2001 SsangYong Korando SLX from UK and Ireland - Comments

ABS System warning lights when driving in rain occasionally- resulting in ABS shutdown

Problem occurred several times all sorts replaced- Daewoo wanted to replace entire wiring loom- eventually problem just went during repair of engine see below---

Ticking Noise appeared in engine after long drive on main roads, but in torrential rain- no floods just heavy surface water-

Dropped into dealer for routine service and alerted to ticking noise- after week or two water damage was diagnosed- 3 conrods bent- engined severely damaged- Daewoo would not cover under warranty because of "environmental damage" forced to claim on insurance - cost of repair 6500 euro- claim resulted in loss of no claims and insurance doubled-

After 2 months off the road- car was returned - had numerous problems noisy engine, vibrations in drive train- broke down twice, coolant leak - you get the picture-

Here's the advice--- THE AIR INTAKE IS VERY LOW IN THE KORANDO WHEN COMPARED TO 8 DIFFERENT MAKES MODELS OF 4X4--- this car does not like water or even heavy rain-

Daewoo did not give a damn about me or what I thought of their car and my apawling experience of it. and the financial impact it had on me as a self employed service engineer.

It wiped out 14 years of claim free driving-

Dealer was OK tried his best I think- but NEVER BUY ONE OF THESE-

Yes they are great value, well spec'd, a good engine, but if thing go wrong the customer care from Daewoo (in Ireland) is indifferent to say the least.

I have been considering buying a second hand Daewoo Korando and had heard about them having some problems. I would like to thank you for your advice, and I will not be buyig Daewoo now.

Have owned 1998 2.3 gls korando for 11 months and have covered 20000 miles on vehicle recovery work no problems at all will tow anything and you don't even notice excellent to drive a lot better than the 96 shogun swb I used to use as for the minor faults lose trim is a problem, but it was cheap so you expect that only problem I have had is finding spares needed an exhaust dealer quote £1200 complete had ss one made £225.

I have owned a ssangyong korando 2.9 TD for three years now and I have never had any problems with it, even in the rain! The only problem with these cars is getting hold of spares for which I use a local mercedes dealer and they will also service it for me if I wish. If you are prepared to shop around for some parts, these cars are great value for money and stand out from the usual 4x4's you see around.

I bought my Korando new in late 98. I have done over 60k and had few if any problems.

There was a hand break fault early on and this was quickly rectified by the dealership in Blackburn. Not the people I bought it from originally, I should add, as they were a dead loss. My first service from them nearly cost as much as the car new!!!

I have driven it all over Europe in all weather conditions, from monsoon rain and driving snow to scorching sun and temps in the 100s and it has never missed a beat. It certainly has never had a problem with water even when it once came over the door sills. (river water I should add)

Last week the speedo began to act up, wildly surging to over 100mph and then back to 10mph. Very annoying. I haven't been able to get advice on the problem to date, but I guess it will cost me eventually.

Apart from this recent problem the car has cost me next to nothing to run.

2 sets of mainly on road tyres and apart from the first service I have done all the rest myself, regular top quality oil and filters and the engine is as sweet as a nut.

It's a bit underpowered being non turbo charged, but that means there is less to go wrong. At a steady 75 mph I return 31+mpg and it still doesn't burn a drop of oil.

I haven't used it much off road, but a couple of years ago I towed a friends twin axeled caravan from Blackpool to Stratford. It was a piece of cake. I hardly knew I had the van behind and when I got to my location I had to tow the van across a partly ploughed field in which my friend had managed to get his tipper truck bogged down. I got the van accross the field and also managed to recover his tipper for him. We were both amazed how well the Ssangyong coped.

All in all it has been a great buy. I'm now ready to change and I will certainly be looking at the new range. It may be cheap and in some ways basic yet it has all the features of far more expensive models and it does what it sets out to do.

You blokes complain about the Korando, all I can say is I owned a hideously expensive Land Rover. There is no comparison, the Landy never delivered, at one stage I was told to remove the driveshaft to the back wheels, apparently the 4x4 capabilities extend to 2 wheels only.

My experience with the Korando has been nothing, but excellent. The dealer I only see when she goes for a service, he is not a house friend. Something that tends to happen with the 4x4.

It is true that when Daewoo took over Ssangyong, the service you got from the dealers was terrible to say the least. However I must leap to the defence of the car itself. I have a 98 Ssangyong Korando 2.9 GLS and I love it to bits.

I have covered over 25,000 miles in a year, mostly towing either a caravan or a trailer with a car on it, and the car has performed superbly.

I get 30+ mpg, no use of oil and a plentiful supply of parts. The owners club is superb and have given me lots of tips of how to squeeze a bit more power from the 100bhp engine. Mine runs at about 120bhp at the moment!

I like the idea of owning something different to everyone else. I get lots of looks in the car and I am often stopped on caravan sites by people wanting to know what it is.

The Daewoo model differs only slightly from the Ssangyong. The major difference is that the Daewoo engine has a turbo which would make all the differece.

Just avoid Daewoo dealers or whatever they are called this week and buy privately. Remember, it's a Mercedes G Wagen underneath so don't worry about the mechanical side, it's bulletproof!

My friend has a Korando TD 2.9 and we have no idea of the type of amp oil. any suggestions?

I bought a ssangyong korando from my brother who was cajoled to buy a later model and a branded japanese SUV. After a month, he asked me if I am interested to trade with our SUV's, him owning back his old ssangyong korando. I told him that I don't need a vehicle which is beautiful in look but poor in performance. I am very satisfied with its performance on and off the road. It's actually an underrated vehicle with low resale value but high efficiency of returns to the owner.