SsangYong chose the Geneva Motor Show to unveil its all-new fourth generation Korando SUV model and it goes on sale across Europe from the middle of this year.

The car has been completely revised with an all-new contemporary exterior design, a more refined, premium quality and spacious interior, enhanced driver assistance and safety systems, along with state-of-the-art connectivity.

The car also boasts a new-look which has been designed to maximise its robust character with a distinctive new grille and headlight treatment at the front.

The Korando SUV is designed for families seeking an active lifestyle, and will appeal to those requiring a car that can handle the rough and tumble of family life, with sector leading interior space for growing children, and generous boot space for all their leisure equipment and daily needs.

Longer, wider and lower than the car it replaces, the new Korando measures 4,452mm long, 1,870mm wide and 1,620mm high, and the wheelbase of 2,675mm is one of the longest in its class for increased comfort. Luggage capacity ranges from 551 litres with all seats in position up to an impressive 1,248 litres with the rear seats folded.

Inside, the spacious interior provides better head-room and rear seat space than its competitors, with a high-tech premium feel interior.  It is also driver-orientated with a range of features such a nine-inch AVN (audio visual navigation) screen and 10.25-inch full colour LCD cluster dual navigation to provide all the information needed, and four-way adjustable seat with lumber support for comfort.

The advanced driver assistance and safety systems featured on Korando include advanced emergency braking system (supplemented with a camera and radar), lane keep assist, vehicle ahead moving alert, safe distance and driver alerts, intelligent and adaptive cruise control and high beam assistance. It also features blind spot detection, lane keep assist and rear cross traffic alert with automatic brake activation linked to all three if the driver doesn’t apply the brakes first.

In-car technology and connectivity include the likes of Apple CarPlay, Google Android Auto and a TomTom navigation system that appears on the main screen and within the instrument cluster for safe viewing.

The car will be offered with the option of two Euro 6d engines from launch, an updated 1.6 litre diesel engine and an all-new 1.5 litre petrol GDI-turbo engine. An EV model is planned to follow in due course.

The highly economical, powerful and clean 1.6 litre diesel engine delivers a maximum power of 136PS at 4,000rpm and a maximum torque of 324Nm at 1,500rpm for the automatic model, with a CO2 of 115g/km. (Target EU figure for the two-wheel drive car with manual transmission). 

The 1.6 litre diesel with automatic will offer an impressive two-tonne towing capacity, or 1.5-tonne with the other engines and transmissions. Both powertrains will be offered with an automatic stop/start feature on two-wheel drive models with six-speed manual and six-speed AISIN automatic transmission.

The Korando also boasts a seven-year,150,000-mile warranty for customer reassurance.

Johng-sik Choi, CEO of SsangYong Motor company, said: “This new Korando is further proof of the quantum change in direction that SsangYong has embarked on, and exemplifies this through contemporary design, state-of-the-art technology, the latest in safety, and new power options which will soon include electrification.

“This revolution in our product philosophy was first evident in Tivoli, followed by Tivoli XLV, Rexton and then the Musso pick-up, and at each launch the media commented positively on the remarkable step changes the brand was making.

“Now we are going even further, with an all-new product which we believe will compete head-on with anything currently available in the mainstream SUV C-segment, yet will beat them all on value!”