SsangYong Philippines is finally entering the pick-up market. Shown via a trailer on its official Facebook page, the distributor is poised to bring in the Musso pick-up truck soon (see video at the bottom).

With a Korean name that means “rhinoceros”, the Musso is a mid-sized pickup truck that shares its underpinnings with the Rexton SUV. It rides on an all-new body-on-frame architecture that uses high-density, high-tensile strength steel. It also features a heavy-duty “quad frame” design that blocks the heaviest shocks brought about rough road surfaces or speed bumps. Furthermore, it has a five-link rear coil spring suspension for a smooth ride.


In terms of performance, the Musso has all the prerequisites for a go-anywhere, do-anything pickup truck. Under the hood, the Musso is powered by SsangYong’s e-XDi220 common rail direct injection diesel mated to a 6-speed automatic. It makes a stout 181 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque from its 2.2 liters of displacement and can achieve a top speed of 195 km/h and a fuel economy of up to 14.28 km/L. It also utilizes a part-time four-wheel drive system with a rear locking differential.

SsangYong Philippines has yet to reveal the final specs of the Musso, but in other markets, the top trim variants offer a surprising amount of luxury and convenience features from leather seating to a 360-degree camera to a passive keyless entry system. In terms of safety, it’s also complete with 6 airbags, stability control, front and rear parking sensors, various driver assist features such as blind spot detection and lane change assist, and a tire pressure monitoring system.


Given its distributor’s knack of pricing their products competitively, expect the all-new Musso to enter the scene speced or priced competitively against the Japanese and American pickup trucks while still offering its all-inclusive 3-year / 60,000-kilometer PMS and 5-year / 100,000-kilometer warranty.

We reached out to SsangYong Philippines as to the possible timeline for the Musso’s launch. All they would confirm is: “it’s coming soon.” A strong bet would be at least a market preview at the upcoming Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) in October.


2018 SsangYong Musso Specifications (Global Market):

• Overall Length: 5,095 mm
• Overall Height: 1,840 mm
• Overall Width: 1,950 mm
• Wheelbase: 3,100 mm
• Bed Dimensions (L x W x H): 1,300 mm x 1,570 mm x 570 mm
• Ground Clearance: 215 mm
• Turning Radius: 5.9 meters
• Curb Weight: 2,077-2,192 kilograms
• Fuel Tank: 75 liters