Hi,
I am looking at trading in the Sorento for a new 2007 Ssangyong Rexton 11 - RX270 XDi. I know Ssangyong is not offered in the US market and is a less heard mark. But the new Rexton looks very sharp and is feature packed. A more luxurious SUV than the Sorento with a Mercedes Benz (Daimler-Chrysler) sourced Diesel Engine (Sharing with the M-Class) and a Triptronic transmission also supplied by MB. Comes standard with 18 inch wheels and has auto leveling air suspension. This is also built on a ladder frame chassis similar to the Sorento that makes it a sturdy off road machine.
I have been offered a black car with Maroon leather interior with black double stitching. I will be making a decision on this very soon. What do you think?
Any pics of this Rexton you speak of? There are so many vehicles that the US doesn't get to see.
Looks nice, but In my personal opinion the Sorie looks better. How does it compare as far as the price is involved
with a Mercedes Benz (Daimler-Chrysler) sourced Diesel Engine (Sharing with the M-Class) and a Triptronic transmission also supplied by MB.
As far as the UK is concerned I think there are fewer Ssangyong dealers than there are Kia, so that would be an issue. I looked at the original version and was not impressed with some of the finish. I don't know about the engine being shared with M class. It is MB sourced but, generally, MB won't release equipment to other manufacturers until it is past its sell-by date, so you get older technology and it makes it cheap enough. (Some may see that as a good thing
)
Got any good parts for sale?
You can view the new Rexton 11 in black in the link below which is the official website.
www.smotor.com/en/index.jsp
I too have noticed that the Rexton is not so much a popular car in all the markets that it has been offered. KIA is becoming a more accepted and known brand now Hyundai leading its way. So there is a slight worry there about the resale values of the Rexton. But the new 2007 model is a beautiful car in terms of all aspects. With the ever increasing fuel prices, the 2.7 Liter Common Rail Direct Injection Diesel Engine is a very desirable option. The Engine is developed on the superseded ML 270 five cylinder diesel engine. (The new ML is offered with a 3 Liter Diesel)
The Rexton is larger than the Sorento having more spacious interior and a real 7 seat option that gets A/C up to the 3rd row seats. It has got up-shifting and down-shifting pedals mounted on the steering.
Price vise, both the Sorento and the Rexton are in the same segment. But I feel the Rexton is offering more for the same money with the only down side being the uncertain resale values.
http://www.smotor.com/en/index.jsp
New rexton looks much better than the older ones also engines seem to be catching up ssangyong always advertised mercedes engines but didn't say they were 15 yr old tech under licence many of the mussos had serious reliability issues most smaller manufacturers seem to be getting on top of these issues be interested to know how it drives thats the fun part of buying a new car test driving all the alternatives
Yes, early Ssangyong models were bit outdated technology. But the new 2007 Rexton 11 displays word class technology in terms of Engine, Transmission, and electronics.
The car that I test drove had a firm ride on 18 inch wheels. Power was adequate. It is a fairly large vehicle, so cannot complain. Driving position was good especially with the high seating arrangement. (Better visibility than in the driver seat of the Sorento) Seats were similar to the Sorento in comfort. It is not a rocket, but a decent car that has sharp looks of a more upscale car. For family motoring, it would be an ideal choice with the added advantage of the economy of the Diesel engine. I am looking at upgrading for a more spacious and economical SUV within a limited budget. And the new 2007 Rexton 11 seems a worthy contender to me which can fit in to my requirements. Both KIA and Ssangyong are Korean makes. But Ssangyong is a specialist 4x4 manufacturer that concentrates more on luxury side of things especially with the Rexton.
In New Zealand the Rexton is about 20% dearer than the Sorento and would be lucky to sell one for every 10 Sorento's I suspect. The Engine and transmission isn't as good as the Kia's in my opinion it's very similar to the one in the Jeep over here and while it's common rail etc it's years behind the current Mercedes units, light years in fact !! The only real extra that the Rexton has is 7 seats. Personally I think it's really ugly in the front but that's just personal taste.
Cheers
Derek
Just checked out their uk web site. Seems I live closer to their Western Europe headquarters than to the nearest selling dealer - and the headquarters is about 50 miles away. Prices are a bit closer in UK, but Sorento is still cheaper to buy (at list) and cheaper to run even by SsongYong's own comparison calculator - and that is after they 'cheat' by claiming Sorento doesn't have air-con ......... mind you the option of the bigger diesel would be nice.
And about those 7 seats - seems it is still a 'dealer fit' accessory in the uk - which means it is probably the same cheap piece of cr@p I saw on the Mk 1.
On the tech side SsangYong engines are only EU3 compliant. Sorento is EU4 which is the current standard moving soon to EU5 (can't be bothered to look up the details, so don't ask please
).