Owner
Sarah Robinson
Kilometres travelled
75,000 - 100,000 km
Did you buy this car new or used?
Used
If used, what year did you buy it used?
2023
How much did you pay? (including all on-road costs)
$15,500
What were your needs when you bought this car? Has it fulfilled those needs?
SUV
About $14000
Under 100000km
4WD
Must fit my garage
That was the entire list of requirements. It fulfilled them 100%. It was asking $16000 which was the very top of my budget but i was a cash buyer and was happy to do that for the right car.
What were your initial thoughts about the car? Tell us why it appealed to you.
I had never heard of it i knew of ssangyong if course (our work vehicles are rextons). I was thinking along the lines of a hyundai tuscon or toyota rav 4 circa 2010-2015,
Having owned both types of vehicles in the past i was happy to go there again. Basically i wanted a small suv that was skifield/forestry rd capable that i could tow a 20ft trailer yacht if required.
It had a nice line to look at, so was visually appealing. It was silver - but I didn’t really care what the colour was! Its foot print was 10cm longer and 7cm wider than the laser i was driving so i knew it would fit into my garage.
It was AWD, sports modell - 6 speed auto, 2 litre engine, 75000 km, 2018, way more specs inside than I expected (6 speed, traction control, auto everything , sump guard, engine bay and underside really tidy - it clearly had not ben used 4wd - i test drove it before it had been detailed. It wasn’t even on the lot yet). mint condition.
The salesman said he had a new trade in that wasn’t ready for show out the back but it was $2000 over my stated budget if i was interested - i was!
It performed well on test drive - open road, town parking etc, met my visual inspection requirements under the hood and chassi etc.
What have you discovered since owning the car?
I love it! This little car is really comfy to drive. It drops gear and accelerates at the top of hatepe hill (no probs passing anything) exactly on demand.
It doesn’t care how many people you stuff in it, how much junk you carry, how many SUPS you stick on it - it just performs.
Infact - i took this wee beast up 90 mile beach and exited via the Te Paki stream. In a storm! It didn’t miss a beat.
I bet the designers at ssangyong never thought someone would do that to their wee car!
What do you like/dislike about the car?
I like everything about it. After one year of driving it I haven’t found a dislike yet.
Any other comments on the car?
This wee car has exceeded my expectations of what i thought i could purchase within my budget. I am so glad i got it when i did (2 days post Gabrielle in the central north island).
I haven’t been tracking the used car market since but i was expecting a lot of competition in the second hand market and prices to go up considerably. Also potential for a bunch of flood damaged vehicles to start appearing at that point.
Reliability
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Features/technology
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Performance/economy
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Value for money
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Overall rating
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Lastly, would you buy this vehicle again?
Yes
Why would/wouldn't you buy it again?
If I didn’t it would only be be if i could afford a new car - esp if toyota ever bring out the three dour rav 4 again which was my alltime favourite car after my Mazda Rx3.
Or I could afford a mustang…😎😎