John LINDGREN
Stavic Supersized - Korean with Mercedes Wunder Kraft -
Remember the Korean cars in Bangkok pre-’97 Asian economic “Tomm Yam Kung” crisis – the Daewoos, the Hyundais, the KIA’s and the Ssanyong’s? The new Koreans were affordable and compact city cars, including a monster SUV, one of the first Sport Utility Vehicles in Thailand: Ssanyong Musso.
After the economic bubble burst Daewoo vanished from the Thai shores, and today three Korean brands are available: KIA, the Hyundai making a strong comeback and Ssangyong. The name Ssangyong means “twin dragons”; the initial S was doubled to correspond to the duality of the name. Currently, the Ssangyong model line-up in Thailand consists of the Actyon, the Kyron, the Rexton, and the Stavic all imported vehicles or CBU’s (completely built up in motoring babble). Ssangyong (Thailand) Co., Ltd boasts three showrooms, service centers in Bangkok, Chonburi and Phuket.
The demo unit provided for Pattaya Coast was the (metallic space black) Ssangyong Stavic, a premium MPV (Multi Purpose Vehicle), which is not only as a passenger car, but also as a super-sized MPV( Multi Purpose Vehicle) measuring an impressive 5.1 meters and powered by a German silky smooth Mercedes Benz six cylinder motor 3.2 liter engine.
The looks, or the body design of Stavic, maybe unorthodox and funky to some people but unique and stylish to others. Ssangyong, Korea’s fourth largest automaker, calls it Neo-Fusion design! The vehicle was designed by Ken Greenley, former head of the automotive design course at the Royal College of Art in London.
Stavic’s interior reveals an impressive passenger carrying capacity. Laid out like a miniature tour bus. There are four rows, three options: 7-, 9- or 11-passenger seating can be made available depending on the folding.
For longer journeys the 7-seater is the best option, as it offers room for luggage as well.
The cabin is luxuriously appointed in with porous high grade beige or grey leather, plush carpets, a mix of wood and alloy panels plus the essential ingredients: CD cases, sunglasses holder, one-touch pop-out cup holders, power out lets front and rear and grab handles. And a 180 degrees swivel seat in the second row. To cool you down there are separate air vents with individual controls for the second and third row passengers.
On-board entertainment consists Ssangyong premium audio video package with a one-touch CD/DVD Player, MP3 Tuner, with front and rear monitors (which automatically cuts as soon as the car starts moving). The DVD screen is also connected to a reverse parking camera. Handy when backing up into tight spaces.
All audio and video controls are steering-wheel mounted. Other cool features include a power sun roof or “moon-roof“ as we prefer to call it in here the tropical Thailand. And a fuel saving cruise control feature – for those long highway trips.
Under the bonnet, lurks a grey, black matte, state-of-the-art quiet and powerful Mercedes Benz 3,2 six-banger motor pumping out 220 horse power and mated to a silky smooth a 5-speed Mercedes Benz automatic box with a T-tronic (manual shift option, the same as in a Porsche ).
The engine performance was confirmed during a brief high-speed test when we managed to touch the 195 km/hour mark on the speedometer. Overtaking cars on the highway was safe and effortless, thanks to the powerful German engine. Stavic’s thirst for fuel was approximately 8-9 kilometer per liter during our test drive, normal for a V-6 petrol engine.
Our demo wagon came with the whole safety package: drivers and passenger airbags and front electronic brake force distribution (EDB), ABS and traction control system (TCS). Plus double wishbone suspension in front.
Since the Stavic carries up to 11 passengers, the import tax is only 40 percent while other 7-seater MPVs face 80 percent import duty plus excise duty. That’s why the Benz and the Volk vans are priced over three million TBH but the Stavic sells at TBT 1.9 and the Diesel version at TBH 1.7.
Our road test was conducted along the Bangkok - Chiang Mai north bound trunk road, also known as Asia Highway # 2.
Stavic’s independent 4-wheel suspension and the smooth V-6 propulsion worked wonders. And the kids: “no more “are we there yet”! The DVD player played on without any interruptions. No jumps. Crystal clear picture and stereo sound as we watched Disney’s Ratatouille and Surf’s Up. Driver and passengers were all happy campers on arrival at the green hills of Kong Lan National Park in Kampheng Pet Province.
Slavic is a shining star powered by another star the Stuttgart three-pointed Mercedes silky-six Wonder Motor. A five-star- 7-seater for the extended family traveling long distance, or a perfect fleet van for luxury (boutique) hotels.
