The Ssangyong Actyon Sports SUT is a pick-up truck that stands out among it’s competitors, and I’m not just talking about its somewhat unorthodox looks which resembles a shark with a gaping mouth, especially in white. But if you’re willing to put it’s looks aside and are interested to know more about the features and capabilities of the Ssangyong Actyon, look after the jump.
After you get over the brutal front, you’ll immediately notice that the Ssangyong Actyon Sports has a lower ride height than most of it’s pick-up peers to facilitate easier entry and exit into the passenger cabin. The cabin also seems larger, and the bedliner is shorter because of this. The test car we drove was the Ssangyong Actyon Sports with the automatic transmission, but it was from an earlier batch and the trim level isn’t really the same as the production Actyon that you will be able to buy in the showrooms. But no worries, I will mention what’s in the showroom cars and what are not.
Ssangyong took a different approach with the Ssangyong Actyon Sports truck and the Ssangyong Actyon SUV. Unlike Isuzu, Ford and Toyota who have made SUVs from truck-platforms (Everest from Ranger, Fortuner from Hilux, etc) you think of the Ssangyong Actyon as more of a truck derived from an SUV platform.
The nice interior is the most car-like of all the trucks I’ve driven, which is pretty much all the modern trucks except for the D-Max and Hilux. The electric seats and electrically adjustable and retractable wing mirrors are a welcome feature. The rear bench has three headrests and is slanted like a passenger car, and rear legroom is plenty unless you have someone big-sized sitting in front of you.
The footwell seems abit narrow for me, but other smaller sized people had no problems with it. I also noticed the lack of a footrest for your left foot in the automatic model is abit annoying, but Ssangyong says it can develop one locally for the production model. The combination of a lack of a foot rest and the narrow footwell made my left leg a little fidgety, it was like I didn’t really know where to put it. The leather seats could also do with abit more padding, especially the rear bench.
The 2H-4H-4L selector is a knob in a series of vertically-aligned knobs on the right of the center dashboard area. Our test cars had an automatic digital air conditioning panel but the production cars will have one of those usually three-knob manual aircond controls. You have two cupholders neatly hidden underneath a sliding cover, and a proper glovebox as well as another storage area in the arm rest. There is also a sunglasses holder and a ticket holder, as well as small compartments integrated into the door panel’s arm rests. The handbrake is in a strange position – on the left of the gear shifter instead of on the right. This might be a leftover from a cabin designed for left-hand-drive.
The dash is a mix of smooth plastic for the areas with dash controls and a nice soft plastic which you can push in slightly when you press your finger against it – one of those soft touch plastics. The large and luxurious-looking leather-wrapped steering wheel has audio controls.
The engine and gearbox combo is not the same as the one in the Kyron, as the Kyron has a 5-speed auto while the Actyon only has a 4-speed, but the Actyon has a VGT turbine while the Kyron only has a normal turbocharger. The Actyon’s engine was amazingly smooth and vibration-free, which was very surprising for a diesel.
Being of a smaller displacement of only 2.0 litres, there was a noticable big pick-up in power in the first gear when the engine is still running off-boost, but right after 1,800rpm boost kicks in with strong force – you wouldn’t want to be caught doing a maneuver like a U-turn at low speeds when that happens because the back would surely swing. The speedometer would rise steadily until 100km/h, but you’d expect it to slow down after that but the torque just kept pushing the truck faster and faster until the pace started slowing down about 160km/h.
The XDi 200 XVT engine is a 4-cylinder third generation common rail direct injection turbodiesel with intercooler that puts out 141 PS at 4,000rpm, and 310Nm of torque between 1,800rpm to 2,700rpm. There are tuning chips in the market that easily push the 141 PS up to 168 PS. The engine is controlled by a 32-bit ECU and common rail injection pressure is 1,600 bar. It is very quiet from inside the cabin around the down at city driving speeds as the revs are kept very low thanks to the high torque – you only notice a loud diesel engine noise at higher RPMs nearer to the redline.
The 4-speed automatic gearbox had normal, power, and winter modes. The gear you are in is shown on the little LCD panel at the bottom of the triple-meter gauges – they move from 1 to 4. The only other automatic car I’ve seen that has this feature is the Mazda3 and Mazda6.
