Tigroslon SsangYong Actyon Sports / SsangYong test drives

One recalls the aphorism of Kozma Prutkov: if it says “tiger” on an elephant’s cage, you shouldn’t trust your eyes. The same goes for the name Sports in the title of the Korean pickup SsangYong Actyon: should one expect this car to be ready to tear rivals apart on Formula 1 tracks or in the “1000 Lakes” rally?

But let’s take things in order. Quite recently, sales of the SsangYong Actyon Sports started in Russia.

It is known that a man must fulfill three obligatory programs: build a house, plant a tree, and raise a son. And from a historical perspective, it is more correct to do this with one’s own hands. And not only with hands, by the way.

If a pickup is not strictly necessary for raising an heir, then for construction and planting, a car like this would come in very handy.

2007 SsangYong Actyon
© Photo: Sergey Krestov, 5 Koleso

At first glance, it seems that the Actyon Sports will easily handle both bags of cement and young saplings. But it’s not that simple. You shouldn’t fully rely on it: the pickup’s payload capacity is only 450 kg. For comparison, Japanese rivals Mazda BT-50 and Mitsubishi L200 easily take a ton on board, and cost several tens of thousands of rubles less. So, is the Actyon Sports a pickup only in body shape?

It seems the essence of the car is encoded in its very name. No, it is clearly not for farm chores. Most likely, the calling of Sports is to support the active lifestyle of its owner.

The presence of a frame, rigidly engaged all-wheel drive, and a low-range gear allows you, without hesitation, to head out with your family to nature or to a ski slope, without worrying too much about road quality.

The spacious cabin and comfortable seats, both front and rear, easily accommodate four people who can enjoy the climate control.

2007 SsangYong Actyon
© Photo: Sergey Krestov, 5 Koleso

Ergonomics are also in order, though there are minor flaws. The steering column adjusts only by height; when engaging third gear, the fingers of the right hand sometimes touch the air distribution button, and the audio system control buttons on the steering wheel look strange, since there is no radio itself: in all four trims of the Actyon Sports, music is an extra cost. But all this will not prevent the owner from transporting skis, a motorcycle in the bed, or an ATV on a trailer.

Judging by its appearance, the Sports could well “shine” on the road. It looks unusual but quite dynamic. As the song goes, “not like you, not like me…” It is special.

2007 SsangYong Actyon
© Photo: Sergey Krestov, 5 Koleso

British designer Ken Greenley, who created this model, was apparently a big fan of ocean fauna. Otherwise, where would the pickup get a shark-mouth grille, predatory headlights, and a “fin” cabin with a heavily raked windshield? By the way, he is also the author of the unusual exteriors of the Rodius minivan and the Kyron SUV, so family traits in the latest SsangYong models are easily traced.

Alas, appearance, as often happens, is deceptive—it can “shine” only in theory.

For calm driving, when time is not critical, the bulky Actyon Sports is ideal. When you don’t need to yank the gear lever and push the tachometer needle to the red zone at 4500 rpm, flooring the gas pedal. Or when city traffic jams leave no chance to be on time, and you have to crawl in the general flow.

If you want dynamics, you’ll have to put up with the roar of the engine, which forces passengers to raise their voices, with vague gear shifts and a wobbly gear lever at any speed, as well as strong body roll during active lane changes.

2007 SsangYong Actyon
© Photo: Sergey Krestov, 5 Koleso

The light and uninformative steering wheel also does not contribute to daring maneuvers in traffic. The connection with the wheels is almost conditional: you turn the wheel, but you have to wait for a reaction with an unpleasant delay. So, plotting a trajectory and following it clearly is not an easy task. At the same time, the 140-horsepower two-liter diesel accelerates the pickup to 100 km/h quite briskly: 13 seconds with a curb weight of almost two tons is a quite decent result. It’s a pity that this is perhaps the only success in the realm of high-speed driving.

The handling flaws of the Actyon Sports are especially noticeable in the slalom. A tendency to skid, rolls in which the rear wheel periodically lifts off the asphalt, combined with vague steering, do not allow developing high speed.

However, the pickup handles long and short lane changes quite confidently, showing surprising agility for its mass and dimensions. So its chances of avoiding a sudden obstacle are higher than for safe high-speed maneuvering.

The braking test revealed another drawback of the SsangYong. As the brakes heat up, their effectiveness decreases. Of ten attempts at hard braking from one hundred kilometers per hour to a full stop, the standard (42 meters) was met only in the first six.

What could happen in the remaining four cases in a real situation is not hard to guess.

So who are you, SsangYong Actyon Sports? You have a dynamic appearance, but active driving is not your element. Behind the cab there is an open cargo platform, but the modest payload capacity does not allow you to fully use your potential. And your price is noticeably higher than that of your closest competitors. It seems you, like that little woman created for love, are called to give purely aesthetic pleasure. And that is worth a lot.

Body
+ Memorable appearance, spacious cabin, decent build quality
- Low payload capacity, heavy tailgate of the cargo platform

Ride comfort
+ Comfortable seats front and rear, good visibility and sense of dimensions
- Insufficient sound insulation, steering column adjusts only by height

Powertrain
+ Good dynamic performance
- Vague gear shifting

Handling
- Mediocre handling, uninformative steering wheel, strong body roll and leans in corners

Safety
- Brakes prone to overheating, low level of active safety equipment

Ecology
+ Moderate fuel consumption