The name of the company that presented the new C / D class SUV in Frankfurt at the 2005 Motor Show translates as "Two Dragons". The miniature wings of these flying reptiles adorn the hood of the SsangYong Kyron. Updated in 2007, this crossover is being produced to this day, and, I must say, is popular not only in the post-Soviet space, but also in the EU countries.
The main technical solutions of Korean designers, used in this car in the "first generation", remain relevant today. This is clearly evidenced by the fact that the new Roewe W5 SUV from the Chinese company SAIC, developed entirely on the basis of Kyron and announced for release in the fall of 2010, according to experts, will not be a car of yesterday, but of tomorrow.
The SsangYong Kyron is a five-door, rear-wheel drive, plug-in front axle SUV. The body design of Sang Yong Kyron, created by a team of designers led by Ken Greenlee, suggests that the exterior and interior were developed initially for different cars, their basic solutions are so different.
From the outside, SsangYong Kyron looks as unusual and strange as its name. Rear view - The powerful passenger compartment rests on a stand of widely spaced light blocks. And the lanterns themselves have a very unusual look. In profile - sporty lines, negated by a short and snub nose. The angle of inclination of the windshield testifies to the good aerodynamics of the SsangYong Chiron body, but the lower edges of the side windows tapering towards the stern create the impression of excessive stern weight. A somewhat strange mixture of stylistic devices is striking from the front view. The predatory grin of the chrome grille SsanEng Kyron, in combination with the protruding overlay above the bumper and very narrow, Asian-style slanting headlights, as well as the complete absence of visible metal above the windshield, evoke an association with the face of a prehistoric man - the same low forehead, heavy front jaw.
The interior of SsangYong Kyron is quite spartan, but does not cause negative emotions. The space of the salon not only allows you to freely accommodate 5 people declared by the company in Sang Yong Kyron, but also to take all available pets to their company, including a couple of Great Danes. The driver's seat has a lot of adjustments, including very comfortable lumbar support. The passenger sofa is deep, soft enough, and its back also has adjustments, and even in three planes.
The folded backrest forms a huge flat platform with the luggage compartment floor. The trunk of the SunEng Kyron is quite voluminous, the floor level in it is high, but this is quite justified - under it are hidden toolboxes, an excellent set of which is supplied even in the basic configuration.
An interestingly executed dashboard, the entire top of which is molded from plastic in a single piece. With this design, the noise in motion will obviously be less. The controls are located a little unusual, but quite conveniently, the soft orange backlight allows you to see the readings of the instruments in any light. The right knee has a stand with additional control buttons. We must pay tribute to the designers of SsangYong Kyron, it is located in such a way that it is comfortable for the hand to reach, but the leg is not cramped. The only drawback is the transmission shift wheel, which does not have a position fixation and scrolls at the slightest touch. But the steering wheel, as for this class of cars, is simply outstanding - a thick leather-covered wheel that fits comfortably in the hand on a column that is adjustable in tilt.
Chiron's equipment is also impressive - even the base model has climate control, heated front seats and a protective net between the passenger compartment and the luggage compartment. The luggage compartment is equipped with an electrical outlet - a rarity for cars of Asian origin.
Under the hood, the SsangYong Kyron New is a two-liter turbo diesel with direct injection, delivering 141 hp. at four thousand revolutions, or a gasoline four-cylinder 2.3-liter engine with a capacity of 150 hp, built on a four-valve scheme with distributed injection. Both engines can be equipped with a five-speed manual transmission or a six-speed automatic transmission.
How does all this miracle of Korean scientific and technical thought behave on the go? A small test drive of the new SsangYong Kyron with a gasoline engine and a manual gearbox left a rather pleasant impression, although the car is not without some drawbacks. The trip begins in the city, and it immediately becomes clear - if this car is intended for megalopolises, it is not for ours. At speeds up to 60 km / h, each pothole in the asphalt is felt by a toss of passengers in the back seat and a slight but tangible push to the driver's fifth point. In everything for driving in a city, the car is not bad - accelerating enough for a good start at traffic lights, with excellent soft braking characteristics and excellent maneuverability. Surprisingly, with the 4x4 mode on, Sang Yong Kyron handles just as easily as when driving on a rear wheel drive. What is missing on the Chiron is the parking sensors - the high bottom edge of the rear window obstructs the view so that no mirrors help.
On the suburban highway SsangYong Kyron also behaves decently - confidently, overcomes turns without a roll, at high speeds small potholes are no longer felt. It was possible to reach the maximum speed of 167 km / h declared by the company without much difficulty. True, somewhere after 150, the car began to be slightly demolished, I had to grab the steering wheel tightly. The noise somewhere in the area of the rear-view mirrors and some strange light whistle under the bottom interfere a little. The origin of the whistle is most likely a high landing of the car with a slight drawdown back.
But off-road, Ssang Yong Kyron New behaves flawlessly. Slowly but surely, he dragged himself onto the steep slope of the sandy hill, and when the descent to the undergrowth began, I tried out the feature of this model - the “downhill” function. I don’t know how the same car would behave without such a novelty, but it seemed to me that slipping could not be avoided in several places. Kyron descended smoothly, without the slightest desire to slide along with the sand under the wheels. Further - the real fat black soil, soggy after the rain. Wide, low profile tires (255/60) with 18-inch wheels for excellent traction. In 4x4 transmission mode, the car overcomes the remaining section of the road to the highway, and now - asphalt again.
At the end of the trip, I calculated the consumption of gasoline. In an impromptu mixed cycle, having traveled about 80 km through the city and more than a hundred outside it, the consumption was just over 11 liters per hundred. For myself, I can conclude: SsangYong Kyron is an inexpensive model of a real off-road (well, certainly not a parquet) crossover, economical to operate, designed for men who spend most of their lives behind the wheel.
SsangYong Kyron Prices in 2014: diesel 2.0Xdi with “mechanics” is sold at a price of 930 thousand rubles, and with an “automatic” from 990 thousand rubles. The petrol version of Sang Yong Kyron 2.3 can be bought at a price of 820 thousand rubles with “mechanics” and from 940 thousand rubles with “automatic”.
