• Diesel 2.2-litre engine uses less fuel than old car
• Miles per gallon figures still lag behind competition
• Low asking price eroded by poor economy

The 2.2-litre diesel engine in the SsangYong Rexton is marginally cheaper to run than the old 2.0-litre, with 40.4mpg for the manual and 38.1mg for the auto gearbox.

That’s not bad considering the weight and size of the Rexton but we’d expect to see slightly less than that in normal everyday conditions, and noticeably less if you load it up regularly.

Helpfully this isn’t exactly an expensive car to start off with, but the fact it will cost you more at the pumps means that saving makes less sense financially the more miles you do.

While CO2 emissions are lower than the previous SsangYong Rexton W, they’re still wide of the mark in comparison with even the 3.0-litre V6 powered Audi Q7.

You can expect 184g/km for the manual and 194g/km for the auto model. Both are better than the old car’s lowest figure though, so that’s something.

• One recall for previous generation SsangYong Rexton
• New engine but gearbox from Mercedes-Benz
• Current model should be a reliable workhorse

Previous SsangYong Rexton models have only been the subject of a single recall, and that was only for cars manufactured between 2005 and 2010.

There’s little to suggest the Korean firm is unreliable but then there isn’t much to say it’s overly strong either.

While the engine is newly developed the gearbox is a tried-and-tested Mercedes-Benz unit, so we reckon the drivetrain will give you few problems.