SsangYong Rexton (03 on) - Review

Review by Simon Harris on
Last Updated: 04 January 2010
SsangYong may not be a familiar name, but it's growing in reputation for building robust yet good value for money vehicles. The Rexton is its most popular model - a large 4x4 that is available with seven seats and a strong diesel engine but costs around the same as smaller offroaders such as the Nissan X-Trail. It's an impressive machine off road and can tackle tough terrain, but unfortunately this comes at the expense of on road handling. It's cumbersome, heavy and feels dated. The drab and old-fashioned cabin do it few favours either, but as a workhorse-type vehicle, the Rexton can make an affordable choice. It was facelifted in 2006 and changes to the suspension improved the handling considerably.
3 out of 5

Other SsangYong reviews

2.5 out of 5

Running costs

The early 290 diesel was thirsty and needed a service every six months or 6000 miles. The later 270 is better and (like the old petrol model) needs a service every 10,000 miles. Depreciation is good for a £20,000 car, but below the class average for a 4x4.

* based on most recent data

Estimated fuel cost for 10,000 miles per year

Unleaded

£3,410 - £3,410 *

Diesel

£2,003 - £2,564 *

The estimated fuel cost figure is a guide to how much this model will cost to fuel each year, so you can compare between cars. It's calculated by using the model's average mpg (calculated from both town centre and motorway driving) and the average fuel price. It's based on the following cost-per-litre: petrol 135p and diesel 141p. Prices are updated daily.

Summary Running Costs

Servicing period

12 months/10,000 miles on 320 and 270, six months/6000 miles on 290.

Warranty

Three years/60,000 miles. Five year/250,000 miles from April 2009.

Road tax (12 months)

£270.00 - £460.00

Vehicle excise duty (VED) varies according to the CO2 emissions and the fuel type of the vehicle. For cars registered after March 1st 2001 VED or road tax is based on the car's CO2 emissions. For cars registered before March 1st 2001 it is based on engine size.

Full running costs data

2 out of 5

Green credentials

  • A
  • B
  • C
  • D
  • E
  • F
  • G
  • H
  • I
  • J
  • K
  • L
    228
  • M
    351

CO2 emission figure (g/km)

Fuel economy rating

The arrows indicate the best and worst CO2 bands for this model.

Emissions summary

The Rexton scores fairly badly on the eco front, even compared to other large 4x4s. The lower power 270 model with a manual gearbox emits 228g/km of CO2 and returns 31mpg.

Find the exact engine and CO2