The Turismo is the biggest family car in the SsangYong range and offering great value for money is its main goal. It does this by offering lots of practicality for considerably less money than you’d normally need to spend on a new car this big.

While the starting price for the Turismo MPV is very low for a seven-seater, the range-topping ELX model we tested is considerably more expensive, but it does still manage to undercut other new MPVs of a similar size.

The Turismo is the successor to the SsangYong Rodius, a car which had looks that could be described, at best, divisive. Noticeably square rear-end aside, the styling of the Turismo is far less likely to stir up any strong reactions from onlookers. The most striking thing is the sheer size of the car, it’s longer than a Range Rover and together with the car’s tall stature gives it plenty of road presence.

Despite its low price range, the SsangYong Turismo is one of the rarer MPVs on British roads. But does it deserve to remain such a niche product?

Performance

There’s only one engine available for the SsangYong Turismo, a 2.2-litre diesel that delivers 176bhp and 360Nm of torque.

A six-speed manual gearbox is standard for this MPV, except when picking the range-topping ELX trim we tested, which only uses the Mercedes-sourced seven-speed automatic ‘box.

The engine’s output figures may look decent on paper but this unit does struggle and gets noisy hauling the 2.1 tonne weight of the Turismo, especially from the initial get-go. It gets better once you’ve built up speed and feels more assured on the motorway.

Having the smooth gear changes offered by the automatic ‘box helps, so this is definitely the transmission we’d recommend. For this particular specification, the 0-62mph sprint is covered in around ten seconds.

Ride and Handling

This car does lean a lot through corners and the steering feels numb and offers barely any feedback.

Unless you pick the standard, front-wheel-driven SE trim, the Turismo utilises four-wheel drive. Even with this set-up though, there’s no getting away from the feeling that the Turismo has several shortcomings when it comes to its drive. The tall, cushiony suspension set-up works well while driving on the motorway. On more uneven roads, the Turismo does tend to soak up the bumps but the car tends to rattle a lot in the process and the ride feels floaty. Largely because of its tall ride height and body, this car does lean a lot through corners and the steering feels numb and offers barely any feedback. If you’re familiar with driving large, van-based MPVs or four-wheel drive SUVs, then the Turismo’s driving characteristics are probably something you’ll get used to quickly. Big MPVs are not exactly renowned for their driving dynamics, but the Turismo’s do feel a long way behind what other large MPVs in today’s market can offer, particularly the likes of the Ford S-MAX and SEAT Alhambra.

Interior and Equipment

In South Korea, the Turismo is available in a stretched minibus configuration that can seat up to 11 people.

Practicality is the main selling of this car and the Turismo certainly delivers on this front. It’s almost mind boggling how much space you’ll find when you step into this car’s cabin. Whereas most seven-seater cars go for a 2+3+2 seat layout, the Turismo goes for an unconventional 2+2+3 layout instead. That means that between the middle seats, there’s a sizeable gap to walk through to access the rear seats. Space all-round for each passenger is plentiful, and at the same time you get a boot which offers 875 litres as standard. That’s way more than the standard boot space of other seven-seater MPVs and, if you only need the front seats, you can even expand load capacity to a gigantic figure of 3,146 litres. Weaknesses of the cabin include the panels and materials used which look and feel cheap. Also, while visibility at the front is decent, the rear seats obscure the window at the back so you can hardly see what’s directly behind you without parking aids. At least this budget MPV does offer a decent amount of kit for your money. The ELX trim we tested came with standard leather seats (heated at the front), air conditioning, heated windscreen and rear privacy glass. A reversing camera is available as a £198 option. For £900 you can add a touchscreen infotainment system, which features sat-nav, DAB, MP3, CD/DVD, iPod and Bluetooth functionality. While these functions are welcome on a family car, this device does feel fiddly to use.

Cost

Officially the Turismo with four-wheel drive and the automatic ‘box returns 36.2mpg, while other specifications record just under 40mpg.

The SsangYong Turismo starts at £18,995 which is remarkably low compared to most other new seven-seater MPVs, although the Kia Carens slightly undercuts this. The range-topping ELX model we drove costs £24,995 (without options), but that is similar to the starting price of certain seven-seaters and it convincingly undercuts similarly equipped rivals. You should be wary though - the fuel economy and CO2 emissions are things which undermine the saving you can make from the initial purchase. Officially the Turismo with four-wheel drive and the automatic ‘box returns 36.2mpg, while other specifications record just under 40mpg. Even if you hit those official figures, the Turismo doesn’t fare so well when you consider that other modern day seven-seater MPVs record close to 60mpg. The Turismo also emits between 189g/km with the manual transmission or up to 205g/km in the range-topping specification we tested. There are rivals which offer powertrains that emit around 60 to 70g/km less.

Our Verdict

The SsangYong Turismo doesn’t try and be anything it’s not – a huge budget family car that can fit seven people and lots of luggage with ease. If you want a more practical people carrier, then you’d have to start considering a minibus. The sheer practicality of this car is compelling in a way, but that doesn’t mask the car’s shortcomings in terms of driving dynamics, performance and running costs. If you’re determined to get a really big car that can carry a lot of people and items at once for a relatively low budget, and you don’t care about the quality of the drive or cabin, then you can make a case for the Turismo. You may want to consider one of the cheaper trims ahead of the range-topping ELX in that case, to maximise the savings. Just make sure you factor in how regular the fuel trips are likely to be and the cost of options you may deem vital - like the parking camera or sat-nav.