SsangYong Turismo (2013 - 2019) 2.2 EX 5d Owner Review

SSANGYONG TURISMO OWNER REVIEW: Well, where do I start? It's big, infact, it's huge, it's so huge when I park it outside my house, my living room falls into darkness. If your looking for a people mover, you wont find many bigger than this. Ssangyongs Turismo comes in a choice of 4 trims, SE, EX Manual, EX Auto and ELX auto 4x4. We opted for the EX Manual, which gave us the best of both worlds. I don't like driving autos, it makes me feel lazy, but I wanted the luxuries such as comfy charcoal Leather seats, and cruise control. We also opted for the metallic space black colour, and the optional sidesteps (£546). The sidesteps really do finish the car off though, and give it the 4x4 look, they also help the Mrs into the car without the aid of a step ladder! The new 2.2 engine has plenty of power for its size, and can comfortably transport 7 adults from A-B including their luggage. MPG is just about acceptable for such a big car (28 - 35mpg combined) Interior refinement is quite good, there are a few soft touch surfaces, and quite a few not so soft touch. The standard Bluetooth radio is easy enough to use, and sound quality is acceptable. We didn't fancy the optional Kenwood sat nav unit, as our test drive car had one and I found it quite fiddly and hard to use, it also comes with a £1k price tag! Keep remembering this is a budget full size people carrier though and you will be pleasantly surprised. Front driver's seat is electrically adjustable, and it gives you a commanding position above the road in front of you. You will see many people double take in their rear view mirror when you come up behind them, most of them trying to work out the badge name. Whilst we are talking about rear view mirrors, the ssangyongs rear view mirror is absolutley useless unless you are using it to keep an eye on the offspring in the rear seats, there is no view out the rear of the car because of the height of the 3rd row seat. Because of this reason, we have had an aftermarket reverse camera fitted along with a mirror monitor that clips over the existing rear view mirror. The middle captain's chairs are comfy, with twin armrests, and as with all the other rows, they recline and slide forwards and backwards as you please. One thing that has baffled me though is that there are no cup holders for the middle row passengers. There are 4 cup holders in the front, and 4 in the back row, but the middle chairs loose out since ssangyongs removal of the seat back tables in the 2017 spec. So looks like the 3rd row passengers are playing air hostess passing the drinks backwards and forwards. Saying that there is probably enough room for a snack trolley to be pushed down the centre aisle halfway through the journey. My messy, sticky, snotty offspring are not allowed to eat or drink in my car though, so this isn't a major problem for me. If you have found yourself in the 3rd row, you still won't be disappointed, there is plenty of leg room, the only passenger who will draw a short straw of any journey will be the person sat in the middle, as the seat is raised up from the rest. it's fine for kids but 3 rugby players may struggle for shoulder room. Now for the boot, there's enough room here to store anything you like without having to fold any seats down. We've had luggage and bedding for 7 people when we went on a static caravan holiday, our weekly 2 trolly shopping fits in a breeze too, I also moved a washing machine for a friend last week without having to move the seats. All in all, the Turismo is a fantastic all rounder, we've done just over 1000 miles now and no major issues, only time will tell about reliability, but the 5 year unlimited mileage warranty gives you peace of mind, and ssangyongs are well known for their strong robust engines. I will update this review at 5000 miles if I have any issues.