The SsangYong Korando range just got a little bit slimmer, with the South Korean brand confirming it has axed the turbo-diesel powertrain from its medium SUV range for model-year 2023.
The 1.6-litre turbo-diesel engine will no longer be offered as part of the Korando range “due to factory supply constraints,” a SsangYong Australia spokesperson told CarExpert.
That diesel unit was a pretty punchy thing, with 100kW of power and 324Nm of torque.
It was offered exclusively with a six-speed automatic transmission and on-demand all-wheel drive, and was reserved for the top-spec Ultimate grade only.
Sales figures obtained by CarExpert show the diesel accounted for a healthy share of sales in 2022.
The Ultimate diesel, listing at $41,990 before on-road costs, managed 146 sales last year, or 28 per cent of the total sales for the model range.
The remaining variants – all powered by a 120kW/280Nm, 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine – sold in the following split:
- Base model EX: 99 units
- Mid-spec ELX: 116 units
- Top-spec Ultimate: 159
In the early 2010s, SsangYong’s big brand push was for a diesel-only line-up, but times changed quickly and so did customer sentiment towards diesel fuel, and the brand killed that idea in 2013.
The mid-size SUV segment still has a few standout models offering diesel power, including the Volkswagen Tiguan, Mazda CX-5, new Mazda CX-60, Kia Sportage, and Hyundai Tucson.
In recent years, though, diesel has been on the outs. Models that have been previously offered with turbo-diesel engines, but no longer have them, include the Mitsubishi Outlander, Nissan X-Trail, Toyota RAV4 and Subaru Forester.
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The roots of the SsangYong Korando