I think it is a smart gearbox somewhat, because if you put the pedal to the metal from a stand still the launch is somewhat slower than if you ease on the pedal gradually. This leads me to believe that in normal mode the gearbox actually tries to help make the launch as smooth and comfortable as possible, something it probably enherited from it’s Mercedes Benz roots. It probably detected flooring it probably would generate too much torque, thus cut down the power a little through the drive-by-wire system.
Top speed that we achieved was about 190km/h on a normal straight in the infamous Ladang Tihsllub introduced by Chips Yap (the straight roads in that area was amazing, I think even the boys at Top Gear would be jealous of us. They can have their airstrip! ;) ), but thanks to some downhill areas we got it up to 195km/h at about 4,250rpm, very close to the redline of 4,500rpm. I must say that the NVH in the cars we drove was really amazing for diesel truck or even SUV standards, for wind noise was missing all the way up to speeds of 170km/h where it started getting abit noticable.
The steering wheel was a rack and pinion setup and had good feel to it – it wasn’t laggy or dampened or anything. Ride was pretty much like an SUV, and road surface inconsistencies caused some bounciness but it wasn’t anything harsh.
A coil spring setup instead of a leaf spring setup contributed much to it’s SUV-like comforts, plus according to Steven Sim who runs a 4X4 shop and organized the off-road session of the test drive, coil springs offer better articulation of the wheels, so offroad performance can be quite good as long as you take the usual strenghtening steps with proper mud tyres, raised ride height and strenghtened shocks. Also responsible for it’s handling and comfort are it’s a 5-link rear axle at the rear and double wishbone setup at the front.
As for safety features, the steel ladder frame chassis has a triple layer contruction and the truck body is reinforced to work as a safety cell for collisions. The steering wheel column is collapsible, and the doors have side impact beams. The doors lock automatically once the vehicle reaches 50km/h, but also unlock automatically in a collision. There are driver and front passenger SRS airbags, and the seatbelts have pre-tensioners with load limiters – they tighten up at first in a collision and then the load limiter loosens it progressively as the airbag deploys. Also present is four-wheel ABS, and there are disc brakes all-round on all four wheels.
The bedliner at the rear is shorter than most trucks but is wider and deeper, and can carry a payload of up to 898kg although Ssangyong is developing an enhancement to bring it up to the regions of 1,100kg. There will be three enhancements for the bedliner – one is a sporty D-pillar for aesthetic purposes which greatly enhances the looks of the truck and I recommend that everyone get it, and the other two is still being developed which is a half-cover, and a full cover for the bedliner.
Other neat features include a mobile illuminated ashtray, remote keyless entry, and an automatic lights-off system to save your battery from going flat if you accidentally leave your lights on when you get out of the truck. Also, one thing I’d consider a “feature” is it’s low displacement of 2,000cc compared to it’s 2.5 litre and 3.0 litre peers. For example, you’d have to pay RM439.20 for the Actyon’s road tax compared to RM898.00 for the Mitsubishi Triton’s road tax per year. It’s also so much lower than the 3.0 litre D-MAX’s steep RM1,878.10’s road tax cost!
The locally assembled Ssangyong Actyon with automatic transmission goes for RM91,989.20 for private registration exclusive of insurance, which costs an additional RM2,627.90 for an insured value of RM91,000 and also a further RM300 for front windscreen insurance. The aesthetic D-pillar I mentioned goes for an extra RM1,120, and is highly recommended as I think it enhances the side-profile look alot. The standard truck comes with cloth seats, but real leather seats (none of those PVC stuff) costs an additional RM1,480. A cheaper 5-speed manual specced more as a workhorse will be offered later and will only have one airbag, drum brakes and the rear, no electric seats, etc.
In standard form, the Ssangyong Actyon Sports does not come with an LSD differential, but Ssangyong says if the customer wants an LSD it will be fitted with no extra cost. However the customer will be adviced to equip the Actyon with an LSD only if he takes the car off road often and it is one of the primary purposes of the customer buying the vehicle. This is because if the Actyon Sports spends most of it’s mileage on paved roads, the LSD usually wears out prematurely – something to do with the grip on paved roads being too much and not allowing enough slip or something, causing wind-up. I think 4X4 guys should understand this better.
I think it’s very capable as a lifestyle vehicle – just pop the full or half cover on the back and treat it as a jacked up sedan that has great diesel fuel economy and a higher ride height to tackle those floods that are happening more often lately. You just have to get over the different styling first, the same problem some have with the Honda City.
Click any of the photos below to view an enlarged version.
