How good and reliable is the Ssangyong Rexton?

How good and how reliable is the Ssangyong Rexton? I'm looking at a 2005-2007 models. And do they give much trouble?

Ronnie Carr (Limerick)

Jun 2013 Filed under: choosing used car

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Expert answer

Hi Ronnie,

It's a bit of a mixed bag, apparently. While the Rexton is a pretty simple beast, there are plenty of tales of electrical issues and minor glitches and we know of one owner who blew two Rexton engines in quick succession - after which he was advised to have it serviced every 10,000km! Other than that, keep a keen eye out for signs of abuse. Rextons are often seen as a cheap alternative to other 4x4s and so tend to be bought for hard work and heavy lifting. If it's been used off-road or on building sites a lot (a common fate for many Rextons) there could be some bodywork damage to deal with.

As for just being a car, they're not much cop to be honest. Noisy, slow and with spectacularly bad handling. You'd be much better off in a Toyota Land Cruiser, even if you have to go for an older model within your budget.

Hope that helps

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe