2007 SsangYong Actyon A200S review from Hong Kong

Nothing at the moment.

Background:-

OK, here's the story, I was drawn to the look when I saw it from a magazine, and went for a test drive and bought one.

Looks:-

Many would say it is unbelievably ugly, but I am quite happy to say that I like the look of the car; it looks apart from any ordinary cars you see on the road, and the front looks great.

Interior:-

The dealer here offered leather upgrades for HKD4000 (app. USD500), which is a great deal given the quality, though the fit and finish is obviously not the best. Interestingly, it reminds me of the RX450h? However I must say the rear is, though tall, the leg room is not fantastic - expect just a tiny bit more than a BMW 3 series.

Performance:-

It's got enough power, and being a diesel it has great low down torque - though it does suffer from turbo lag on first gear under hard acceleration (found out on the test drive). But that didn't deter me, because being a pickup truck you don't expect it to outrun a Ferrari - though I feel that it is on par with my Range Rover 4.0.

Gearbox:-

A tad old fashioned - being 4 gears and no down slope locking like my BMW 3. I imagine that many would prefer a 5 or even 6 speeder, but is it necessary to have such a high number of gears? As long as the car has good torque band, even a 3 speed gear box is enough. This is the point I don't really understand; why people boast about 5 or 6 speed gearbox - it might be smoother, but definitely not necessary on this car, but may be so in a 1.5 litre car?

Would I recommend one?

Two way answer...

Yes, if you want a nice car with good fuel economy, as well as owning one or two more cars, since it is not practical enough to be a day to day car (too big!!)

No, you can buy a Honda Stepwagon for that money, but do you really like that ugly Stepwagon or a cliche and boring Rav-4???