Specifications
Price:
£21 999
Engine:
2.7-litre turbodiesel
Performance:
0-100km/h 13.5sec, 10 litres/100km.
The Rodius - it's called the Stavic in South Africa - hasn't had much of a welcome in the UK; in fact, the sneering started even before it arrived as the first pictures of its unusual shape appeared.
And SsangYong provided a hostage to fortune by giving its new car a name in Brtain that rhymes with odious, unleashing a predictable torrent of the sorts of weak, obvious gags and puns that are the motoring writer's stock-in-trade.
But, after a week getting to know - and, to my surprise, rather liking - the Rodius I was beginning to imagine a different sort of cartoon; one of those HE Bateman "the man who..." affairs in which the excruciatingly embarrassed subject finds himself totally out of step with everybody else.
In it, I featured as "the motoring journalist who ventured to suggest that the SsangYong Rodius wasn't all that bad, actually".
So what made me change my mind? First, the styling, inside and out. I had been expecting to poke fun at it myself but when the test vehicle turned up it didn't, to my eyes, look too bad, although I suspect its appearance may have been flattered by its black paintwork and heavily tinted windows.
A dark colour scheme isn't enough to turn the Rodius into a beauty but at least it allows you to get beyond the looks and consider what else it has to offer. And that's good, because the Rodius does have some strong points.
These include the Mercedes-based, 2.7-litre diesel engine and automatic transmission.
This combination does a good job of pulling the heavy SsangYong around, although with its low-geared steering and rather wallowy ride it won't get near the top of the keenest drivers' lists.
Another big plus is the vast cabin. It's a true seven-seater, and a generous one at that. The second row consists of two armchair-style swivelling seats while the third row is also roomy enough to carry adults fairly easily.
Even with row three erect, there is still a large area for luggage and shopping. For the price, nothing can touch it for space.
But SsangYong also deserves some credit for its boldness. The company has produced a genuinely interesting car that everyone is talking about and that's a feat that some of its better-known, longer-established rivals find surprisingly difficult. - The Independent, London