About the Ssangyong Musso
R D purchased this Ssangyong Musso new for $41,000 (including all on-road costs). R D would buy this car again because: “An excellent vehicle with great features, reliability and after sales support. Its very comfortable with all the features I need and continues to surprise me what it can do. The Musso likes being worked hard and is capable whatever I throw at it. Personally I don’t feel it necessary to pay HiLux or Triton prices for what I need from a 4WD.”
How reliable has your car been? Tell us about any issues.
My Musso has been extremely reliable and has been used in many challenging 4WD conditions, highway kilometres, around town duties, and dumping rubbish. I can honestly say it does everything I throw at it without complaint and it’s a pleasure to own and drive.
I had some initial trouble a few weeks into the ownership experience when I had a faulty diesel injector that had a hairline crack causing a cold start issue. I was able to capture a few videos of the problem where the engine wouldn’t idle smoothly when cold (warmed up it was fine as the hairline crack closed up).
I emailed the videos to Ssangyong head office in Australia, they were able to remotely diagnose the problem and arranged for me to visit a dealer in Brisbane at the service department to swap the injector on a Saturday morning within two hours!
I can honestly say that’s the best service I have ever experienced from a car manufacturer. I’m very much an Average Joe kind of customer, I didn’t make a song and dance about the problem, but they wanted to do the right thing by me. The dealer in Brisbane wasn’t even the dealer that sold me the car so I have nothing but praise about the service I experienced.
I have my Musso services every 12 months and apart from that everything has been routine and the ownership experience has been great.
What do you think of the ownership experience with your car?
Driven over 23,000km, the Musso is my primary vehicle but I also ride a motorcycle and have a 2015 Skoda Fabia hatch in Racing Yellow.
I am very brand agnostic having previously owned a 1993 Holden Commodore “S” pack, a 2004 Mazda 3 hatch (rubbish), a 2009 Hyundai i30 Turbo Diesel (very good), a 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer (very good but thirsty), and a 2015 Kia Rio Si (rubbish).
As you can guess brand doesn’t matter to me but its the value for money and features that impress me more.
How has the purchase and aftercare experience been with your car?
I had test driven a Musso at a dealership in SE QLD however they couldn’t supply the exact model I was after as I particularly wanted the 20-inch wheels, factory leather, electric seats with heating and ventilation and sunroof that comes standard on the Ultimate model of that year. Later 2021 models switched to synthetic leather and had other specification changes.
The vehicle was delivered to my location on the back of the transport truck, I signed the transfer papers with the truck driver and drove away with a set of complete floor mats and a full tank of diesel included in the deal.
Very good apart from a faulty diesel injector. I emailed the videos of the problem to Ssangyong head office in Australia, they were able to remotely diagnose the problem and arranged for me to visit a dealer in Brisbane at the service department to swap the injector on a Saturday morning within two hours!
I can honestly say that’s the best service I have ever experienced from a car manufacturer. I’m very much an Average Joe kind of customer, I didn’t make a song and dance about the problem, but they wanted to do the right thing by me. The dealer in Brisbane wasn’t even the dealer that sold me the car so I have nothing but praise about the service I experienced.
I have my Musso serviced every 12 months and apart from that everything has been routine and the ownership experience has been great.
Are you happy with the price and features of your car?
As you can guess brand doesn’t matter to me but it’s the value for money and features that impress me more.
Things I like best: the headlights are amazing at night, fuel economy is great on the highway (regularly 6.8 litres per 100km), Android Auto is fantastic, and the factory head unit has very good for sound quality.
Real leather electric seats, heated seats, ventilated seats, and the air conditioning is fantastic even when 38 degrees outside with four adults in the ute doing hard 4WD driving in the forest.
Seven years warranty (including commercial use). I’m not a commercial customer.
What do you think of the performance and economy of your car?
I was able to drive from outside Brisbane to Newcastle on a full tank of diesel and still had about 100km remaining in the tank. On my return economy was the same given I was driving on the New England Highway and some sections are very hilly.
Things I don’t like: fuel economy around the city is heavy, it weighs over 2 tonnes, 20-inch tyres wont be cheap, and it takes up an entire parking bay at shopping centres, lap seatbelt in the centre middle back seat (doesn’t bother me – I don’t carry five people).
The style of driving I do is really varied, so I guess that’s why I own different cars for different purposes. My Musso is entirely stock including the 20-inch wheels and tyres. Zero modifications.
So far I have done thousands of kilometres of dirt, beach driving at Stockton Beach near Newcastle, beach driving on Bribie Island. I’ve done hard 4WD low range mud driving, trails and creek crossings.
I’ve also done hard driving and exploring at the Janowen Hills 4WD Park near Allora in SE QLD.
Obviously I need to be mindful of ground clearance and approach angles in the Musso but for my intended purpose it’s fine and I’m sensible about things because whatever situation I get myself into, I need to get myself back out of it. So it’s my personal challenge to actually see what a stock vehicle can do in whatever conditions I can throw it at.
I’m very surprised how good the underlying 4WD system is underneath especially with mud and sand driving (I drop tyres pressures to about 15 PSI for low range 4WD beach driving).
What do you think of the technology in your car?
Very good, has Android Auto, Bluetooth works well, good quality speakers and head unit.
Cold air conditioning even on the hottest of days. All the modern features. Love the sunroof and heated steering wheel. Digital and analogue dash works well together. Trip computer accurate.
What do you think of the ride comfort and handling of your car?
Its a dual cab ute with 20-inch wheels and tyres. The handling is very good and accurate. Fast 4WD on the dirt up to 100km/h is great locked into 4WD high. Feels very stable and not nervous. Ride comfort really varies depending on tyre pressure and load in the tray.
I feel ride comfort is better with more weight in the tray.
Do you have any additional comments about your car?
I purchased my ute in October 2020 from a central QLD dealer over the phone, as I live in SE QLD. I am 49 years old.
Would I buy another Ssangyong vehicle? Absolutely. Patiently waiting for the Ssangyong Torres to arrive in Australia – I’m keen to take a look.
The best way to understand to understand the Musso is that its a SUV with a tray. It’s not a ute like the HiLux or Triton.
The Musso is more a comfortable soft ute, which is why it works for me. I’m not a hardcore 4WD owner.