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Crossover, Manufacturer, SsangYong

SsangYong designs on a bright future

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SsangYong Tivoli

By Bill McCarthy

SsangYong is a name that is still not instantly familiar, although it might have been if some of its earlier eye-popping designs had caught on.

The Korean manufacturer has been around for a while, with some quirky and frankly strange looking creations like the early Rexton, Rodius and Kyron.

The Tivoli is much more mainstream and according to the firm’s MD, is cool, quirky and stylish. Quirky in this case might be pushing it a bit, but the Korean firm’s upgraded SUV has plenty going for it, not least the price, and industry leading seven-year or 150,000 mile warranty.

The Tivoli was launched in Korea in January 2015, and in its home market sold over 3,000 vehicles a month. 

Five years on it has evolved with a refreshed look and now offers two new turbo petrol engines, a three cylinder 1.2 GDi and a four cylinder 1.5 GDi, together with an uprated version of the 1.6 diesel engine.

This latest version offers smart styling both inside and out, advanced technology and upgraded safety features to offer quite a package for an asking price starting at a smidge under £14k.

There are three trim levels including the entry-spec EX, mid-spec Ventura and the flagship Ultimate driven here.

Even for the entry level, standard kit is impressive with cruise control, electric windows, remote central locking, smart steering, DAB Radio with iPod and Bluetooth connectivity, manual air conditioning, six airbags and other electronic safety features.

 Move up the range and the features are added with the range topper here offering a host of creature comforts more often found on much more expensive vehicles, including 18-inch diamond cut alloys with road tyres, heated front leather seats, dual zone air conditioning and heated, multi-function steering wheel 

 The latest model styling while smart, is no show-stopper in the way previous SsangYongs may have been. Very European-orientated, it looks good, is practical as well as comfortable and has plenty of cargo space. It features body coloured wraparound bumpers, colour coded electric door mirrors, LED daytime running lights and fog lamps and neat LED light clusters to the rear.

This model features a 10.25-inch high resolution LCD instrument cluster which comes with a choice of bright red graphics or analogue format showing data which allows adjustment to safety comfort and technology features, including a choice of welcome chime when the ignition is switched on.

It also controls functions like navigation, infotainment and smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

The interior itself is spacious and feels well put together, if not quite as sophisticated as some, admittedly more expensive, competitors with some ordinary plastic finish and fiddly switchgear. Others like the equally affordable MG ZS and Dacia Duster score just as well here.

The leather seats on this model are comfortable and supportive and head and legroom is very good to the front and more than acceptable in the rear to accommodate five people. The rear seats feature a drop-down armrest/cupholder for extra comfort.

Boot space is decent, with 423 litres but the folding split rear seats gives extra space, up to 1,123 litres, with added practicality from the roof bars.

On the road, the 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine is a willing unit, mated with a six-speed auto box, it delivers  around 160bhp for good pace, accelerating to 60mph in around 11 seconds.

Fuel economy is fairly decent at around 37mpg.

The firm says it has paid special attention to refinement, with uprated Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) improvements to minimise road noise, while  engineers have  tuned suspension and steering for European roads for a quieter, more comfortable driving experience.

In addition, there are three driving modes: Normal, Sports, to sharpen the drive up and Winter  for a safer driving on treacherous winter roads. So handling is good  and the car feels highly manoeuvrable, especially around town and when parking, while more than capable on the motorway.

All models have six airbags and electronic safety features including stability control, collision and lane departure warning, pedestrian alert, emergency braking and distance alert, while this model adds a seventh airbag, plus front and rear parking sensors. 

It may lack some of the sophistication of its rivals, but its price tag, smart looks and world-beating warranty make it a real alternative for those on a tighter budget, or those looking for a value-for-money new car.

Factfile

SsangYong Tivoli 1.5 Ultimate Auto

Price: £21,495 

Mechanical: 163ps, 1497cc, 4-cylinder, turbocharged petrol-driven engine with six-speed automatic transmission

Max speed: 108mph

0-62mph: 11.0 seconds

Combined MPG: 36.7

Insurance group: 19

C02 emissions: 175g/km

Warranty: 7yrs/150,000 miles

Executive saloon, Volvo

Volvo on a charge

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Volvo S90

By Bill McCarthy

Volvo has been a trendsetter in many ways over the years, notably with innovative safety features, and now with electrification of the Swedish firm’s vehicles.

