Korean manufacturer Ssangyong which is currently owned by Mahindra & Mahindra has launched the mid-life facelift of its Rexton. The 2021 Rexton gets a few cosmetic upgrades on the inside and outside and a new powertrain. For the record, the Rexton is sold in India as the Mahindra Alturas G4 which is a pretty good SUV, but unfortunately, hasn’t been able to garner the sales it should, considering how good it is.
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The cosmetic upgrades upfront majorly and most noticeably include a massive radiator grille which gets chrome studs all around which is a lot more MG than Ssangyong. The headlights and the front bumper have been reworked as well. The LED headlights especially, look particularly beautiful with a neat 4-pod setup which reminds us of the Buggati Chiron. On the sides, the tall stance and the visual bulk is still evident indicating that this is no less than a full-blown SUV. The alloys have been madefunkier as well. The rear has been slightly reworked as well. The overall make and proportions still appear the same but the new Y-shaped taillights freshen up the rear.
The overall interior look is pretty much the same albeit a new steering wheel which looks a lot like the one on the new-gen Hyundai cars. That apart, it continues to feature an 8-inch infotainment system with android auto and apple car play, ventilated seats, as many as 9 airbags, electrically adjustable steering and driver’s seat, a 360-degree parking camera, hill-hold, mood lighting etc. The fit & finish and quality levels are top-notch in the Alturas G4 and it appears no different here.
Under the hood of the 2021 Rexton sits an updated 2.2L turbo-diesel engine which now puts out 199BHP of peak power, up 21BHP from 178BHP and 440Nm of peak torque, up 20Nm from 420Nm previously. It is now mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission which is sourced from Hyundai in place of the 9-speed Mercedes-sourced unit that handled duties previously. The claimed fuel economy is 13.7 km/l and Ssangyong says that the towing capacity of the 2021 Rexton has been increased to 3.5 tonnes and it is now more stable than before, under load.
The 2021 Rexton is available in the UK for GBP 37,995 for the Ventura trim ( roughly INR 38.4 lakhs ) and GBP 40,665 for the Ultimate trim ( roughly INR 41.1 lakhs ). It remains to be seen if Mahindra brings the facelift to India as the Alturas was launched back in 2018 although currently, Mahindra is looking for new investors for Ssangyong as it plans to give up control of struggling SsangYong Motor, the Indian automaker’s managing director had previously said, as it looks to exit loss-making ventures due to the coronavirus pandemic.