Ssangyong Stavic
If
a seven-seat MPV doesn't give you enough room, the nine-seat
SsangYong Stavic should do nicely...
What's
New
"Enough" it seems, is never so for very long.
In 1969, 74 kilobytes was all it took for the computer on
Neil Armstrong's lunar module to land on the moon. Today,
even the document file that this article is written on needs
more memory than that.
Much
of the same can be said of cars as well. The Ferrari 308
GTS that Tom Selleck drove in Magnum P.I. had between 240
to 255bhp and that was considered a supercar. Today, you
can find family sedans that are more powerful than that.
The
Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV) is no exception either. Where
three rows of seats was once considered to be plenty, the
common complaint is that these cars never seem to have enough
luggage space for all aboard.
Roll
on then, the SsangYong Stavic. Its styling may be controversial
to say the least, but within all those slashes and juxtaposed
curves lies an interior vast enough for seven adults, plus
a week's worth of luggage for all aboard and then some.
If
passengers are more of a priority than payload, the Stavic
can also be configured to seat nine people legally by adding
a fourth row to give the Korean MPV a 2-2-2-3 seating formation.
In
some other markets, this SsangYong can be had with as many
as 11 seats! As the last two seats flip down, the middle
of rows two and three are not designed with seatbelts, so
your football team will have to travel in separate cars
or take the bus.
How
it Performs
With a kerb weight of nearly two tonnes it's hardly surprising
that the Stavic isn't quick on its feet. Power comes from
a 3.2-litre six-cylinder in-line unit that in a previous
incarnation, pulled duty in a Mercedes-Benz. Today, the
German carmaker grants the licence for SsangYong to reproduce
this powerplant in Korea.
With
a full complement of occupants, everyone of the Stavic's
312Nm of torque is put to good use to get it going. A measured
approach to throttle inputs were found to be the best way
to get this mammoth MPV up to speed as a firm prod on the
accelerator only seemed to raise the engine note without
any advantage in progress.
Another
first where MPVs in this class are concerned is that the
Stavic can be had with selectable four-wheel-drive. Although
we wouldn't necessarily recommend using it as an off-roader,
the "Power 4WD" function is at least, should you
find yourself on a slippery mountain road…
How
it Stacks Up
In terms of value for money, a 3.2-litre nine-seat car for
around $100,000 is hard to beat and the makes its shortcomings
a lot easier to take. A case of quantity over quality?
Perhaps, but for those who need more than eight seats, there
is only one choice…
| Technical Specifications |
|
MODEL
Ssangyong Stavic XS 4WD
ENGINE
Engine: 3,199cc 24v in-line 6
Max Power: 217bhp at 6,100rpm
Max Torque: 312Nm at 4,600rpm
TRANSMISSION
5-speed automatic
TOP SPEED
191 kmh
0-100km/h
12.5s
|
