SsangYong Turismo (2013 – 2018) Review

The SsangYong Turismo was a good-value, large MPV when new and it retains these virtues as a used car choice. It’s not going to win any beauty pageants, but then neither are rivals such as the Hyundai i800 or ever popular Ford Galaxy. Read on for our full SsangYong Turismo review.

The SsangYong Turismo was a heavily updated version of the SsangYong Rodius, which although cheap, was widely regarded as one of the ugliest cars ever produced.

While the SsangYong Turismo could hardly be classed as a looker, either, it’s a huge improvement over its bizarre predecessor.

It wasn’t just a set of new clothes, though – the SsangYong Turismo underwent some more fundamental changes, including an improved interior and simplified engine range.

There was originally just one engine: a 155PS 2.0-litre diesel. It’s a bit gruff and inefficient by competitors’ standards, but it offers reasonable performance.

This was replaced in late 2013 by a 2.2-litre diesel developing 179PS and 400Nm torque. Better still, the original automatic transmission was replaced by a seven-speed auto.

The SsangYong Turismo is fine if driven gently, like a taxi, but ponderous on roundabouts and, while the ride is reasonably smooth, it’s loud over potholes and the car can wallow through corners if taken too quickly.

It’s relaxed to drive rather than fun, but this is all beside the point, because the seven-seater is all about practicality.

The cabin has space to accommodate a driver and six adult passengers comfortably, along with all of their luggage. Both the centre and rearmost rows of seats can be moved backwards and forwards or folded to maximise space, and there are plenty of cubbyholes and useful touches.

Indeed, as a generously sized family car, it works well.

A seven-year warranty was introduced in 2018, as well some neat features like all-wheel drive on top models.

There’s enough on offer for the SsangYong Turismo to overcome many of its shortcomings. It’s not a great car, but it’s difficult to argue with the amount of space it offers for relatively little money.

Fancy a second opinion? Read heycar's SsangYong Turismo review here.

The steering of the SsangYong Turismo feels slow and ponderous, while the comfort-oriented suspension means corners and roundabouts aren’t taken with any kind of zeal.

There’s plenty of body roll and little side support from the seats. 

Additionally, while the suspension offers a decent amount of ride comfort, it doesn’t absorb potholes particularly quietly – the cabin can get quite noisy over rough surfaces and there’s plenty of wind noise at motorway speeds.

Thankfully, at higher speeds the engine is pretty quiet, if not entirely silent.

As standard, the SsangYong Turismo was sold with rear-wheel drive. That’s fine for most users, but those who live out of town might be better off with the top-spec all-wheel-drive automatic.

It is a genuine all-wheel-drive system with selectable high-range and low-range, and the smooth automatic gearbox has a winter setting, so it ought to cope with poor weather.

The SsangYong Turismo was only offered with one engine choice at any one time, initially with a 2.0-litre diesel with 155PS and then a 176PS 2.2 turbodiesel.

Both are a bit rough and ready, lacking the refinement you’d expect from a manufacturer like Ford or Volkswagen, but the 2.0 has enough torque (360Nm) to move the MPV along at a perfectly reasonable pace.

The 2.2-litre diesel that was introduced in 2016 was at least an improvement, although not up to the standard of modern diesels. Again, don’t expect whisper-quiet performance, but it at least makes an attempt at being a bit quieter.

Cheaper models come with a six-speed manual gearbox which does the job, but we’d look for the automatic which is much better suited to a big car like the SsangYong Turismo.

It’s a Mercedes-sourced gearbox and one of the model’s major plus points, with smooth if not especially quick changes. Early models had five speeds, but later versions got an improved seven-speeder.

All SsangYong Turismo models get dual front airbags and side airbags, ESP stability control, active rollover protection and a brake assist system.

If you’re fitting child seats, there are Isofix mounts on the two seats in the middle row, but none in the three rear seats.

Because the SsangYong Turismo is fairly heavy and has a good peak torque output, it is rated to tow a braked trailer up to 2500kg.

SsangYong even offers a relatively inexpensive tow bar kit as an optional extra, so in top spec the car is a good bet for those who regularly haul horse boxes or caravans, thanks to its all-wheel-drive system.

All models can pull an unbraked trailer up to 750kg.

The SsangYong Turismo might not be the most accomplished all-round car, but it offers a lot of practicality – with some caveats – for relatively little money.

It has seven seats in total – two up front, two in the middle and three at the rear – and they’re all capable of comfortably seating adults.

