MOTORING SEPTEMBER: KGM Musso

Readers may be interested to know that TNU's Editor-in-Chief has part-exchanged his MG3 for a Toyota Yaris Cross mini SUV, which he considers a much superior vehicle. 

When George Loveridge published his review in last February the plan was for Ginsberg to add his comments as an owner.  Sadly, with 12 months' use, it did not meet his expectations, the trim and performance being poor, and a less-than-helpful dealer.  A small, hopeless dashboard screen too! When one is about to retire, one can be more outspoken with comments.

Three days after delivery the Toyota salesman called Ginsberg to ask if he was happy with the car and had he worked out all the features.  The answer was yes, and a subdued no. Modern cars need learning! The MG agent was not in the same class.   www.travelnewsupdate.co.uk/article/911

George Loveridge Driving Around, for Travel News Update 

It has been three years since I first drove a Musso. Since then, the Korean pick-up truck has undergone a few big changes. Some bad and some refreshingly good. However, some things have stayed the same, including the price and overall value for money. Compared to its rivals, the Musso starts from a comfortable £30,965 and even with all of the options ticked on the Saracen+, you will still have plenty of change out of £40,000.

 What do you get in exchange? As a package, you get an extremely comfortable truck. Most pick-up owners may laugh at that statement, but thanks to rear coil springs and independent multi-link suspension, the Musso glides and hops over soft verges and changes in the road, rather than crashing about like other trucks with rear leaf springs. That is a huge plus point. Behind the wheel, the Musso hides its enormous proportions and feels a lot like any other SUV to drive. As a result of a 200bhp diesel engine with 400Nm of torque, the Musso does not feel as asthmatic as other trucks, such as the Isuzu DMAX, which is 50bhp down compared. Therefore, the 6-speed shift-by-wire automatic gearbox does not have to work as hard to get you to where you need to be. Again, resulting in a very comfortable experience. 

However, despite comfortable driving characteristics, this is still a big old bus. A 2.2-tonne kerb weight and a potential gross weight of 3.2 tonnes, this Musso managed a mediocre 33.5MPG across a 500-mile round trip. That was a full tank, by the way. With a 75-litre fuel tank, fill-ups could get costly over time. The pedestrian rather than agricultural theme continues inside. As we are seeing more and more, trucks are getting the same plush interiors that SUVs get, and I am all for that! All occupants get two-stage heated seats, with the front passengers also benefiting from ventilated seats, which are ideal for cooling the black Nappa leather. We get a central infotainment screen which does not do very much, except for housing the radio, media connectivity and seamless TomTom navigation. Frustratingly, we have to tolerate a digital climate control screen, which is responsive in fairness. Luckily, we do have lane keep assist, so when you are trying to turn the air conditioning on, the car will keep you in your lane. What is even better, is that we can switch that lane keep off via the push of a button on the steering wheel. Okay, so it resets every time you switch the car off, but it is no great battle as it is in other vehicles. 

Sadly, the interior feels like it has been built for LHD markets. For instance, the menu keys on the infotainment screen are on the left of the display. Therefore, in order to reach the desired touch screen buttons from behind the wheel, you actively have to reach out of your seat. Furthermore, we have a drive mode button to the left of the automatic gear selector, which took me two days to even notice as it is obscured by the selector. We can choose from Normal, Sport or Winter modes for the gearbox. Did someone say placebo effect? Despite most vehicles alienating drivers with new tech, the Musso features what I would call traditional cruise control. Whereby, you set your speed, and it stays that way until you tell it otherwise. None of this, slowing down to the car in front, it just goes! This is great until you get a message on the digital driver’s cluster saying, 'Keeping Safe Distance' which it is not! You are still hurtling towards the car in front with no signs of slowing down. Perhaps it should instead read, keeping a safe distance?

From the exterior, the Musso is mean and meaningful. Plenty of harsh creases in the body line, a huge radiator grille that makes for great rear-view mirror action. Plus, in this fully blacked-out spec it does look fantastic. So far, so good then? The Musso is well-equipped, comfortable and fairly economical for what it is. However, I do have some queries that I would like to raise with the big cheese over at KGM... 

As aforementioned, we get wonderful TomTom navigation. Any users of this GPS system will know that you get an integrated digital speed readout that can be especially useful when navigating average speed checks. Despite having this, at 70mph, the car's speedometer is 5mph out of sync with the TomTom. Who do you believe? Personally, I went with the TomTom, as the Musso's version of 70mph left me sitting in the left lane with the horses and penny-farthings. 

Ideally, the Musso makes for a wonderful family car. It is a bit left-field and therefore has some personality, and thanks to the canopy top over the load bed, you get a cavernous, usable boot. Either for shopping, or lying down and watching the stars. Despite all of this, the rear doors have an incredibly sharp angle on them. And I mean sharp. Plus, they are at the perfect height to catch a small person's head, eye, neck, etc. Or, as I found out, just below my rib cage while loading some shopping. I am amazed that this made it through safety testing.

Thinking more positively, we have a comprehensive 4x4 system. Day to day, you are driving the rear wheels only, which helps with handling massively. But, should things get tough, we can choose from either a low range or a high range mode, activating four-wheel drive. Moreover, we even get hill descent control which is especially useful on an icy or snowy road. Unfortunately, the Musso does not have much ground clearance and only has a 350mm wade depth. There is even a Musso badged sump guard, which you will need! 


The George Loveridge Verdict 

Overall, the Musso is a great choice if you are looking for a large vehicle that can go off-road if you need it to, and need to carry large and heavy objects in the load bed. I would not call it a workhorse, as it is too refined for that. But to drive and live with, it is softer, smoother and more friendly than Isuzu's offering. That is high praise indeed. 

Price as tested: £35,995
Lead in price: £30,965
Average consumption: 33.5MPG
Range (Diesel): 450
Engine Size: 2157cc
0-60: 11.9 seconds

Performance 6
Handling 5
Transmission 8
Noise 6
Economy 7
Ride and Comfort 9
Accommodation 8
Styling 6
Brakes 10
Finish 8
TOTAL= 73%

www.kgm-motors.co.uk   

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