KGM SsangYong Musso wins Best Dual-Cab Ute under $50K

For the second year in a row, the KGM SsangYong Musso has won the Drive Car of the Year – Best Dual-Cab Ute Under $50K category, successfully defending its title against an increasingly competitive field.

Ultimately, it was the build quality, the surprisingly long list of standard features, its on-road manners and off-road capability, and the excellent seven-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty that won us over. Frankly, nothing in the sub-$50K price bracket gets close.

Considering the segment is predominantly made up of dual-cab utes that are considerably younger than the Musso – which has been on the market for roughly seven years – it's another impressive win, but one that is entirely deserved. Because KGM SsangYong didn't release the Musso then forget about it. As Ford did with the previous-generation Ranger, the engineering team in South Korea continued to improve the Musso over the years, making it the best option in this category for value-conscious buyers.

The thing about the Musso is, if you ignore the badge and the price tag, you could be forgiven for thinking it competes at a much higher level. Perhaps not quite with the current Ford Ranger, but in many ways the KGM SsangYong is on par with the more expensive variants of the Isuzu D-Max and the Mitsubishi Triton, to name a few – and has frankly overtaken the some other more expensive utes on sale right now.

Drive's pick: KGM SsangYong Musso Ultimate XLV from $47,500 drive-away

Consider that, for less than $50,000 on-road, you get a spacious dual-cab ute with a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 12.3-inch touchscreen for the infotainment, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 360-degree cameras, a heated leather steering wheel, heated and ventilated electric front leather seats, keyless entry and start, cruise control, HID headlights, high-beam assist, LED daytime running lights, LED front fog lights, a tyre-pressure monitor system, a 12V plug in the tub, and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Under the bonnet, the Musso is powered by a 2.2-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine putting out 133kW and 400Nm (short-wheelbase) or 420Nm (XLV option), matched to a six-speed automatic. Claimed fuel consumption is between 8.6 to 9.0 litres per 100 kilometres. Not industry-leading – or even category-leading – but enough performance to get you where you need to go comfortably.

Those venturing off-road also get part time four-wheel-drive with low and high range, hill-start assist, hill descent control, and an auto-locking rear differential for increased traction.

While the Musso is unrated by ANCAP, the vehicle comes with six airbags, blind-spot warning, lane-departure warning, lane change collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, active rollover protection, safe exit warning, front vehicle take-off alert, AEB with forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, and driver attention warning.

However, for those who often drive a full complement of passengers, it's worth mentioning the Musso only comes with an antiquated lap belt for the rear centre occupant.

But it's not just what's on paper that counts. The Musso has consistently impressed our judges with how it drives – both in the bush and when visiting the local shops. It's not going to win laps at Mount Panorama, to be sure, but it'd be a comfortable road trip to get there – and you wouldn't need to follow the track if you wanted to drive to the mountain's peak.

And compared to some of the recent designs entering the market over the past 12 months, the Musso's styling is downright subdued and inoffensive, while also offering a much larger cabin – and larger tub, in the case of the XLV – than its competitors. It's not as big as US pick-ups like the Ford F-150 and Ram 1500, but the extra leg and headroom are a step up from other utes at this price point.

Those with a long memory may associate the Musso name with the boxy SUV of the 1990s, but that's like comparing a new Hyundai i30 – one of the best hatchbacks on the market today – against the first-generation Excel. While there is a traceable lineage, every year has brought with it improvements to those models from ambitious and competitive companies. 

Despite the lingering stigma from some, there's no doubt South Korean cars are now on par with those from Japan (or Thailand, as is the case with Australia's most popular utes) – with the SsangYong Musso again proving it's the best dual-cab, four-wheel-drive ute in the Australian market for less than $50,000.

Ben Zachariah is an experienced writer and motoring journalist from Melbourne, having worked in the automotive industry for more than two decades. Ben began writing professionally more than 15 years ago and was previously an interstate truck driver. He completed his MBA in Finance in early 2021 and is considered an expert on classic car investment.

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