Thing is about Sweden, you never know when you might run not a moose on those empty roads, so the firm built in a warning system to detect extra large animals, like a wandering moose, along with a raft or other safety features. Add to this the Swedish firm’s proven all wheel drive capability, such a boon on those snowy and icy Nordic roads, and you have quite a package.

You won’t see many on most British roads, but you will see a growing number of electric powered vehicles, whether full hybrid, plug-in hybrid of full electric, so the firm has reacted to this be stating that by 2025, it wants half of its global sales volume to consist of fully electric cars, with the rest hybrids.

This big saloon is a plug-in hybrid that offers excellent fuel economy and low CO2 emissions, to make it an extremely attractive company car with lower benefit in kind payments. It is also luxurious, almost decadent, with just about every creature comfort catered for, and a few other bits and pieces as well.

It is a million miles from the tank-like Volvos of yesteryear, looking svelte and sleek. It also adds cutting-edge technologies, ranging from safety to cloud-based apps and services. In addition passengers are cossets in top end comfort, with ride and comfort, matched by few.

It has just two trim levels, R-Design and Inscription driven here, both feature the T8 twin engine technology, with petrol only and diesel abandoned.

 The two litre petrol engine is mated with an 86hp electric motor to deliver a total of 399hp.

That is a lot of power on tap and, mated with a slick eight-speed auto box, the big car delivers blistering pace, racing to 60mph in a shade under five seconds. Very impressive if you take into account the excellent economy on offer. It also has a claimed electric power only range of around 37 miles, a figure I struggled to attain, with nearer 30 miles achieved, even driving carefully. It has a theoretical range of 134 miles, which in the real world equates to nearer 60mpg. Still impressive in such a vehicle.

Having said that, a daily commute on electric only, does give mind-blowing figures, with the plug-in charge up taking around six hours. What you gain in fuel economy, you lose a little on electricity costs, but the savings are clear to see.

Driving in hybrid mode, the electric range does drain fairly quickly so switch to ‘B’ mode on the gear selector which allows the battery to regain power under braking, while slowing the vehicle by just taking your foot off the accelerator.

It has a real road presence, featuring the now-familiar Thor’s hammer style headlights, LED running lights, folding door mirrors, power boot lid, piano black front grille with chrome surrounds and twin exhaust tailpipes, and sitting in smart alloy wheels.

The interior is dominated by nine-inch, tablet style touch screen and a 12.3 inch TFT driver information display.

The touchscreen hosts the major functions, like Volvo’s Sensus infotainment system, satellite navigation, various apps, a sophisticated voice-control system, top end sound system with 10 speakers and connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

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  • Exterior Large Animal Detection Volvo S90

You can even turn the car into a WiFi hotspot thanks to the standard data SIM card and it features in-car entertainment applications such as Spotify, Pandora, Baidu or TuneIn and Volvo On Call.

Otherwise quality is exceptional with soft touch materials throughout, powered and heated leather seats which are firm and supportive and a large glass areas. Features include dual zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors, cruise control, electric windows and door mirrors sports mat and pedals.

Also standard are ambient lighting, rear footwell and side step illumination, heated sports multi-function steering wheel, heated, powered front seats with lumbar support, split folding rear seats, power folding rear backrests, and ski hatch.

It is an engaging drive, Even at high speed, engine and road noise is muted, with just a hint of wind noise from the large door mirrors. Excellent torque means motorway driving is a comfortable affair, the key acceleration range of 50-70mph achieved in what seems the blink of an eye.

In practical terms, there is much on offer including a huge, long boot with 500 litres capacity and a power-operated tailgate, which can also be operated with a ‘kick’ function to trigger a sensor beneath the boot.

All models  are packed with safety equipment, which goes without saying on a Volvo, with full complement of airbags and a raft of driver, passenger and pedestrian safety technology. Neat options include automatic parking and  360 degree camera, where the surround view from the four wide-angle lens cameras appears on the centre touch screen at even at very low speeds.

 It also includes City Safety, part of the Intellisafe package, which includes pedestrian, cyclist and the now famed Nordic ‘moose’ detection.

Factfile

Volvo S90 Recharge Plug-in Hybrid T8 AWD Inscription

Price: £56,155

Mechanical: Combined 390bhp, two litre petrol engine and electric motor  driving all wheels via 8-speed automatic gearbox

Insurance: 42E

Max speed: 112 mph

0-62mph: 4.8 seconds

Combined mpg: 104-148mpg

CO2 emissions: 44-61g/km

Warranty: 3yrs/60,000 miles