Mahindra's Korean T-Rex : The Ssangyong Rexton

             
Ok. I admit. Ssangyong isn't a brand which you may have heard of until last year. Mahindra's acquired the Korean automotive company and I must say that Ssangyong does boast of an impressive portfolio of automobiles - There's the Chairman which is a luxury sedan (with upto a 5 liter V8 engine), there's the Kyron, The Korando (the tiny SUV of the range), the Rodius, the Actyon and Actyon Sports, and finally... THE REXTON W which this review is about. The Rexton is the big, burly SUV which would do pretty well off road as well as which would overshadow many other cars on the road. That's because it's massive externally.
           The Rexton is longer as well as wider than a Toyota Fortuner. This translates into a much larger onroad size than the Fortuner. However, external size doesn't always determine interior space. Read on to find out more.. Another thing you may notice about the Rexton is it's striking similarity to the Mercedes M Class. That's probably the profound impact of the Ssangyong's previous Mercedes Benz association.

Interiors:

The plastics on the Rexton's dashboard feel rich when touched and the build quality is top notch. The simple black and beige interior scheme may not appeal to everyone. But personally, I loved it. The interiors are elegant and exude class. Every part seems in place and seems well fitted.

The Ssangyong Rexton's leather wrapped steering feels well built and thick. It fits snugly in one's hands and the music controls on the steering are a welcome addition. Further, looking closer, you may notice the "D+" and "D-" buttons on the steering. They are for shifting up / down. Mahindra could've equipped the Rexton with paddle shifts which would make driving it loads of fun. But, they've introduced a new concept to the Indian market in the Rexton - which is a good job on their part.

 Here's the cruise control stalk. It's a clever addition on Mahindra's part because cruise control seems to be making it's way into the Indian market in many cars. However, the stalk feels like an after market addition and doesn't gel with the rest of the interiors. There's a world of a difference between the steering wheel's build and the build of the cruise control stalk. The cruise control stalk's quality seems inadequate and it feels as if it may break off sometime.

The centre console is pretty simple. It's got faux wood with metal accents and a beige surrounding. It looks elegant and luxurious. There's the semi circle shaped A/C controls along with the metallic circle controls for the air conditioner.

The centre console also houses the touch screen Kenwood infotainment system which is GPS enabled.

The Gear Shifter on the Automatic version feels solid in hand and the faux wood accent on it looks pretty good, coupled with the machined metal around it. Mahindra claims that this 5 speed automatic transmission has been built with Mercedes Benz. 

This was something eyecatching on the Driver's side door panel. The Faux wood accent is home to the seat controls. The seats feature memory for upto 3 seating presets which is pretty impressive in a car of it's segment. The door handle which is chrome plated feels in sync with the rest of the trim...

The driver's seat in the Rexton is very comfy and is very welcoming. It's got adequate under thigh support as well as I could get an ideal seating position in it in a matter of seconds ! The electronic seat adjustment is also very convenient.

The centre console for the 2nd row of seats is ergonomically designed. It includes two air conditioning ducts, along with two flip out cup holders. The cup holders were something which I really liked because they're an ideal addition for those highway coffee / hot chocolate stop overs.

There's the sunroof... but, it's cover retracts manually. So there's cost cutting going on there. But the addition of a sunroof does lighten up the cabin. It would've been really nice if the Rexton was equipped with a larger sunroof however. A premium of a lakh or two for a panoramic sunroof would've really added to the Rexton's value.

The 2nd row seats are flat... LITERALLY FLAT ! There's barely any under thigh support and they just feel uncomfortable after you've sat in the Driver's seat. There's a vast difference in comfort between the driver's seat and the 2nd row of seats. When it comes to comfort, if the driver's seat score a 8 / 10, this scores a 4/10. The Toyota Fortuner's second row of seats is much more comfortable than the Rexton's.

However, the 2nd row of seats does come with a good amount of leg room. But, it doesn't come with as much legroom as the Mahindra XUV 500 does. (The XUV 500 comes with LOADS of leg room)

The 2nd row also comes with a very well bolstered arm rest.

The 2nd row door panel is very simple. But, it's solid and sturdy. Plus, the faux wood accents combined with the chrome door handle look elegant. The metallic rim around the speaker breaks the monotony of the beige panel and there's a puddle lamp on the door which is a thoughtful inclusion.

Boot space is quite large - it'll easily gobble up 2 suitcases. The 3rd row seats fold down, creating a nearly flat loading space. You could easily carry luggage in here for those weekend escapades, or occasional airport runs. 

The Exteriors:

The Rexton's headlamps stand out. They are well styled and the projectors make them really attractive looking. Further, there's REXTON engraved in the projector sides. On an overall, it's the most stylish headlamp assembly in it's segment. Now only if it came with headlamp washers...

The aggressive looking Foglamps with turn indicators look mean. They look like fangs on a beast ready to pounce at you. Those combined with the honey comb grille look awesome !

The front grille with it's mean looking chrome strips is encrusted with the elegant chrome Ssangyong insignia.

The Rexton's wheel design is sporty and attractive looking. It comes with 16 inch rubber which looks chunky on the Rexton.

The Rexton's side mirrors look chunky and big and may not be appreciated by all. Even the triangular turning indicator on the OVRM may be a hit with some and may be a lose with some. I personally didn't like the OVRM design.

There's the Rexton W badge on both sides on the rear pillar.

 

Under the Hood:

Both the Rexton variants come with 2.7 liter 5 cylinder diesel engines, each of which are in a different state of tune. The Engine under the lower end model's (RX5) hood is a 2.7 liter powerplant producing 162 Bhp and 34 kgm of torque. This engine in the RX5 is mated to a 5 speed manual transmission and comes equipped with a Torque on Demand 4WD system.

The Engine under the higher end model's (RX7) hood is a 2.7 liter 5 cylinder unit which is higher tuned and produces 184 Bhp accompanied by 40.2 kgm of torque. This engine is mated to a 5 speed automatic transmission developed along with Mercedes Benz and comes with All Wheel Drive.

Final Verdict:

      The Rexton is a really good package considering it's price - 22 to 25 lakhs (depending on where you buy it and which model you buy). However there are a few nitty gritties which still need sorting out - like the flat and uncomfortable second row of seats and the high luggage loading lip. If you need a car for out of station trips with a family of 5 or more, I wouldn't recommend the Rexton. However, if you want the most powerful engined car in the segment, then you could go for the RX7 model. But, I'd still recommend checking out the Toyota Fortuner or the Ford Endeavour before you go forward with buying the Rexton.

- Naayl Humza,

  14 year old Car Enthusiast