SsangYong Musso Saracen £34,250

The South Korean manufacturer is aiming to take the pickup market by storm and Ed Coles is impressed with this powerful workhorse

- Ed Coles

It’s not often that we get a new 4x4 from a relatively new manufacturer — or so I thought. It was 1993 when we saw the first incarnation of SsangYong’s Musso and it was a very different beast to the latest version. Originally the vehicle was more of an SUV — now the South Korean outfit is attempting to take on the big boys of the pickup world.

The new Musso comes in four different guises — the entry-level EX, the Rebel, the Saracen and the all-new long-wheelbase Rhino. We’re taking a look at the Saracen, the highest-spec short-wheelbase version. It comes with a 2.2-litre diesel engine and is available with automatic or manual gearbox.

With pickup trucks, you are limited as to how interesting you can make them look, but SsangYong has done a pretty good job of catching the eye, particularly from the front. The oversized doors and slightly contoured rear panes give it hints of a high-end SUV. Likewise, the stylish wide-boy aesthetics of the front bumper, with massive grille and lights, do look high-end and pretty damn smart.

Everything looks big, from the 19in alloys to the side steps and the height of the rear side panels. In fact, the only thing that doesn’t look big is the loading bay.

Clearance isn’t too bad, though the front bumper could do with sitting slightly higher. With a minimum clearance of 215mm, it sits slightly lower than some of its competitors, but 15mm or so won’t cause too much of an issue.