All new SsangYong Korando is ready for its big public debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month. Prior to that, the company has released the first photos and details at a private event held at the company’s home country in South Korea.
4th-gen Korando borrows bits from the larger G4 Rexton (aka Mahindra Alturas) in regards to it design language. The front, side profile creases, and headlight and taillights bear similarities.
New Ssangyong Korando incorporates the company’s ‘Blaze Cockpit’ approach with focus on digitisation. The car features a 10.25” infotainment touchscreen, and a 9” digital instrument panel. The introduction of digital panels has helped reduce the number of physical buttons and knobs to a minimum.
2019 Korando is powered by a 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine in the Korean market. The company currently uses a 1.6-litre diesel engine that returns max power of 116 PS (114 hp) and 300 Nm (221 lb-ft) of torque on its sub-compact Tivoli. For the 2019 Korando to be shown at Geneva, the engine would be mated to six-speed manual, and AT would be on offer as an option.
Safety features include auto emergency braking (AEB), Lane Keep Assist (LKAS), Driver Attention Alert (DAA), intelligent adaptive cruise control, and Safety Distance Alert. Comfort features include ambient lighting and leather upholstery. SsangYong Korando boot space is one of the largest in the segment, pegged at 551 litres (19.5 cu ft), and a power tailgate is on offer as an option.
Ssangyong says the vehicle has drawn inspiration from the e-SIV Concept unveiled at Geneva, last year. In a not so distant future, a Korando EV too will be launched. And while Ssangyong hasn’t yet made a strong foray into EVs, it’s parent company Mahindra does have EV experience. e-SIV Concept shown previously pegs output numbers at 190 PS (188 hp), and the lithium-ion battery in use has a capacity of 61.5 kWh.
Parent Mahindra has already used two world-class SsangYong SUVs for the Indian market. SsangYong Tivoli has become Mahindra XUV300, SsangYong Rexton has become Mahindra Alturas. This does indicate that there are high chances of the new Korando becoming new gen XUV500.
