2008 Ssangyong Actyon Sports review
13 Dec, 2007
24 Comments 
It’s a roomy cabin by ute standards, with plenty of head room and above average rear seat comfort. There are no child seat anchors although there are bolt-holes for them and there’s only a lap belt for the centre back-seat passenger. The front seat is also well bolstered and a closer, more supportive fit than often found in this class of vehicle.
The other aspect of roominess in a dual cab ute is the tray. At 1275mm long, 1610mm wide and 540mm deep the Actyon Sports’ tray is between 150 and 200mm shorter than that of a typical Japanese competitor but wider and deeper. The press kit mentions an 828kg load limit for the tray, up 200kg on the old Musso ute.
SsangYong have long had a technical cooperation relationship with Mercedes-Benz and the Actyon’s 2.0-litre diesel engine is based on a Mercedes-Benz design. With common-rail injection and a variable geometry turbocharger it delivers a respectable 104kW at 4000rpm and 310Nm at 1800rpm. SsangYong claims fuel consumption of 8.7 litres per 100km for the auto and 8.0l/100km for manual versions. On test it used 10.5 l/100km.
On the highway it cruises along with passenger car levels of refinement, only rarely does it need to be pushed hard enough to deliver the thrashing, braying sound that diesel utes used to inflict on their drivers from the moment the key was turned.
But there’s a major irritant in the way it coordinates with the Actyon’s Australian-made four-speed automatic. (that’s right folks, the same box as in Ford Falcons so at least overhauls will be cheap). Turbo lag, or more accurately, a combination of boost threshold lag,a modest torque endowment and a two-tonne mass can be a hassle when trying to move off smartly from rest.
Typically you’ll spot a gap in traffic while trying to get on to a busy road and push down the pedal. Nothing happens, you start saying “come one, come on, come on!”and then you bolt forward just as the gap is closing. After a whjile you learn to compensate and anticipate but spoils an otherwise impressive combination that is smooth-shifting and suffers less than expected form only having four speeds.
Off-roading was limited to a brief excursion over some rather damp fire trails but a 2.48:1 low range reduction ratio is good sign that the Actyon Sports might be a reasonably useful device in the bush . It’s selected by a small rotary switch rather than a lever. Unfortunately there’s no rear limited slip differential, which could be a weakness on muddy or severely rutted tracks.
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(14 votes, average: 3.5 out of 5)
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December 13th, 2007 at 3:57 pm
Wow.
100kw ute? hahahahaha
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December 13th, 2007 at 5:45 pm
butt ugly in and out, underpowered and not cheap enough.
if i was in the market i’d be getting a couple year old hilux, navara etc
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December 13th, 2007 at 5:59 pm
U.G.L.Y. mother, I vomit all over the place ever time I see one of these ssanyyongy’s..
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December 13th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Better than the “Musso Sports Ute” Ssang Yong use to make. But it still looks very ugly specialy from the front! Id rather spend a few extra $1000 for a rodeo etc.
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December 13th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
It doesn’t matter how good or how powerful a ute is if it is that ugly. Surely no one will buy it anyway.
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December 13th, 2007 at 8:23 pm
I tell you what if Ssang Yong reduced the car cost(amount) by about $5000 id think about buying it! But then i’ll still be miserable with everybody laughing at me and saying how ugly my car is!
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December 13th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Agreed, you’d be better buying something second hand like a Toyota that will never die, has some street-cred for said reliability, and doesn’t look like it ran into a towbar before it made it to the dealership.
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December 14th, 2007 at 9:08 am
2300 punters plonked down coin for this brand in 07′.
P.T.Barnum was 100% correct!:-)
Cheers
F-0
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December 14th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Even if it was a sexy Aston, at 100kw it is not a ute.
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December 14th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
How can any carmaker get it so wrong?!
