SsangYong Musso 2023 review: XLV Ultimate - off-road test

There are two variants in the Musso line-up: the entry-level ELX, available as a manual or auto, and the top-shelf Ultimate, which is available as auto only, and has a drive-away price of $42,090 (at time of writing). 

Our test vehicle is the Ultimate.

For engine and transmission details skip ahead to the ‘What are the key stats for the engine and transmission?’ section further down this page.

Standard features onboard the Ultimate include an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated and ventilated front seats, a heated leather steering wheel, leather seats, LED daytime running lights, and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Inside is a 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

It also has a 12.3-inch digital LCD instrument cluster, smart key with auto locking, a tyre pressure monitoring system, HID headlights, and 360-degree camera.

Our Musso also has the $1500 XLV treatment, which stretches the ute’s overall length an extra 300mm and the wheelbase by 110mm, yielding 251L of additional room in the tub. 

So, that brings its drive-away price, as a MY22 Ultimate XLV, to $43,590.

But, hold on, our test vehicle has a little extra up its, er, sleeve.

Our Musso has Aussie-tuned suspension, by way of Ironman 4x4 coils and dampers, which costs another $730.

The Ironman 4x4 suspension adds $730 to the Musso's price tag. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

So, those additions – the XLV pack, the Ironman 4x4 suspension (dubbed the constant load coil spring kit), as well its tow bar ($1530 fitted), electronic brake controller ($620 fitted) and 'Pearl White' paint ($595) – push this ute’s price as tested to $47,065.

A $3000 Luxury Pack is also available – adding a sunroof, dual zone climate control, Nappa leather seats, powered front seats and driver’s lumbar support, and heated rear seats – but our test vehicle does not have that. And I don’t reckon you need it, but suit yourself.

There are a range of exterior paint jobs available for this variant, including 'Atlantic Blue', 'Indian Red', 'Space Black', 'Marble Grey', 'Grand White' and Pearl White, which is on our test vehicle.

The Ultimate is powered by a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine – producing 133kW at 4000rpm and 400Nm at 1400-2800rpm. 

However, it’s worth noting that in Ultimate XLV Guise, the Musso gets another 20Nm of torque, bringing it to 420Nm at 1600-2600rpm.

It has a six-speed automatic transmission, part-time 4WD with low- and high-range gearing, and an auto-locking rear differential.

The engine outputs look a bit underwhelming, but it does pretty well with what it has once you’re actually driving it. And that Aisin auto is a well regarded transmission, having already proven itself in this and other utes, such as the Isuzu D-Max.

The Musso’s interior is neat and well laid out. It’s also very roomy; SsangYong has made the most of this ute’s generous dimensions, taking the interior’s width right to the logical conclusion.

The pleasantries continue with an impressive all-around build quality and though there are plenty of durable plastic surfaces, there are also nice touches, like the leather seats and steering wheel.

The cabin is an impressive space. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

The seats are all pretty comfortable and there’s plenty of shoulder and legroom.

There is the usual array of storage spots (door pockets, etc), cupholders (two to the rear of the auto shifter) and charge points (two USB-A ports and a 12-volt plug for driver and front passenger).

The seats are pretty comfortable. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

Rear seat passengers get directional air vents, but they miss out on charge points.

The 8.0-inch touchscreen is too small for my liking, and the multimedia system’s functionality is basic and a bit clunky – plug in your phone and use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto rather than the Musso’s built-in system – but the 12.3-inch instrument cluster is a nice touch.

Generally speaking, the cabin is an impressive space.

The news is mostly good. The Musso is quite refined and rather impressive, in terms of comfort and performance, especially for a ute that’s considerably cheaper than a lot of others in the dual-cab realm.

At almost five and a half metres long and weighing in about 2100kg, the Musso Ultimate XLV has a planted feel about it on-road – length, weight and suspension combining to produce a settled vehicle.

The 12.2m turning circle is a minor issue on busy suburban streets, but it’s nothing terrible.

Steering has a nice weight to it, although it can feel a little bit too “trucky" at times. The steering wheel is reach- and rake-adjustable, so that’s good.

The Musso Ultimate XLV has a planted feel about it on-road. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

Ride quality has definitely improved over previous iterations, but some credit for that must be due to our test vehicle’s longer-than-standard wheelbase.

The XLV’s Ironman 4x4 constant-load coil suspension doesn’t help the ute’s comfort cause, but it’s easily reined in when you throw a substantial load in the tray.

As mentioned earlier, the engine does well with what it has once you’re on the road, and while the six-speed Aisin auto is probably more truck-like in its execution than some might like, I reckon it does a decent job.

It’s not too shabby for touring, either.

For one thing, this stretched Musso feels controlled and well settled on dirt tracks at speed. It feels suitably agile on bush roads peppered with shallow ruts, potholes and moguls, with the Aussie-tuned Ironman 4x4 coils and dampers working effectively to keep everything under control.

But this lengthy Musso also feels quite low when the terrain becomes any more challenging than that and the challenges become more technical in nature. 

The Aussie-tuned Ironman 4x4 coils and dampers work effectively to keep everything under control. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

Ground clearance is listed as an ordinary 215mm and even though the Ultimate XLV, with its Ironman 4x4 suspension, benefits from a minor suspension lift, you have to drive this ute with focussed consideration due to the ever-present threat of bumps, scrapes or worse to the underbody. 

That longer wheelbase, which helps to yield that aforementioned settled ride at speed, reveals its trade-off when you get into low-range 4WDing territory.

This ute’s rampover angle of 20 degrees is especially shallow compared to shorter wheelbase rivals and that long underbody doesn’t help the Musso’s bush efforts at all. 

Its approach angle (25 degrees) is okay, but its departure angle (20 degrees) could be better.

You also don’t get a lot of rear-axle articulation, but the auto rear diff lock kicks in soon enough when a back tyre lifts off the deck and momentarily loses traction.

Wading depth is not listed, but I’m happy to use the 350mm referred to in our previous Musso reviews as a guideline – and, because of that, I’d avoid anything deeper than a shallow puddle.

SsangYong doesn't provide a wading depth, so I’d avoid anything deeper than a shallow puddle. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

Despite some of those less-than-ideal factors, the Musso still manages to do okay in low-speed off-roading. Its 4WD system is switchable on a dial (2H, 4H and 4L), which is easy to operate but I did have some difficulty getting 4L to fully engage.

The Musso’s standard Nexen N’Priz RH7 tyres (255/60R18 108H) are okay for on-road use but, if you’re going to use this ute as an off-road tourer, do yourself a favour and replace them as soon as humanly possible with a set of decent all-terrains.

The Musso Ultimate XLV’s payload is listed as 880kg.

The XLV designation adds 300mm of length to the tub and that’s an additional 251L of cargo space, according to SsangYong.

The Musso’s standard tyres are okay for on-road use. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)

The tub/tray (whatever you want to call it) is 1625mm long (at floor height), 1612mm wide (1140mm between the wheel arches), and is 578mm deep, which is handy for extra packing space.

The load space has a durable looking plastic tub liner and four tie-down points that appear pretty solid.

The Musso has an unbraked towing capacity of 750kg and a braked towing capacity of 3500kg.

The Musso line-up does not have an ANCAP safety rating, but it does have six airbags and a suite of safety tech, including AEB, driver attention warning, lane departure warning, blind-spot warning, as well as front and rear parking sensors, a tyre pressure monitoring system, and a 360-degree camera view.

The Musso has a 360-degree camera. (image credit: Glen Sullivan)