Ssangyong Rexton Ultimate 2021 UK first drive

There’s no confusing this facelifted Ssangyog Ssangyong Rexton with its predecessor, is there? With a colossal chrome-clad grille that wouldn’t look out of place on a BMW designer’s mood board and sharp new LED headlight designs leading the visual refresh, the latest iteration of this seven-seat SUV is said to bring “more presence, more prestige, more strength, more safety, more style and more space”.

Under the skin, the headline enhancement is a 20bhp power hike from the 2.2-litre diesel engine, while the old Mercedes-supplied seven-speed auto ’box has made way for an eight-speed item from Hyundai Transys, said to weigh less and bring improved efficiency. There’s a new trailer sway control function, too, which we don’t really need to explain, and various modifications for the engine mounts and door seals that mean the Rexton now “boasts some of the lowest NVH levels in its class”. 

Changes inside are more subtle, though a digital display is now fitted as standard and the centre console has been redesigned for a cleaner look and extra storage space. 

The no-nonsense line-up comprises two trim levels: Ventura, from £37,995, and Ultimate, from £40,665. We drove the latter, which adds to the already impressive standard kit list with a larger 9.0in infotainment display, rear privacy glass and LED ambient lighting throughout the cabin.

It remains among the largest SUVs on sale today, measuring 4850mm long by 1960mm wide and 1825mm high, and you feel every millimetre when threading it into supermarket parking spaces. But it’s not half as unwieldy as you’d fear when gawping up at its window line for the first time; expansive windows, chunky mirrors and slick, clear cameras at each end enhance visibility and promote low-speed confidence, and the lofty seating position allows a clear view over, say, hedges and into neighbouring buses. So far, so surprisingly usable.

But unfortunately, the Rexton is among the last of a dying breed of ‘proper’ body-on-frame SUVs, and while that’s good news for its rugged dependability and off-road competence, it also means it rides far less compliantly than similarly sized monocoque-bodied equivalents on Tarmac. 

You know it can clear a speed bump at quite some pace without even breaking a sweat, but so severe will be the resulting jolt that you’ll approach the next one slower than you would even in a low-slung sports car. On pockmarked stretches of motorway, too, the firm suspension and noisy, chunky tyres quash any illusion of this being a cut-price Range Rover alternative, while the vague steering and high sides - susceptible as they are to gusts of wind - give the lane change collision warning a real workout.