The all-new SsangYong Korando will arrive in Australia in the third quarter of 2019, and it will be available as a fully electric model that the brand is keen to sell Down Under.
The new Korando has been confirmed to be offered with the choice of a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine producing 120kW of power and 280Nm of torque, which will have the option of a six-speed manual or six-speed Aisin automatic. Also available will be a 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel producing 100kW of power and 324Nm of torque, offered exclusively with a six-speed Aisin automatic. Both will be front-wheel drive only.
There has also been confirmation of an "all-electric EV to follow", though timing is not yet certain for that model. It's intriguing that SsangYong will bypass the hybrid route and offer two combustion engines and a pure EV, though.
SsangYong Australia has confirmed that it has every intent to offer the electric version of the Korando, with spokesman Andrew Ellis stating: “We’ll be at the front of the queue for them when they become available”.
The new model is also said to bring the brand’s most advanced cabin design to date.
The all-new Korando brings a ‘driver-focused’ cabin with a 9.0-inch media screen and a fully digital 10.25-inch LDC instrument cluster. It appears there will be ambient lighting with multiple colour choices, too.
According to SsangYong, “the spacious interior provides better headroom and rear seat space than its competitors”, though which competitors the brand is referring to remains unknown.
At 4410mm long (wheelbase: 2650mm), 1830mm wide and 1675mm tall, the Korando is longer, lower and wider than its predecessor, and measures a bit shorter than a Subaru XV and Hyundai Tucson, and a smidge longer than a Nissan Qashqai - or, for the SsangYong enthusiasts out there, it splits the difference between the Tivoli (4202mm long) and Tivoli XLV (4440mm).
Boot space is generous, with a claimed 551 litres of cargo capacity in the new model - more than a Mazda CX-5, but short of a five-seat Mitsubishi Outlander.
The all-new SsangYong Korando has made its global debut at the Geneva motor show, and sales in Europe begin mid-2019.
Check back with us for more details closer to the launch of the new Korando in Australia later in 2019.