CarBrandLogos archive · SsangYong · 1993

SsangYongMusso

Mercedes engines, a British design school shape, and opinions in every direction.

Photo: Damian B Oh · CC BY-SA 4.0

The story

A defining chapter in SsangYong history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the SsangYong Musso, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

SsangYong signed a technology agreement with Mercedes-Benz in the early 1990s, and the Musso was the first serious result. Launched in 1993, it was a body-on-frame mid-size SUV using Mercedes-derived petrol and diesel engines and transmissions, aimed at a Korean market where four-wheel drive was becoming aspirational rather than agricultural.

Ssangyong Musso 602EL 2.9d 1997 · order_242 from Chile · CC BY-SA 2.0

Design and engineering

The styling came from Ken Greenley of the Royal College of Art, and it divided people permanently: a high, curved body with a heavily raked screen and an oddly tapering tail that looked either sculptural or unresolved depending on who was asked. The mechanical package was better than the reputation, and the Musso built a following among caravan owners and horse trailer users who wanted Mercedes running gear at Korean prices.

2018 SsangYong Musso · User3204 · CC BY-SA 4.0

In production

A pickup version, with a bed grafted onto the back, arrived in 2002 and outlasted the SUV. The name was retired in 2005 and revived in 2018 for a double-cab pickup derived from the current Rexton, which is what the badge means in most export markets today.

0 SsangYong Musso Sports 1 · Benespit · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1993–2005

Body

plainlist

Technical specification

The Musso, in detail.

Production: 1993–2005; 2018–present
Class: plainlist ; Mid-size SUV (1993–2005) ; Mid-size pickup truck (2002–2011, 2018–present) endplainlist
Body style: plainlist ; 5-door SUV (1993–2005) ; 4-door double cab (2002–2005, 2018–present) endplainlist
Layout: plainlist ; Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive ; Front-engine, four-wheel-drive endplainlist
Manufacturer: SsangYong Motor (1993–2005, 2018–2023); KGM (2023–present)

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