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Remember the Korean cars in Bangkok pre-’97 Asian economic “Tomm Yam Kung” crisis – the Daewoos, the Hyundais, the KIA’s and the Ssanyong’s? The new Koreans were affordable and compact city cars, including a monster SUV, one of the first Sport Utility Vehicles in Thailand: Ssanyong Musso.
After the economic bubble burst Daewoo vanished from the Thai shores, and today three Korean brands are available: KIA, the Hyundai making a strong comeback and Ssangyong. The name Ssangyong means “twin dragons”; the initial S was doubled to correspond to the duality of the name. Currently, the Ssangyong model line-up in Thailand consists of the Actyon, the Kyron, the Rexton, and the Stavic all imported vehicles or CBU’s (completely built up in motoring babble). Ssangyong (Thailand) Co., Ltd boasts three showrooms, service centers in Bangkok, Chonburi and Phuket.
The demo unit provided for Pattaya Coast was the (metallic space black) Ssangyong Stavic, a premium MPV (Multi Purpose Vehicle), which is not only as a passenger car, but also as a super-sized MPV( Multi Purpose Vehicle) measuring an impressive 5.1 meters and powered by a German silky smooth Mercedes Benz six cylinder motor 3.2 liter engine.
The looks, or the body design of Stavic, maybe unorthodox and funky to some people but unique and stylish to others. Ssangyong, Korea’s fourth largest automaker, calls it Neo-Fusion design! The vehicle was designed by Ken Greenley, former head of the automotive design course at the Royal College of Art in London.
Stavic’s interior reveals an impressive passenger carrying capacity. Laid out like a miniature tour bus. There are four rows, three options: 7-, 9- or 11-passenger seating can be made available depending on the folding.
For longer journeys the 7-seater is the best option, as it offers room for luggage as well.
The cabin is luxuriously appointed in with porous high grade beige or grey leather, plush carpets, a mix of wood and alloy panels plus the essential ingredients: CD cases, sunglasses holder, one-touch pop-out cup holders, power out lets front and rear and grab handles. And a 180 degrees swivel seat in the second row. To cool you down there are separate air vents with individual controls for the second and third row passengers.
On-board entertainment consists Ssangyong premium audio video package with a one-touch CD/DVD Player, MP3 Tuner, with front and rear monitors (which automatically cuts as soon as the car starts moving). The DVD screen is also connected to a reverse parking camera. Handy when backing up into tight spaces.
All audio and video controls are steering-wheel mounted. Other cool features include a power sun roof or “moon-roof“ as we prefer to call it in here the tropical Thailand. And a fuel saving cruise control feature – for those long highway trips.
Under the bonnet, lurks a grey, black matte, state-of-the-art quiet and powerful Mercedes Benz 3,2 six-banger motor pumping out 220 horse power and mated to a silky smooth a 5-speed Mercedes Benz automatic box with a T-tronic (manual shift option, the same as in a Porsche ).
The engine performance was confirmed during a brief high-speed test when we managed to touch the 195 km/hour mark on the speedometer. Overtaking cars on the highway was safe and effortless, thanks to the powerful German engine. Stavic’s thirst for fuel was approximately 8-9 kilometer per liter during our test drive, normal for a V-6 petrol engine.
Our demo wagon came with the whole safety package: drivers and passenger airbags and front electronic brake force distribution (EDB), ABS and traction control system (TCS). Plus double wishbone suspension in front.
Since the Stavic carries up to 11 passengers, the import tax is only 40 percent while other 7-seater MPVs face 80 percent import duty plus excise duty. That’s why the Benz and the Volk vans are priced over three million TBH but the Stavic sells at TBT 1.9 and the Diesel version at TBH 1.7.
Our road test was conducted along the Bangkok - Chiang Mai north bound trunk road, also known as Asia Highway # 2.
Stavic’s independent 4-wheel suspension and the smooth V-6 propulsion worked wonders. And the kids: “no more “are we there yet”! The DVD player played on without any interruptions. No jumps. Crystal clear picture and stereo sound as we watched Disney’s Ratatouille and Surf’s Up. Driver and passengers were all happy campers on arrival at the green hills of Kong Lan National Park in Kampheng Pet Province.
Slavic is a shining star powered by another star the Stuttgart three-pointed Mercedes silky-six Wonder Motor. A five-star- 7-seater for the extended family traveling long distance, or a perfect fleet van for luxury (boutique) hotels.
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