On paper, the SsangYong Korando looks like an absolute bargain. It’s a lot of car for a fiver less than £16k, with a powerful engine, a high kerbweight, a reasonably roomy cabin and a five-year warranty. However, it’s not stable enough at speed for us to recommend it.
At 60mph it felt okay – it was not especially secure, but the movements were slight. Above 60mph those movements became more pronounced.
It didn’t cope well with more violent manoeuvres. It leaned heavily and was pulled around by the caravan in the low-speed slalom, and in the lane-change test it struggled to keep on course on the first two runs. The third and fastest attempt at the manoeuvre couldn’t be completed.
In the hill-start test, the handbrake held if pulled on firmly. The car struggled for traction whenever the slope was damp (we tested the front-wheel drive model although 4x4s are available), but otherwise this was one of its strongest suits.
Strong torque from the new 2.2-litre diesel helped with the hill start, and contributed to brisk acceleration – 30-60mph took 12.9 seconds. It’s also more fuel-efficient than the old engine, with an official combined figure of 53.3mpg.
The boot took all but one item from our holiday luggage, and the towing electrics were easy to access. However, some marks were lost because the SsangYong Korando doesn’t have trailer stability control.