South Korea's Ssangyong Boxer to fight alone

By John Aglionby and Alastair Doak

SOUTH KOREAN manufacturer Ssangyong has put on hold any decision to expand its four-wheel drive Boxer lineup.

A spokesman for Indomobil, the local importer and distributor, said the current economic crisis meant it would wait until next year before deciding whether to bring in a 2.8-liter diesel version to join the 3.2-liter gasoline model.

"We have applied for the license and are waiting for approval. However, we are going only one step at a time, and considering the current state of the economy, we are going to wait until next year to see if it settles down before making a decision."

He said there were no plans to introduce the older 2.3-liter gasoline model.

Ssangyong launched its 3.2-liter gasoline version very quietly on June 9, and saw moderate sales until the value of the rupiah started to tumble.

Since then, it has been hit by the double blow of market demand drying up and increased production costs due to imports becoming more expensive.

"Only the battery and the horn are local, everything else is imported," the spokesman said.

This includes the Mercedes Benz engine, which is imported from Germany by Mercedes' local arm and then assembled before being sold on to Ssangyong.

Increased import costs have also forced Indomobil to raise the on-the-road price from Rp 153 million in June, to Rp 159.75 million, although this is a drop in price in dollar terms from US$62,500 (converting using the rate in June) to $43,800 (using the current rate).

"The price increase was entirely because of the falling rupiah, nothing else," the spokesman said.

Ssangyong has a long heritage of building four-wheel drives, having done so for more than 40 years with most doing service in the military.

With that experience, it is no surprise that Ssangyong took on the midsize four-wheel drive sector with its first mass-market vehicle.

However, by international standards, Ssangyong Motor Co is a minnow, so it called in Mercedes-Benz to help it develop the Musso and supply well-proven automotive technology.

Mercedes-Benz engineers helped sort the car's suspension and the German carmaker also supplied both petrol and diesel engines. It also improved the company's production processes to reduce costs and improve quality.

At present, Mercedes-Benz owns just 5 percent of the South Korean carmaker but it is expected to increase its share as it strengthens its engineering links.

Ssangyong's first car, the Chairman, which is now on sale in South Korea, is based on the superseded E-Class Benz and it is also building some of the German carmaker's commercial vehicles under license.

Petrol versions of the Boxer, which is sold in other markets as the Musso, get virtually the same in-line six-cylinder 3.2- liter six-cylinder engine found under the bonnet of an E-Class.

With 161kW of power and 310Nm of torque available, the smooth, free-revving engine manages to push the heavy 2,050kg Boxer along at a decent pace, although it needs a few revs on board before it starts to fly.

Once it gets going, however, it is one of the fastest midsize models around. The engine also sounds good at high revs, although low down, the sound is more akin to a drone.

It mates to a Mercedes-Benz four-speed automatic and as you would expect, the gearbox delivers smooth, crisp changes.

The Boxer scores well in ride and handling with its suspension designed for good on-road performance rather than ultimate off- road grip.

At the front is an independent setup with double wishbones and torsion bars, while at the back is a five-link live axle.

Body roll is well controlled and the feeling of stability is helped by reasonably direct and well-weighted power assisted rack and pinion steering.

So, mechanically it does well. Where many customers may lose interest is in its looks.

Penned by British stylist Ken Greenly, who has had a hand in many projects, including the Bentley Continental R and Azure, the Boxer certainly looks distinctive.

Whether it passes or fails the styling test is up to you.

The design loses points for the small, flat and high-mounted exterior door handles which vertically challenged buyers will find difficult to use. The interior door handles are also too small and fussy.

Inside, the Boxer, which is considerably wider than most of its rivals, offers large amounts of space for five passengers and the trunk is also big. A seven-seat version is being considered.

What lets it down compared with most of its Japanese rivals is the low-rent plastic which is used on the bottom half of the dashboard and the strongly colored fake wood, which looks like bright fake wood.

Criticism can also be leveled at the standard four-speaker stereo because it provides muddy, average sound and the range- topping model comes with a sunroof that does not have a blind to shade front seat passengers from the sun.

The Mercedes-Benz heart of the Musso will no doubt lure a steady supply of customers but they will be getting a vehicle that is more than just an engine.