1998 SSANGYONG Musso 2.3L 5MT AWD (140 HP)

Vehicle Overview

The Korean carmaker raised the bets and offered a bigger 4×4 on the market, engineered together with Mercedes-Benz.

SsangYong was not a newcomer in the off-road vehicle industry, but it wasn’t that much known on the European market. The South Korean military forces used their vehicles since the ’50s, but they were not addressed to the general public. The Musso was introduced on the market in 1993, and it won the 1994 Pharaohs Rally, but it still tried hard to convince the customers. In 1998, the Korean carmaker introduced a facelifted version for it.

Musso was designed by the British designer Ken Greenley, and five years later, the carmaker thought it might need an update. SsangYong designers softened the vehicle’s wedged shapes with a curved grille at the front and a different hood. The sloped cut for the corner-mounted turn-signals remained as a signature for the big Korean SUV.

Inside, the Musso came as standard with a luxurious interior, depending on the market. The base version featured cloth seats, while the full-option version featured leather seats, wood-trims on the dash, and a sunroof. SsangYong chose to offer the car without a stereo and let the dealers handle that. As a result, some were fitted with CD-stereo and some with cassette-players.

Under the hood, the Korean carmaker installed a choice of engines carried over from Mercedes-Benz. They were paired to either a 5-speed manual or a 4-speed automatic. The 4×4 system was standard on the entire range.