The layout means getting in and out of the back row is very easy – there’s no crawling through a tiny gap to reach the rearmost seats. It’s the ideal layout for families with more grown-up children. Both rows slide forward and back to create the optimum blend of legroom and luggage space.

With most seven-seat people carriers, having the rear row in place means sacrificing most of the boot space. That’s not the case with the SsangYong Turismo – even with the rear row of seats pushed right back, there’s still 875 litres of load space, which is enough for plenty of luggage or a very large family shopping trip.

The load capacity can be extended to a colossal 3146 litres, but to make the most of it the rear rows of seats have to be completely removed, which isn’t much use if you don’t have a garage to store them in.

Folding them forward provides a useful amount of space though, which is fine for loading the likes of suitcases or flatpack furniture.

There are plenty of little touches to enhance practicality further too, such as picnic tables in the seat backs and numerous bottle holders, pockets and cubbyholes.

There’s also a well hidden storage bin between the front seats, which is ideal for hiding odds and ends out of sight.

Material quality is okay. The dashboard has a decent soft-touch covering, but there are some old-fashioned plastics throughout the cabin and the grey leather upholstery would look more upmarket if it were black.

The SsangYong Turismo misses sliding side doors, which usually improve access to the rear of the car massively.

Instead, the doors are traditionally hinged, but they still open wide enough to offer reasonable access. So it’s not that much of a problem unless you’re in a tight car park.

The SsangYong Turismo was fitted with an aftermarket Kenwood infotainment system. It feels very dated but it does the job, albeit in a clunky manner.

It’s not the nicest looking of things, nor is it especially intuitive to use, and the base SsangYong Turismo S models don’t even get this as they stick with a basic CD player with an iPod connector.

This will date the cabin to roughly prehistoric times in the eyes of some drivers. 

The newer SsangYong Turismo ELX model is better and at least makes an attempt at modernity with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can hook your phone up and bypass the system to use your phone for music and sat-nav.

It’s a wise idea to swerve past the SsangYong Turismos that have served as high-mileage private hire taxis.

The diesel engines can take plenty of miles, but the cabins will be showing their age and hard use. Much better to look for a nine-year-old example with 50,000 miles that will cost around £7500.

If you want a newer SsangYong Turismo, a six-year-old example with 30,000 miles to its name is going to require about £12,000.

This is a lot less than you will spend on a Volkswagen Caravelle of the same age and mileage.

The older 2.0-litre turbodiesel might look like the more economical bet, but bear in mind its combined fuel economy was assessed under the old NEDC regime.

As a result, its claim of up to 37.2mpg is optimistic at best, and you can expect closer to 30mpg in real-world use.

The 2.0 diesels pay road tax at £385 per year while those registered from 1 April 2017 pay the flat rate of £190 per annum.

The 2.2-litre’s carbon dioxide emissions of between 199g/km and 212g/km mean road tax will stretch from £385 to £415 depending on which exact trim and gearbox you choose.

Our Real MPG data shows the 2.2 diesel that claims an official best of 36.2mpg will give about 32mpg in normal driving. 

Insurance for the SsangYong Turismo is typical of a large MPV, and starts in group 27 (out of 50) for the SsangYong Turismo ES versions. At the top of the pile is the SsangYong Turismo ELX with four-wheel drive in group 36.

Servicing costs will be much the same as for other big seven-seat MPVs; be aware that SsangYong dealers are now branded KGM if you want to use a franchised service outlet.

The SsangYong Turismo S trim comes with automatic air-conditioning, seven seats, Isofix mounting for the middle two seats, 16-inch steel wheels, height-adjustable driver’s seat, fabric upholstery and electric front and rear windows.

It also has seat back tables, electric door mirrors, foot-operated parking brake, CD player with iPod connection, Bluetooth and roof rails.

The SsangYong Turismo ES adds leather upholstery, privacy glass, 16-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, rear parking sensors and a full-sized spare wheel.

The SsangYong Turismo ES Auto models gain an automatic gearbox and cruise control.

With the SsangYong Turismo EX, you gain selectable all-wheel drive with low-range, 17-inch alloy wheels, solar controlled glass, heated lower windscreen and automatic wipers.

The trims were changed in 2016 and S, ES and EX were replaced with the comparable SsangYong Turismo SE, SsangYong Turismo EX and a new high-spec SsangYong Turismo ELX model.

The SsangYong Turismo ELX is the one to seek out as it gets cruise control, parking sensors, privacy glass, 16-inch alloys, and heated front seats. It also has Bluetooth, DAB, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a rear view camera.