 191g/km. The automatic version is around 4mpg less, per cycle and the emissions rise to 222g/km.
Bottom line is: if you're after a decent SAV at a bargain price, the Kyron is probably your best bet.
Priced at under €35,000, the Kyron is probably one of the most accessible five-seater sports activity vehicle on the market, but you might have to make a few compromises.
Having said that, I would give the Kyron above average marks for its ease of use: admittedly I drove an automatic. Comfort and refinement, interior styling, exterior styling and build quality make it to the score sheet.
Ssangyong were relatively unknown here before Michael Attard Ltd introduced the marquee to Malta a few years back and the badge has since become a fairly common feature on the Maltese roads.
The newly revamped Kyron is one of them and stands between the smaller Rexton and the enormous Rodius. It competes well in this bracket with Hyundai's Santa Fe and Kia's Sorento.
The Kyron 2.0-litre turbo diesel 2WD automatic I had for the morning could have done with some more power. Being an automatic did not help either but on the move it was quite enjoyable.
There is a choice of two engines on this model: the 2.0-litre turbo-diesel is available in combination with 2WD (the one I drove) or 4WD, and manual or automatic transmissions. The alternative is the 2.7-litre turbo-diesel, which is offered only with the Mercedes-Benz T-Tronic automatic gear box.
I am not such a keen fan of SAVs because they're neither here nor there, neither offroad nor onroad, family car or fun car? They try to be everything. They want to be agile off the road as much as they want to be able on the road and to me that's as impossible as Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo moving to Real Madrid this season.
It's unfair to mention the car's offroad capabilities since I only stuck to the smooth surfaces of our new road network and I can stretch it enough to say that the ride was smooth but I would have liked to have less body lean around the bends.
From the exterior, the car really looks the part, although it has become even more difficult these days to distinguish between different models and brands. Is this globalisation of design? The rear end has large wrap-around light clusters and a heavy tailgate that allows access to the 625-litre capacity boot.
Within the luggage space is a cargo net and a detachable bulkhead, which will keep Fitta, the dog - not the mother-in-law - in place. It is also claimed that the 2WD model will tow a 2,100kg, braked trailer or 750kg if unbraked.
Yet again, the inside design is not what you would have expected the late Mr Pininfarina to come up with, but it does sport all the necessary comfort and accessories.
The front of the cabin is roomy and the instrument panel is well positioned behind the steering wheel making the dials easy to read. Head, shoulder and leg room are ample for five members of the US basketball team.
The whole interior is neatly finished and I would accept criticism that it's big on plastic. Fair comment.
Other than that, there's everything most motorists expect: air conditioning, electric windows, alloy wheels and ABS on all models, with other features like leather seats, CD changer and satellite navigation as extras. The automatic version has the added benefit of cruise control.
The fuel consumption figures are pretty good for the manual version: 28.8mpg (urban), 45.6mpg (extra-urban) and 37.7mpg for the combined with CO2 emissions of 191g/km. The automatic version is around 4mpg less, per cycle and the emissions rise to 222g/km.
Bottom line is: if you're after a decent SAV at a bargain price, the Kyron is probably your best bet.