The SsangYong Rexton is not exactly an everyday appearance in the Netherlands. If the current generation presented in 2017 still feels quite ‘new’, that is not surprising, but it is still time for SsangYong to take a firm look at its largest model. That deserves a Facelift Friday!
After a series of high-profile, but not coherent designs – think of X6 predecessor Actyon – it was the Rexton that launched a clear design language at SsangYong three years ago. The body-on-frame executioner, with which your writer drove from Moscow to Warsaw at the time, served as the design blueprint for the smaller Tivoli and Korando, who, among other things, adopt the idiosyncratic fold at the rear wheel from their big brother.
That drawing style will not be radically different with the facelift of the Rexton, but it will be modernized. A significantly larger grille makes the Korean giant seem a lot more confident, although this part also makes the car more sensitive to taste. The headlights are now fully equipped with LED technology. As is often the case, this means that the unit can get a lot smaller. The flattened lights are joined by a completely redesigned front bumper, with a striking C-shaped ornament for the fog lights, among other things.
At the back there is traditional taut work. The rear lights get a different LED layout and a different shape, whereby the ‘jump’ at the height of the tailgate disappears. The bumper is again tighter, thanks to, among other things, now L-shaped reflectors and reversing lights. Exhaust-like ornaments let the Rexton keep up with the latest fashion.
The interior of the renewed Rexton is also striking. This is mainly due to the steering wheel, which with its strongly flattened underside is far from round. A new digital instrumentation, other materials and more USB ports take things to a higher level. The Rexton also has to believe it technically. You can read how that works here.