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December 14th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
i reckon if it has the rextons front on it it might look half decent…. i have to say i have driven one and its quite a good thing
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December 14th, 2007 at 3:11 pm
It would be good as a farm work hack. its that ugly and cheap you wouldnt care if you backed into a few fence post
buy it for a song and drive it to the ground
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December 28th, 2007 at 3:46 pm
We drove past one of these crap-ssangs and i just pointed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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January 11th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Poor Ssanger, no pretty face, just solid value for money. I’ve owned a HiLux and wouldn’t have another one - overpriced and not as reliable as you’d expect. I think Toyota is trading on street cred’ it gained from the old FJ series.
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January 26th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Binaround,
If TP (Toyota Paul) heard you say that he would be spewing!
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April 2nd, 2008 at 2:15 pm
I think it looks pretty “snazzy” - a bit similar to the Mitsubishi utes. Not as boxy as the holdens and toyotas. Anyway, just haggle the dealers down a few grand & it’d be worth it as it comes with a lot of features other brands charge as extras. It’s the most environmentally friendly ute around
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April 9th, 2008 at 9:52 am
^^^^^^^^^^^^^But not the prettiest! HA!
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June 12th, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I bought my Acton Sport 4X4 over a year ago and the more i drive it the more it grows on me. So what if it looks different from the rest of the crowd. it is for those that do not follow the rest. Like the sheep in Aussie. they follow one another. Ssanyong makes its own statments and those that drive them do so too.
Just drive it for a week and you will feel different from the rest believe me.
Herbert
TRUE SSANGYONG SOUTH AFRICA
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June 24th, 2008 at 4:16 am
I have owned one 9 months now and have not regretted buying it at all. Comfortable, frugal, very quiet interior, good hifi set. Good top speed 160kph is no problem at all. Worth the price I paid.
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July 21st, 2008 at 8:48 am
Those who say 100kw is not enough for a ute are not looking at the right stats. The torque and when it kicks in is what is important in the power department and over 300nm is enough. Test drove one the other day and there seems to be plenty of power.
However what is holding me back from buying is concern about parts and service availability, durability of the tray (if it will rust like other Korean steel) and real world fuel consumption. Would love to hear from owners about those issues.
A crash test rating might reassure my partner.
A three year old Toyota costs about the same but I would have to replace the seats and live with being as unoriginal as everyone else. ;p
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November 10th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
It’s no more ugly than the new bloated whale looking HiLux or the wierd jellybean looking Triton.
I can live with the styling, but the tray overhand is enormous. Totally useless for carrying a heavy load. But then again every other twin cab on the market has the same problem - no space forward of the rear axle.
I think manufacturers have lost the plot. No tradie would buy one of the new crop. They are aimed dead on at the weekend family recreational brigade.
The grill on the Sport looks a lot like the front of an old Ford or Willys Overlander. OK by me.
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November 16th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
95% GOOD BAD CARRYING CAPACITY SUSPENSION SITS ON BUMP STOPS WITH 300KG NUDGE BAR COSMETIC & VERY FLIMSY SERVICE PERSONEL VERY GOOD BUT UPPER MANAGMENT DO NOT WANT TO HELP DAVE
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November 17th, 2008 at 9:16 am
Got one a few months ago. The breaks are of concern to me as a result of a near accident. Is the pedal supposed to hit the floor in a emergency situation or if i were to put some pressure on it for 20 seconds?. My dealer seems to think its normal but cant find anyone else to say that’s o.k. Where can i get help?
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January 4th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Ssangyong. Yes I laughed too, until we traveled over 10,000ks in outback NT in a Musso towing a 2 tonne trailer. Handled everything the toyotas did and used half as much fuel. So I bought a Sports ute which has just done a highway trip from Canberra to Newcastle and used around half a tank (around 34lts for 560ks, you do the sums). As far as the looks go they grow on you. Michael I have not had that problem with mine.( 6 months and going strong) Has it got drum or disc rear brakes? Try the roadside assist hotline. It may be a warrentee issue.
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