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Looks like it is a pretty good off roader~
After you get over the brutal front, you’ll immediately notice that the Ssangyong Actyon Sport has a lower ride height than most of it’s pick-up peers to facilitate easier entry and exit into the passenger cabin.
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Huh, still tallllllLLLLLLLLLER than P1 Arena!
Anyway, Paul where do you test drive, look at the road tax disc is Penang plate, are you test it in Penang?
Price is reasonable, wah at least have to test drive again to compare it with Hilux. But what I see this kind of "lower high" version canbe found in Thailand for all pick-up truck models available in the market.
i think i spotted a bunch of actyon's on the north south highway yesterday, overtaking my dad's rexton, haha, especially PGA21, were u there paul? in my own opinion, as long as its comfy and reacts like an SUV, with a great road tax and fuel savings, i would say this is a good buy, as long as u neglect the boat-like front. would this be a challenge to the triton and such?
Good review, but with their Hate it or Love it design…I still find it hard swallow the front grill design…but from side profile, it does look good…I wonder how will it look like if fitted with Kangaroo bar…overall its more sensible than 2.5L diesel..
Kevin Lee: yeah, I was driving one of the black Actyons down back to KL. we had the test drive in penang – drove up on sunday, and back to kl on monday.
hmm… wonder if the body kit designers have started designing a replacement grill for it….
Paul does the engine come with an intercooler? if so, front or top mount?
if top mount, then mebbe the big gap in the grille/nose would be suitable for a front mount intercooler conversion…
Very interesting!
yeah paul, i was gonna take a pic and say, actyons spotted! haha, but now u had the best pics, its cool then
i saw an actyon suv on the road last sunday… damn nice!!!!! did they eeven bring the suv in?
I like this one..as a former 4X4 owner,I canfeel tyhis one is taking D/Cs to a completely new level,be it in styling or functionalibality…i dont mind owning one of this so called "ugly" thing…
If somebody would redesign the front grille, it would have been an attractive buy.
impressive
Wow Paul, how you managed to shoot a picture at 200km/h ?? :)
Thanks for the review…
hehe .. interior somehow remind me to satria neo .. especially cerobong aircond .. but overall this machine have a fierce face and strong body with good engine .. :)
impressive write up, performance and cabin accessories; more features than most double-cab.
but i look for height, durability (which's not yet proven in actyon), look, & i'm cautious in term of depreciation. So actyon isnt for me.
I still feel that the design is plain ugly (my opinion, other may look at it as beauty). The rear view looks okay but when you take a look at the front grille..ouchh!!! It's like looking at a sensuous figure from rear but, u get a horror awakening as you look at her front (face).
bonnet buldge a bit dogde-like. shuld b a fine car.
but when it comes 2 hardcore workhorse, i think ford ranger wil b a better choice. considering its reputation, reliability, durability, robustness, load space, etc. but actyon definately has road tax advantage tho…
these koreans arent that particular about the style, arent they?
and the chinese also. very bad and blunt.
i might get sick
Joe Ooi, perhaps you can go and take a look Ssangyong Actyon Sport SUT and test drive it. Just additional option for you, perhaps. For your information, if you still sticking with Toyota Hilux in your shopping list, please hold your breathe as I heard there will be a facelift model coming up. Any idea?
From the photos (I need to check out whether it is already arrive at the showroom here at my place, even though not really a fans for 4×4 or truck / pick up) it looks really attractive from outside of the car to the cabin inside. Since this pick up is lower than other pickup such as the Hilux, D-Max, Frontier, Triton etc., the ride should be more comfortable (not too jumpy especially for rear passengers) – depends on the suspensions setup.
From the front, this pick up really looks like a SUV or MPV. However, once you see it from the side and rear only notice it is actually a pick up truck. Cool!
Generally, this pick up really looks attractive.
Good value for money… but I wont be caught dead driving a korean. A matter of personal preference, nothing else.
Not much to say, but I'm impressed.
look like this sut doesn't feel like you are sitting in a double cab…like the way they design the interior which gives more comfy ride…have to say that it has more features than most double cabins…like power seats..multi function steering…what i like is the new VGT turbo in this new ssangyong actyon..never have a try on how VGT turbo works and feels like…but can imagine how it functions…anyway, why ssangyong don't match 5 speed gearbox with the engine?
i tink this is as close as it gets to a standard sedan car with a pick up versatility…..looks ok…not that pukable…but the rear is so out of this world….its not even considered a design ! i wish it wasnt a korean though! im nt sure bt from the pictrues..i stil think the d-max sits lower…..
