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The Korean youth

Ssangyong Actyon combines 'action' and 'young' as themes for an SUV capable of turning heads

Published on July 18, 2007

The old saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" seems particularly apt when considering the design of the Ssangyong Actyon in which I've been parading around for the past week. But then, design never seemed a strong point of the first Ssangyongs in Thailand. They were the Musso and the Stavic - the latter looking like the outcome of an unlikely union between a submarine and a hippo.

However, heading up the design team for the South Korean auto-maker is Ken Greenley, course director of transportation design at London's Royal College of Art, and he has designed cars like the Bentley Continental R, the Bentley Azure and the Aston Martin Virage.

Finally, Ken's creativity has shone thorough with the Ssangyong Actyon. The name Actyon actually comes from two words: "action" and "young", and the sport-utility vehicle (SUV) itself is definitely worth turning your head to look at.

The first attraction is the bulbous bonnet that comes together to form a sharp front end. Then there are the headlights, reminiscent of the Civic, that lead to a triangular front grille, which gives you the feeling that the "front face" of the Actyon would like to say something, like a character from the animated movie "Cars".

Then there is the rear, which makes you wonder if the Actyon's design was taken from a slice of cheese, with the sharp end in front and the rear being, well, the big end. It slopes upwards with a second shoulder line starting from the front doors. Its unusual height gives it a robust stance, and from the rear the Actyon looks bigger than it really is.

Reactions I received to the appearance of the vehicle were mixed and often extreme, from seriously ugly to utterly gorgeous. Some wanted to cut off either the front or the back and keep the bit they liked most. But what matters is that the Actyon turns heads, and as they say, it matters not whether the publicity is good or bad, it's still publicity.

Coupled with the queer design are 18-inch wheels that are sufficiently low profile to give you confidence on the highway.

I found myself becoming biased in favour of the Actyon. It's got too many good things going for it to form any other opinion. Let's start with the price range of Bt1.65 million to Bt1.75 million. That's only about Bt200,000 to Bt300,000 more than the top specification Honda CRV, and I haven't got to the really good bits yet.

The Actyon comes with a 2-litre diesel engine, so that gives you 10-12 kilometres to a litre if you drive at a reasonable speed. But you must accept there are limitations to its capabilities. Whereas the Honda CRV's 2.4-litre petrol engine will continue to kick-down at 150kph, the Actyon's diesel engine struggles at speeds above 120kph.

However, in the city the Actyon is very well behaved. Low speeds are its forte, and although acceleration isn't phenomenal, there is a constant linear supply of speed up to 120kph. With a heavy right foot and tonnes of courage, you can even reach 180kph.

Why tonnes of courage? Well, here's where the next dent appears in the Actyon. Its suspension transmits too much information from the road to the buttocks. If it goes over a 5-millimetre bump in the road, you'll know about it. The front seats are not so badly exposed to this, but rear-seat passengers are constantly unsettled.

However, none of this stiffness translates into exceptionally better road holding, although the Actyon is better than other "rolly" SUV's. The driving experience is not inspiring, and there is never a sense of complete confidence in corners. The squishy brakes don't make things any better.

It's likely, however, that you will forgive the Actyon for its faults when you see the myriad of off-roading "tools" the vehicle comes with. While the average CRV will have its wheels spinning in mud and painting itself brown, the Actyon allows you to engage either four-high or four-low gearing to give it some serious off-road capabilities.

It also comes with Hill Descent Control and an Electronic Stability Programme. The addition of all-terrain tyres would have made it truly impressive. However, I encountered some difficulty engaging the four-wheel-drive system, because it made disturbing mechanical noises.

If you are still not getting enough of the outdoors, twist a knob and open the Actyon's sun-roof to enjoy some fresh air.

Most important is the quality of the interior finish. Although there is plenty of room for improvement, it is still impressive. Black seats with a single red stripe and a black console make the Actyon's interior a very nice place to be. The ladder-type gear looks good, and the centre console tilts towards the driver's side. Since it is imported in completely built-up form, the Actyon also comes with heated seats and heated mirrors. An aesthetic addition is the handbrake lever, which is shaped like the hilt of a sword.

Other niceties include automatic headlights, a rain sensor, electric folding side mirrors and on-steering controls. The rear seats are spacious and can be folded down flat for extra luggage-loading space. Both front seats can be electrically adjusted.

Overall, there are faults, like the fact that the boot is almost impossible for a woman to open and even harder and almost dangerous to close. The cloth seats that come with the top-end version are forgettable, the driver's-seat heater button always switches on by mistake if you have long legs, and there is no footrest for the left leg, which is a problem on long drives.

Another problem is the limited number of Ssangyong service centres around the Kingdom, although the distributor does provide 24-hour roadside assistance.

Summing it all up, the Actyon's pros far outweigh its cons. And let's not forget the extra stares you get on the road. The Actyon cannot be dismissed as an unworthy competitor in the SUV market, especially with its diesel engine. The only other diesel SUV is the Chevrolet Captiva. If you are bored with typical SUVs but haven't got much of a budget, then perhaps it's time to "act young". Be a little daring.

Specifications:

Ssangyong Actyon

Engine: 2-litre commonrail turbo diesel

Displacement: 1,998cc

Bore and stroke: 86.2mm x 85.6mm

Compression ratio: 18:1

Maximum power: 141hp at 5,750rpm

Maximum torque: 310Nm at 1,800-2,700rpm

Transmission: Four-speed automatic

Suspension (front/rear): Double wishbone

with coil spring/multilink

Steering: Powered rack and pinion