New SsangYong Rexton W SUV undercuts rivals

The new SsangYong Rexton W SUV is priced from £21,995 – making it the UK’s most affordable seven-seater 4x4 – and comes complete with a five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty.

SsangYong’s sales and marketing chief Steve Gray said: "If you go back a few years you had a number of SUVs offering seven seats such as the Isuzu Trooper, Mitsubishi Shogun, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe or Land Rover Discovery 4. They have all moved up very much in price. With the Rexton at [around] £22-26,000 our prices finish pretty much where theirs start.

"Add to that the fact that they have all become lighter [apart from the Discovery] and therefore have less towing ability, and we believe we have an edge particularly in our heartland which is farmers, people who tow horse boxes and the like."

The SsangYong Rexton W is based on the old Mercedes M-Class and all models come fitted with a 2.0-litre diesel engine, capable of 44.8mpg and 196g/km CO2 emissions. Its four-wheel drive system and rugged construction mean it is a capable off-roader, and also give it a maximum towing weight of 3,000kg. Not far behind the Land Rover Discovery 4, which can tow a massive 3,500kg.

All models come with seven seats as standard, but also get cruise control, air-conditioning, electrically operated and heated door mirrors, leather steering wheel, plus iPod compatibility and a Bluetooth phone connection. Go for the high-specification EX model – priced from £24,495 – and extra kit includes tinted rear windows, rear parking sensors and leather seats.

The Rexton W is key to SsangYong’s plans for expansion, with 15 new UK dealerships set to open by the middle of next year. SsangYong is also currently developing the SsangYong X100 crossover, which will compete with cars such as the Nissan Juke and is set to hit showrooms in 2015.

For reviews of the full SsangYong range, visit the Carbuyer SsangYong reviews page.