Putting its ugly looks aside, this truck is pretty impressive for its power and features. Unfortunately the main duty of trucks that runs in interior rural places in Sabah & Sarawak demands more than just impressive specs. One is the availability of spare parts (Whether original or 3rd party) and also the cost of replacing. Can Ssangyong in Malaysia provide the same price level & accessibility to parts as Toyota, Isuzu, Nissan & Mitsubishi? You don't want to get stuck in the middle of a remote town that has never heard of Actyon before.
wahlaueh…
pretty good on the review…
Paul, does the manufacturer offer canopy for this pickup??
pickup with top speed 190km/h… it already out perform many petrol sedan cars… Nice job from Korean.
with some bodykits.. especially for the front end, it will look good i think.. at least looks better than stock.
Paul, have you tested the manual one? Look like there are a lot of electronic gadges inside this car…
All Ssangyongs are ugly moth*rf*ckers, the Musso I'd say is the best looking
i'm ok with the grille… pretty macho… just the lights that bother me… but overall it's a cool truck :D
As a former 4X4 owner,I feel that this one is taking D/Cs to another new level.The Koreans certainly have done much research in this.I,for one,wont mind having this car in my porch..But I kind of like it better with a sporty canopy fitted over the back liner…
p.s if possible,making it cheaper…(sigh)
Sorry I'll pass. Can't get over the fugly forehead tumuor look.
Great performance, practicality, surprisingly nifty interior,and I sure like the road tax…..if only it wasn't so quarky looking.Then again it wouldn't be a Ssangyong. Great review.
Buy now when it still looks good, buy now b4 ssyong ruin it like they ruin the rexton
At one glance, it looks like somebody forgot to put the front grille. And may be, a little bit plain from the side profile..
But the specs are impressive. Might seriously consider this one later on (read: used market), especially because of the rear coil spring suspension – just like Honda Ridgeline.
guys if compare this car with nissan X-trail whats the result??
Please advise!!!!
To HenryChang. Ssangyong Actyon Sport SUT is a pick up truck. Nissan X-Trail is SUV. Both are different class.
To Paul Tan. Thanks for the great review. Hopefully can give Joe Ooi an additional choice in his shopping list beside Toyota Hilux.
true true…….he like the design meh??
good, but still the Ford Ranger is better…
saw one in town few months back.
people scratching their heads wondering this thing is a car or space ship.
nevertheless, bravo for uniqueness..
yea….ford ranger rules
Paul, i'm seriously considering getting an Actyon, BUT apparently with all the extra accessories, the car could cost over 100k. every other pick ups, which boasts greater cc comes below 93k. Btw, i'm talking bout an auto transmission pick up. why is ssang yong pricing a lower cc car higher than other notable pick up manufacturers?
secondly, can i know the mileage consumption for the actyon auto??? i've even asked the saleslady at their pj showroom (near BAT factory), but surprise surprise, they didnt know. Ford ranger boasts 14km's per litre. This is soo much better than my modified wila………
Paul, pls advice me
Yes, I agreed that the pricing a bit steep or highest among the pick up when you install the canopy and other accessories.
I would like to put myself as a potential customer to analyze the overall aspect of the package before conclude my finding or decision. Of course, Ssyangyong did carry out the market survey before come out with this vehicle, right?
1. Pricing Range between the pick-up segments.
The highest pricing if I compared to Hilux, Triton, Ranger (They are giving high discount now). With RM 94.5K OTR plus canopy for this car will be hitting RM 100k. This pricing look very stiff to the pick-up users even though the interior quality is more superior. Of course, if you compare to the Kyron’s pricing then this is value for money but again the benchmark should be Pick-up truck range at 90K.
They make the customer to have a choice between quality interior with unproven rally engine as compared to lower price and proven rally engine. So which one to go?
As on my point of view with the price at RM 100K. Ssangyong intention is just to attract some potential customer from the new pick-up truck buyer or sedan car market instant of go all out to capture the whole market as no :1 in Malaysia like Toyota Hilux.
The following consideration if I opt for Actyon:
1) In the event that the take up rate for Actyon is not very encouraging after one year of launching due to highest pricing among the pick up. Do you think Ssanysong will provide further discount like your Kyron now? If you provide further discount, how do you feel as a 1st batch Owner like what had happen to Kyron /Rexton Owner?
