The last and most important of SsangYong SUV concepts have been officially revealed at the Paris Motor Show, heralding according to the manufacturer, “a new design language and future product development strategy for the brand.” SsangYong LIV-2, as it’s called, is expected to be announced as a production model some time in 2017.
The words the Korean car makers uses frequently to describe SsangYong LIV-2 are ‘premium’ and ‘robust’. The latter is a fair claim, at least based on what we know of their previous products. As for it being premium, well, that remains to be seen. They must have improved significantly in that area to state outright like this. In general, the car has a nice look for its class, and although there is little too much Tivoli in there one could attribute that the whole ‘corporate look’ thing.
SsangYong LIV-2 Concept does come with some really premium features, most of which probably won’t make it to the production model – stuff like reclining seats with massage feature, piano-black gloss accent panels, adjustable mood lighting, 9.2-inch monitor in the centre fascia and a 10.1-inch monitor in each headrest, wi-fi mirroring for devices, Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto enhance connectivity for passenger pleasure while travelling. Pretty good.
In terms of engine and mechanical highlights, the LIV-2 packs a 2.2 litre Euro 6 diesel engine with a 2,000bar common rail direct injection system, capable of 180PS and 420Nm of max torque, mated to a Mercedes-Benz 7-speed automatic transmission. A petrol 2.0 litre GDi turbo engine will also be available.