SsangYong Kyron

At a glance: what kind of car the Kyron is

The Kyron is a traditional ladder-frame SUV with car-like styling, built by SsangYong Motor Company at its Pyeongtaek plant in South Korea. It sat in the brand's line-up alongside the smaller SsangYong Actyon and the SsangYong Rexton, and in Europe it took over from the Musso.

Kits were also assembled outside Korea; Ukraine and Kazakhstan are usually listed among the assembly locations. In China a modified version was sold as the Roewe W5. The name is described as a loose blend of the Greek letter chi and the word "run", meant to suggest an endless run.

Production dates are less tidy than the launch dates. German catalogues list the original Kyron from 2005 to 2007 and the Kyron II from 2007 to 2011, while other sources run production to 2015, so the end date depends on the market.

History and design

SsangYong presented the Kyron at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2005, with European sales planned from the end of that year and a target of 35,000 cars a year in Europe. Australia followed in March 2006.

Ken Greenley's styling was a clear break from the boxy Musso, and it was the part of the car most reviews discussed first. Underneath, the formula was conservative: a separate chassis, double-wishbone-type front suspension and a five-link rear axle are usually quoted for the Kyron, which suits towing and rough tracks better than most monocoque crossovers of the period.

The 2007 facelift changed the front and rear styling and added the 2.7-litre diesel. Catalogues often call this version the Kyron II. A hybrid system was shown at the Geneva Motor Show in 2008, but we found no evidence that a hybrid Kyron reached series production.

The car's best-known sporting outing came in the 2009 Dakar Rally, where a Kyron 2.7 is reported to have finished 71st overall. The Kyron's place in the company's story is covered in our history of SsangYong.

Engines, gearboxes and 4WD

European Kyrons are diesel SUVs, and both main engines are derived from Mercedes-Benz designs. SsangYong badged them Xdi.

Some spec sheets give the 2.7 as 121 kW (164 PS) and 340 Nm; the figures above are from the German ADAC catalogue. The 270 Xdi met Euro 4, and some later diesels had a particulate filter. Petrol engines were offered in some markets, including a Mercedes-Benz-derived 2.3-litre four-cylinder usually quoted at 112 kW (150 hp) and 310 Nm, and a 3.2-litre six-cylinder listed at 162 kW (220 hp). They were not part of the German range.

Both diesels were offered with a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed automatic; the automatic is usually described as a Mercedes-Benz unit. The standard 4WD system is part-time: the driver engages four-wheel drive and can select a low-range ratio in the transfer case. Reviewers note that there is no limited-slip or locking rear differential, so the Kyron is capable on muddy tracks but not a specialist off-roader.

Fuel consumption

Official figures are on the old NEDC cycle, so expect more in real use. The 2.0 Xdi manual is rated at 8.0–8.1 L/100 km (35.3–34.9 mpg UK) and the 2.0 automatic at 8.4–8.7 L/100 km (33.6–32.5 mpg UK). The 270 Xdi automatic is rated at 9.5 L/100 km (29.7 mpg UK) combined, with 11.1 L/100 km in town and 8.6 L/100 km out of town, and 242 g/km of CO2.

Dimensions, boot and towing

The Kyron is 4,660 mm (183.5 in) long and 1,880 mm (74.0 in) wide on a 2,740 mm (107.9 in) wheelbase, with a height of about 1,740–1,755 mm (68.5–69.1 in) depending on the source. Kerb weight runs from about 1,931 kg (4,257 lb) for a 2.0 automatic to 2,128 kg (4,691 lb) for a European 270 Xdi automatic.

The boot holds 625 L (22.1 cu ft) with five seats in use. With the rear seats folded and loaded to the roof, the Kyron II offers up to 2,322 L (82.0 cu ft); for the first version, some listings quote a smaller maximum of 1,222 L (43.2 cu ft), so sources differ on the folded figure.

Key specifications: Kyron II 2.7 Xdi automatic (EU)

For the 2.0 Xdi automatic, spec aggregators quote 166 km/h (103 mph) and 0–100 km/h in 14.2 seconds. Braked towing capacity is 2,300 kg (5,071 lb) for both diesels, which is the Kyron's strongest practical argument.

Equipment and safety

Equipment depended heavily on market and trim. A German-market 270 SPR 4x4 automatic from late 2007 came with front airbags, head airbags for both rows, ABS, brake assist, traction control and ESP as standard, plus a three-point belt for the rear centre seat and rear head restraints. In the UK in 2006, ESP was listed with the SE trim, so check what a particular car has rather than assuming.

We found no Euro NCAP, ANCAP or IIHS crash-test result for the Kyron. Results published for the SsangYong Korando and Tivoli belong to different, later models and should not be read across to this car.

For a sense of the original price, the ADAC catalogue lists the 270 SPR 4x4 automatic, built from October to December 2007, at EUR 35,295 in Germany. The Kyron stayed a niche choice there: 1,581 new cars were registered in Germany between 2005 and 2010, 1,171 of them in 2006.

Rivals and alternatives

The Kyron is usually compared with body-on-frame 4x4s such as the Nissan Terrano and the Mitsubishi Pajero. Like them, it has a separate chassis and a low range, but it has no locking rear differential, so the Kyron makes more sense as a towing and all-weather car than as a serious off-roader.

Within SsangYong's own range, the Actyon and the Rexton are the obvious alternatives, and buyers who needed a people carrier rather than an SUV could look at the SsangYong Stavic. All of them are listed among the full SsangYong range, and more Korean cars are in the catalogue.

Used Kyron: what reviewers and owners say

UK reviewers were lukewarm. Parkers rates the 2006–2010 Kyron at 3 out of 5, while Auto Express and Carbuyer each gave it 1 out of 5; Carbuyer's owner score, at 3.7 out of 5, is noticeably kinder. The Auto Express verdict sums up the split: a useful workhorse at a competitive price, but without the refinement of a compact SUV. Parkers also notes that UK cars came with a five-year warranty from 2009.

We did not find a component-level fault list from European reliability surveys, so we are not publishing one. Owner searches often focus on the immobiliser and the gearbox, which makes them sensible items to test on any car you view:

1. Check that the key starts the car first time, more than once, and that any spare key works.
2. On the move, engage four-wheel drive and low range, and confirm the transfer case selects and releases cleanly.
3. Make sure an automatic shifts smoothly when warm and a manual selects all gears without crunching.
4. Look for service records, and ask whether the car has towed regularly near its limit.
5. Inspect the chassis frame and underbody for corrosion and off-road damage.