Production 2004-present Body style 5-door MPV | Class MPV | |
 | ||
Manufacturer SsangYong Motor Company Assembly Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea Layout Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive
Front-engine, four-wheel-drive | ||
The SsangYong Rodius (sold in some regions as the Stavic) is a MPV released in late 2004 by the Korean automaker SsangYong Motor Company. Rodius is an inaccurate portmanteau of the words road and Zeus, which is intended to mean "Lord of the Road." It is available in 7, 9 and 11 seat configurations (3 or 4 rows), a 5-seater version is also available in Hong Kong. The seats can be folded to act as tables or folded further (double folded) to add extra cargo area. They can be turned around, encouraging conversation and can be sided forward and backward.
Contents
First generation (2004–2013)
The engines are the Mercedes-Benz licensed 3.2 L 6-cylinder gasoline engine (162 kW (217 hp) & 309 N·m (228 lb·ft)) and the 2.7 L 5-cylinder common rail diesel engine (121 kW (162 hp) & 342 N·m (252 lb·ft)).
The car was designed by Ken Greenley, former head of the automotive design course at the Royal College of Art in London. The design goal was to capture the essence of a luxury yacht
In August 2008, the Rodius received a facelift. Afterwards, because of poor popularity, the Rodius was discontinued in Europe without a direct successor on December 31, 2011. However, on July 2, 2012, the Rodius returned with the new name Rodius Euro which comes with the e-XDi200 diesel engine that produces 155PS of power, available in either a 6-speed MT or an E-Tronic Benz 5-speed AT.
In the mass media, the vehicle received some very negative reviews of its aesthetics, often being called the'ugliest car ever made'.
Second generation (2013–present)
The second generation Rodius, called the Korando Turismo in South Korea, was revealed on February 5, 2013 and was first shown at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show with sales commencing soon after. The new model comes in nine-, ten- or eleven-seat configurations (in addition to the standard 5 and 7 seat variants) and offers up to 3,240 liters of cargo volume. Powering the new Rodius/Korando Turismo is a 2.0-liter turbodiesel engine connected to either a 6-speed manual gearbox or a 5-speed Mercedes-Benz-sourced automatic transmission. The current 2016+ Turismo offers an updated 7-speed Mercedes-Benz e-Tronic gearbox with the same 6-speed manual available. The 2016+ Turismo also complies with Euro VI emissions standards.
In March 2014, the second generation Stavic was awarded “2014 Car of the Year – Best MPV Design” by Grand Prix, the most famous automotive magazine in Thailand, at the 35th Bangkok International Motor Show 2014.