SsangYong Motor Company built this 5-door compact SUV called Kyron - a name derived from the mathematical symbol Chi (pronounced as 'Kai') and 'run' to mean 'infinite run'. MG's Ken Greenly, who used to head London's Royal College of Arts, designed it. The car went in production from 2005 to 2014 at SsangYong's facilities in South Korea and Russia.
Kyron, aka Micro Kyron in Sri Lanka, filled the gap between the second and third generations of SsangYong Korando and sold alongside the revised Korando from 2010 until 2014.
Engines
The Kyron comes with the XDi270 diesel engine which reaches up to 121 kW of power and 340 Nm of torque. The XDi200 (another Kyron engine) and the XDi270 engines use the third-generation Common Rail Technology and benefit boosted fuel efficiency and power courtesy of the direct injection system. The third-generation ECU operates on a 32-bit platform rather than on the 16-bit platform of the previous generations. Buyers also have the choice of a 3.2 MPI engine that delivers up to 162 kW of power. All the engine variants deliver power via a Mercedes Benz 5G-Tronic model W722-6 5-speed transmission.
Facelift 2007
Responding to mixed reactions and criticisms regarding its peculiar looks, SsangYong gave the Kyron a facelift in 2007. The new version came out with cleaner lines and smoother edges. It sported redesigned front and rear ends, adorned with the signature SsangYong grille on its nose.
The facelift version still used Mercedes-Benz-sourced diesel engines, as the case was with the pre-facelift version. There were no increments in output - the smaller engine still produced 104 kW and 310 Nm while the 2.7L still had a peak output of 121 kW and 340 Nm.
All models in the range cost a bit higher than vehicles like the Holden Captiva and Kia Sportage, the cars that SsangYong considers as competition.
Australia
Only around ten SsangYong models made it to the Australian marketplace, and Kyron is one of those cars, albeit only for a brief stint (2006-2012). The pre-facelift version offered three engine variants in the following trim levels:
- 2.0 XDi - 2.0L XDi200 I4 turbo diesel engine paired with either 5-speed sequential auto transmission or 5-speed manual gearbox, 104 kW peak power, 310 Nm max torque, 7.7L-8.6L/100km combined
- 2.7 XDi - 2.7L XDi270 I5 turbo diesel engine sending up to 121 kW of power and 340 Nm to the drive wheels via a 5-speed sequential auto transmission or 5-speed manual gearbox, consuming fuel at 8.9L/100km of combined driving (automatic) and 8.6L/100 (manual)
- 3.2i - 3.2L MPI V6 diesel engine available only with 5-speed sequential automatic transmission, generates up to 162 kW of power and 312 Nm torque and consumes 13.7L/100kM of combined driving
After the facelift, Australia dropped the 3.2L V6 engine from the range, followed by the 2.7L I5 variant in 2010. With only the 2.0L I4 engine remaining, SsangYong offered two trims with the following features:
- 2.0 XDi, Base model (manual) – dual front airbags, head airbags, side front airbags, ABS, air conditioning, alarm, 18-inch alloy wheels, central locking remote control, electronic stability program, front fog lights, hill descent control, engine immobilizer, leather steering wheel, rear parking distance control, power mirrors/steering/windows, radio with 6 speakers, roof racks, rear spoiler, and seatbelt pre-tensioners (front)
- 2.0 XDi, Base model (automatic) – adds cruise control to the base/ manual features
- 2.0 XDi SPR – adds the following to the base/automatic features: auto air conditioning/climate control, heated front seats, leather upholstery, power front seat (driver)
The Kyron operates in rear-wheel-drive, but if you'd like, there's a knob that allows users to switch into low or high range four-wheel drive manually.
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