WITH Korean vehicles steadily growing in sales numbers, status and desirability, SsangYong has not achieved the success enjoyed by Hyundai, Kia and Chevrolet, but this trend shows signs of changing judging by our experience with both the revived Korando and the subject of this test, the Actyon Sports double-cab bakkie.
Built at the Changwon factory in Korea, the Actyon recently received a restyle to improve its visual appeal. The frontal aspect is an undoubted success, but the previous-gen rear has been retained and as such appears incongruent with the modern nose. However, do not be fooled by the mixed-bag appearance.
On start-up, you are met with a quiet 2,0-litre turbodiesel engine and slick gearshift. The former is the same unit that was offered in the pre-facelift model, but with its power increased from 104 kW to 114 kW. The torque figure of 360 N.m, delivered at 1 500 r/min, is a vast improvement of 50 N.m and stands up to comparison with the best double-cab bakkies.
With a six-speed manual gearbox, continuous stirring of the lever can get tiring, but not with the Actyon. Acceleration is brisk for a double cab and the powertrain is smooth throughout the rev range. In fact, as long as you keep the engine spinning at above 1 000 r/min, it proves superbly tractable.
The hydraulically assisted steering provides good feel – although one tester felt it was too light – and cabin-noise insulation is top class. The suspension is biased towards the leisure market, with a five-link live rear axle with coil springs, while the front uses double wishbones. The ride is still slightly too firm when unladen and the underpinnings exhibit slight chassis shakes over poor surfaces due to twisting of the ladder framework.
While some of us like the chunky separate gearlever for low-range selection, most modern 4x4s have switched to electronic solenoid operation and the Actyon Sports is no different. It has a rather insignificant-looking rotary 4×4 dial to the left of the steering wheel to switch between rear-wheel drive, four-wheel drive (selectable at speeds up to 70 km/h) or full 4×4 in low range. As usual, for the swop to low range you need to be stationary. Note that, when using 4×4 mode, the rear diff is automatically locked, making parking operations awkward.
In low range and first gear, 10 km/h has the engine spinning at 3 600 r/min, perfect for seriously steep inclines. Although we did not have sufficient time to thoroughly test this bakkie off-road, it certainly has the necessary hardware to be capable off the beaten track.
Comfort features include cruise control, climate control, dual airbags, rear parking sensors, front and rear foglamps, a leather-clad steering wheel with audio controls, traction control and a plastic-lined load bay. The cabin is one of the more car-like designs in this class, and the quality of the fittings and fixtures is surprisingly good.
Gripes? The windscreen-wiper stalk has an auto position but no sensor is fitted to this model and so it remains merely in intermittent mode. Furthermore, the rear window has a heating element but no sliding portion, the door pockets are too narrow to be of much use, cupholders are small and there are no Isofix anchorage points. While the cloth-upholstered seats are comfy, rear-seat legroom is not wonderful. Also, the payload is very low at only 453 kg, but the braked tow rating is good at 2 300 kg.
The wheel size has increased from 16 to 18 inches, and the spare wheel is a full-size alloy unit that is mounted under the body (unfortunately mounted shiny-side down, which will
probably result in damage).
Test Summary
We were pleasantly surprised by the Actyon Sports because we don’t often encounter such a refined product at a class-leading price. It remains more of a lifestyle double cab than a workhorse, but then most buyers want just that – a five-seater with a load bay for carrying sporting goods or garden debris but with the ability to do more than its fair share of off-road venturing. With much better styling than before and tangible quality, combined with strong refinement and performance, it fully deserves a place on buyers’ shortlists.