2019 SsangYong Musso Wants To Be Europe’s Honda Ridgeline

The SsangYong Musso (Korean for rhinoceros) name is back, and this time it’s used on a new pickup truck.

Launched at the Geneva Motor Show, it has the more lofty, 4-door versions of the Nissan Navara, Renault Alaskan, Mitsubishi L200 in its sight. It shares its body-on-frame construction with the new Rexton.

It’s claimed to carry over 1-tonne (2,205lbs) in load weight, tow trailers of up to 3.5 tonnes (7,716lbs), and haul a full-sized Euro pallet in its bed.

Inside, the crew-cab body style can sit five adults, who will notice the layout identical to the Rexton, with a few nips and tucks here and there. The range-topping model gets Nappa leather seats, infotainment system with 8-inch screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, DAB Radio, Bluetooth, and others.

The exterior of the 2019 SsangYong Musso is very similar to that of its SUV sibling too, and those who want to sacrifice comfort for style can have the truck with wheels up to 20-inch in size, on the top-of-the-line grade.

Even the 2.2-liter turbodiesel engine is shared with the Rexton, and it delivers an identical output of 181PS (178hp) and 420Nm (310lb-ft) of torque. It works together with a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission to channel the output to the four-wheel drive system, with RWD mode, high and low ratios.

The new SsangYong Musso will arrive at dealers in selected European markets later this year, including in the United Kingdom, with pricing and specifications to be confirmed.