SsangYong Actyon

SsangYong Actyon at a glance

The Actyon replaced the ageing Musso and Korando in SsangYong's range and gave the company a smaller SUV with a sporty, coupé-like roof. Its unusual styling, with a high bonnet and a falling roof line, divided opinion when it appeared. The pick-up version followed about a year later and outlived the SUV by several years.

The brand's background, from jeeps to Mercedes-Benz cooperation, is covered in the history of SsangYong.

Actyon SUV generations and updates

The first Actyon went into production in 2005 and went on sale in many export markets in 2006. In June 2010 SsangYong gave it a facelift with a new front end. A further update in 2014 brought a redesigned bumper, grille and LED headlights, new tail-light graphics and brighter body colours. The old 1cars text describes that version as more compact-looking, with better visibility from a high driving position. In Kazakhstan the 2014 car was sold as the SsangYong Nomad until 2017.

In SsangYong's own range the SUV was replaced by the monocoque Korando (C200), while the brand's larger SUVs continued with the Kyron and the larger Rexton.

Actyon Sports pick-up (2006–2018)

The Actyon Sports joined the range about a year after the SUV and replaced the Musso Sports. It has a wider track, a higher load capacity and the more economical European-designed diesel. In 2012 SsangYong introduced an updated version, sold in South Korea as the Korando Sports; it was the production version of the SUT-1 concept shown at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. In the UK it was called the SsangYong Musso from 2016 to 2018. In 2018 the new Musso (Q200) replaced it.

The Actyon Sports also had a racing career: in 2014 SsangYong New Zealand started the Actyon Racing series, with cars using a 2.3-litre petrol engine of Mercedes-Benz origin and a four-speed sequential gearbox. In California, Phoenix Motorcars built electric fleet versions of both the SUV and the pick-up.

Actyon diesel and petrol engines

The diesel is a development of a Mercedes-Benz design with common-rail injection and a variable-geometry turbocharger, according to the old 1cars text. The first cars had a four-speed automatic gearbox; later a six-speed automatic from the Australian supplier Drivetrain Systems International (DSI) took its place. After DSI ran into financial trouble and moved to Chinese ownership, the automatic Actyon Sports went back to a five-speed automatic. For the 2014 SUV the old 1cars text lists a six-speed manual with a gear-shift indicator and a six-speed automatic.

Dimensions, chassis and practicality

Compared with the SUV, the Actyon Sports is 510 mm longer and rides on a 320 mm longer wheelbase, which gives it the length for a proper load bed. The Actyon has double-wishbone front suspension and a five-link rear axle. Stability control (ESP) is standard, and hill-descent control is fitted to some versions. The SUV's 486-litre boot is large for the class, and the rear seat folds to give a flat load floor. Two adults sit comfortably in the back, with acceptable knee room.

Actyon cabin and equipment

Early cars had a plain, hard-plastic dashboard. The 2014 update brought softer plastics on the dashboard, chrome-trimmed switches and wood-effect inserts, and the old 1cars text rates the finish as competitive with Japanese and Korean rivals. Higher trims had a multimedia system with GPS navigation on a central screen, which could connect to the internet through a 3G modem. Seat ventilation and a wide range of backrest adjustment were available for the front seats. Optional equipment on the pick-up included keyless entry, an alarm and a load-bed liner.

Actyon crash-test results

ANCAP tested the Actyon Sports pick-up in 2010. It scored 7.01 of 16 points in the frontal offset test and the full 16 of 16 in the side impact test, but pedestrian protection was rated poor. The tested car had no stability control and only one of three seat-belt reminders. Later SUVs offered ESP as standard.