As my observation, a lot of company tries to price according to the bench mark (like better interior quality therefore prices a bit higher) just to provide the alternative market share instead of hitting the No:1 target of market share.To be precise, they should provide hot selling car within the RM 90K for top range Actyon better than give discount later and make the Owner lost confidence in their product.(Rexton/Kyron is a good example not to follow – bad resale value due to new car dropping price)
I think that they should price their car below RM 90K OTR for Auto and to hit the Market with a “surprise†pricing like what the Honda city DSI did to Toyota on 2003 whereby they price the car below RM 79K.
Ssangyong need to gain the trust from Malaysian market first (in term of reliability, performance, reasonable parts cost) before hitting and export to other potential Asean market like Thailand, Indonesia, Filipina.
Reduce the profit margin and think long term is the key of “Success†for this "ACTYON".
Sure can pakai ka this review? Aren't you guys being paid for a good review by Ssangyong? He he he he he he…
As for the canopy, that one coming up. Our friend should learn to sit and chit chat with the other people instead chatting up with computers. Then u can get inside scoop and you dont have to depend on penakut penakut who will come in here and tell stories about their own companies which put food on their tables.
Took a test drive recently. Seems to me that the steering is twitchy, the power assist comes on and goes off in phases, leaving a steering wheel that alternates between feather light and then heavy without any rhyme or reason.
The strange looks are not much of an issue. Though it leaves me with an illusion that the passenger cabin is actually smaller than it should be.
Overall ride quality is reasonable. Lower CG makes a huge difference relative to other trucks.
Nice vehicle for the casual soft roader willing to gamble against murky resale market.
My 2 cents worth.
I am from Singapore, driving a Musso Sports (MT).
Our Club was invited by local SssangYong Authorised dealer (Motorway) to test drive Actyon Sports.
After test drive both Manual & Auto version, my personal experience & view on Actyon Sports are:
– look a bit funny, but acceptable
– cabin size is slightly smaller then my Musso Sports
– Actyon Sports is much more powerfull (especially the MT version) then Musso Sports, even Actyon Sports only a 2L Mec Engine
– it’s pick up speed is quite fast, within 10 sec able to reach 130Km/H (Auto version)
My concern is the accessories, as it is very new in Singapore, no accessory selling!
Anyone there at Malaysia know are there accessories shop sell Actyon Sports at JB?
is there any non sport version here?
looking foward to see it..
hi Guys,
any one there can advise the FC of Actyon Sports 4×2 & 4×4?
thanks in advance
My4x4 SsangYong Truck has a Injections problems. I need to know where can I buy the originals Injector in Ontario Canada?
i'm living in Bangkok and considering
Sorry guys I pressed submit before finishing the 1st message, I'm a Malaysian living in Bangkok and considering Sport Utility Coupe at show room today selling 2WD (RM165k), or 4WD (175K). It's has full cover similar BMW X6 and didn't realised it's from pickup model until i saw this website.
1. Considering the price comparision – it's quite high for fully covered one in Thailand, pls comment.
2. The sale person recommended 4WD, but the article above says something that is not good to have it only for on road use – pls advise, Rgds.
sangyong actyon front and back exhober
how much
Almost all new hyundai's (accept accent, elantra) have the an lcd display with the gear on automatic models
Ssangyon Actyon Sports for SALE!!
RM 79k Negotiable
please email me at [email protected]
I wounder will it have the same problem as the kyron and that is welding the glow plugs to the head and costing almost the same price as buying a hole new power unit just to get fixed. This is a problem that Ssangyong know about but chose not to tell anyone until it turns up in you car and more than likely after the warinty has run out.
Hi
I have a dent in the left front door of my Ssangyong Actyonsport.
How do I remove the door panel to push out the dent –
I have tried, it almost came out but not completely, there is something holding it and I don’t want to force it out.
Thanks
I need to have a flat cover my acytonsport ( 2007 model ) . Please let me know where to get this fixed in kuala lumpur..?
I am considering buying 2nd hand. Are spare parts easy to find ? Are their cost reasonable ?
Good solid vehicle, I own one for the past 7 years but now it’s calling for parts which I’m finding hell to locate. can anyone direct me to a website where I can purchase parts//// thank you..
I’d block the gearbox of my actyon in position P ?? but I don’t find where can I deblock it, where is the button?
Regards