Prior to Ssangyong leaving Ireland in 2008 the Rodius was beginning to pick up a little traction in the Irish family market. It was a big machine and the interior was comfortable and spacious – ideal really for a taxi fleet. The car was famous though for being very unpleasant to the eye. The new model is a lot more stylish. Between 2008 and 2013 Ssangyong left the Irish market and the Rodius slowly but surely became less visible on our roads. In 2013 they re-entered the Irish market and by 2014 they had brought in an all-new Rodius. The styling is less angular and it still holds the large size and comfortable seats.
The Rodius is powered by a 2.0 litre diesel engine that delivers maximum power of 155 PS and maximum torque of 360Nm at between 1,500 and 2,800rpm. We couldn’t find any official 0-100 km/h time for the Rodius but we can tell you that it doesn’t happen too quickly – however, this won’t be a factor for a lot of buyers because this is hardly going to be a popular choice as a getaway car. What’s surprising about the Rodius is that it can offer a towing capacity of 2,000kg which means that it should appeal to families who have campervans or boats. The Rodius can be mated to either a six-speed manual gearbox or a five-speed T-Tronic automatic gearbox.
The new Rodius certainly offers a better ride and handles better than the last model, although it will still remind you of trying to turn in a boat. Apart from that it controls itself well in other areas. The suspension set up is not excellent and the car can sometimes have difficulty soaking up even minor road imperfections.
The 2.0 litre engine that pushes the Rodius along is a loud offering and it can be heard clearly from the driver’s seat. Apart from that we did not experience a massive amount of road or wind noise on our journey.
The dashboard lets the side down when it comes to quality within the Rodius. The plastics feel cheap and while having the instrument binnacle in the centre of the dash suits some cars, it doesn’t in the Rodius. Apart from that the seats are comfortable throughout the vehicle.
Like many other Ssangyong vehicles, the Rodius has not yet been tested for the Euro NCAP. Therefore we cannot offer any figures on how the vehicle scored. We know that the cars are equipped with Electronic Stability Control, Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and airbags to the front and rear.
The Rodius offers a massive amount of space in its interior and the seats can be laid out in various ways. There are three seats to the very rear and two in the middle. There is easy access to the rear seats between the two middle seats. The second row of seats can be folded in a way that they can be used as tables. The middle row can also lay flat and act as beds if needs be which could prove handy if the caravan that your pulling ever feels over crowded! The boot area is excellent with 875 litres on offer and the third row can be completely removed for extra space if required.
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