SsangYong’s underdog ute could be getting some more bite.
What appears to be a leaked internal bulletin out of Korea shared on Autospy.net shows the Rexton Sports – the Korean market name for the Musso – will get a more powerful engine in 2022.
It lists an upgrade from outputs of 139kW and 419Nm to 150kW and 441Nm, and the promise of improved fuel economy.
The Australian-spec Musso currently produces 133kW of power and either 400Nm or 420Nm of torque, depending on the variant, from its 2.2-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder engine.
The upgrade suggests the Musso will receive the more powerful 2.2-litre turbo-diesel from its Rexton SUV sibling, which boasts outputs of 148kW and 441Nm in Australia.
The Rexton also uses an eight-speed automatic in place of the Musso’s six-speed.
The two models are closely related, with the Musso having been derived from the Rexton.
A translated version of the document indicates the Musso will also receive electrically-assisted power steering.
That has allowed SsangYong to fit lane-keep assist and lane-centring assist, while the document also indicates it’ll pick up rear cross-traffic assist and Safe Distance Warning – the latter potentially an adaptive cruise control system.
The translated document also shows the following additions:
- Speed-sensing steering
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- Heated rear seats
- Redesigned overhead console
- An optional ‘Dynamic Package’
The Musso received an update earlier in 2021, with a restyled front end and other styling tweaks.
The update didn’t include any powertrain changes, in contrast with the 2021 update to the Rexton SUV which saw it receive the updated turbo-diesel engine in addition to revised styling.
Year-to-date, the Musso’s sales are up more than any almost every other 4×4 ute its size.
Sales are up by 99.6 per cent, against 91.9 per cent for the Isuzu D-Max and 87.0 per cent for the Mazda BT-50.
The ute’s sales figures are far below those models, however. SsangYong has sold 1778 to the end of November 2021, still a way off budget rivals like the GWM Ute (6372) and LDV T60 (6375), let alone stalwarts like the D-Max.
