SsangYong Korando: history, nicknames and how to spot one

At a glance

79–209 hpPower

11.4 s0–60 mph

137–180 km/hTop speed

197–400 N·mTorque

1,435–2,295 kgWeight

The coral arc spans the family, from its mildest version to its wildest.^{4,5,12,13,14,15,16}

Engine: 2nd gen: 2.3–3.2 L gas/2.3–2.9 L diesel; 4th: 1.5T/1.6D; e-Motion EV¹
Layout: 2nd gen: front-engine RWD/4WD; 3rd/4th: FWD/AWD¹
Gearbox: 2nd: 5MT/4AT; 3rd/4th: 6MT/6AT; e-Motion: single-speed auto^1,11,12
Built at: Busan plant, South Korea; Pyeongtaek plant from August 1985^1,2

The story

Korando passed from Keohwa in 1983 to Dong-A in 1984, SsangYong in 1988 and KGM in 2023. Born an off-roader, it became a family SUV; the all-new 2019 fourth generation targeted rivals such as the Skoda Karoq.^1,2,4,5

GenerationsBefore and afterMilestones^{1,2,6,12,13,27}

Show the numbers

Year	What happened
From 1969	Jeep CJ-5 (Korean production) (CJ-5)
1976–1986	Jeep CJ-7 (CJ-7)
1983–1996	Korando (first generation)
1996–2006	New Korando (KJ)
2010–2019	Korando (third generation) (C200)
2019–present	Korando (fourth generation) (C300)
1983	Keohwa gives its Jeep a new name
1996	Ken Greenley's KJ takes over
2006	Second-generation production ends
2010	Giugiaro shapes the 2010–2011 revival
2019	Fourth generation takes aim at the Karoq
2019	Euro NCAP: 88% adult, 85% child
2020	Korando DKR takes 24th at Dakar
2022	e-Motion becomes the first SsangYong EV

1983
Keohwa gives its Jeep a new name
Keohwa renamed its locally built Jeep in March 1983; 'Korea Can Do' became the meaning behind the Korando badge.^1,2
1996
Ken Greenley's KJ takes over
The second generation paired Ken Greenley's styling and a shortened Musso chassis with Mercedes-Benz-licensed gasoline and diesel engines.^1,2
2006
Second-generation production ends
Production stopped in 2006, although remaining stock kept the second generation on sale in some markets through 2007.¹
2010
Giugiaro shapes the 2010–2011 revival
C200 production began in late 2010. Its 2011 return brought SsangYong's first monocoque, Giugiaro styling and front-wheel drive or AWD.^1,6,7
2019
Fourth generation takes aim at the Karoq
Launched in South Korea in February and shown at Geneva, the all-new SUV targeted rivals such as the Skoda Karoq with a new chassis.^1,5
2019
Euro NCAP: 88% adult, 85% child
The tested 1.6 diesel had poor rear-pelvis protection; its rating expired on January 1, 2026.⁸
2020
Korando DKR takes 24th at Dakar
Óscar Fuertes and Diego Vallejo brought the Korando DKR buggy home 24th overall, the third-highest Spanish crew in the 2020 Dakar.^9,10
2022
e-Motion becomes the first SsangYong EV
The Korando e-Motion paired a 61.5 kWh battery with a front-mounted motor and a claimed 211-mile WLTP range.^1,11

Every generation

CJ-71976–1986
Korando (first generation)1983–1996
KJ1996–2006
C2002010–2019
C3002019–present

Power over the years

From 79 hp to 188 hp in 31 years.

^{7,11,13,15,17,18,19,20,21}

Show the numbers

Year	Horsepower	Model
1991	79	RV 2.5 diesel
1998	101	2.3 turbodiesel
2010	173	C200 e-XDi200 diesel
2012	173	LE 2.0 diesel
2014	147	Sixty Edition 2.0 diesel
2015	175	2.2 diesel, autumn upgrade
2016	176	ELX Red 2.2 diesel
2019	134	UK launch: 1.6 diesel
2019	161	UK launch: 1.5 turbo gasoline
2022	188	e-Motion electric

Versions

12 versions worth knowing, with their power.

Standard

K4 / K6 / K9 (first generation)
Standard

Korando hardtop / removable-top / van

1996–2006
Standard

S / SX (Australia)

2014–2015
Standard

SE / EX / ELX (UK)

2016

178 hp
Standard

ELX / Ventura / Ultimate (UK, fourth generation)
Standard

LE

2012

173 hp
Standard

Korando e-Motion

From 2022

188 hp
Performance

E32 3.2 (second generation)

209 hp
Special

ELX Red (UK)

2016

176 hp
Special

R-Plus
Limited

ELX LE / Ultimate LE (Australia)

2019

134 hp
Limited

Sixty Edition (Germany)

2014

147 hp

How to spot one

Look for

Original Korando K9s have a stretched, 9-seat body.¹
Second-generation Korandos have round headlights, a tall hood and plastic bumpers.^1,17

Year by year

1986
A rhinoceros ornament appears at the front of the hood, then soon disappears.¹³
2010
The Korando switches from a three-door SUV to a five-door crossover body.¹
2013
The facelift adds a revised grille, headlights with LED daytime running lights and new rear lamps.¹
2016 model year
A black radiator grille and redesigned alloy wheels arrive, alongside upgraded cabin infotainment.²³
2017
The second facelift changes the grille, headlights and fog lights; a new steering wheel rearranges the multifunction buttons.²⁶
2019
The new Korando introduces the Blaze Cockpit, with screens and cabin mood lighting.⁶

Don’t confuse it with

Korando
Daewoo Korando
Daewoo Korando
Different grille and lights, plus a Daewoo emblem, distinguish this rebadged Korando.^12,16
Korando
TagAZ Tager
TagAZ Tager
The Russian continuation added a five-door long-wheelbase body to the original three-door Korando.¹
Jeep CJ-7
The Korando K9's stretched, 9-seat body has no CJ-7 equivalent.¹

Against its rivals

Korando vs Nissan Qashqai 1.6dCi 2WD Acenta

UK list price lower is better

Korando17,995 £

Nissan Qashqai 1.6dCi 2WD Acenta21,295 £
¹⁸
Korando vs Renault Koleos 4x4

Braked towing limit

Korando2,000 kg

Renault Koleos 4x41,650 kg
²⁶
Korando vs Skoda Karoq 2.0 TDI DSG 4x4 SE L

0–96.6 km/h lower is better

Korando11.4 s

Skoda Karoq 2.0 TDI DSG 4x4 SE L8.4 s
⁵

The rest of the story is in the app

The full file tells why each version matters, the legend behind the car and what to check before buying one.

Versions
- Why each of the 12 versions matters
Legend
- 14 stories from its legend
- “24th at Dakar with a 6.2-liter V8”
- “1993 Korandos dressed for the 1980s”
Generations
- The story of each of the 6 generations
Market
- 6 things to check before buying one
- Where prices are heading, and why

Read the full file in SPOT

SPOT is free on iPhone. Full car files come with SPOT Plus.

Sources

Every fact on this page links to the source it rests on.

See all 30 sources

SsangYong Korando - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
From Jeep to Family SUV: The 5-Generation Evolution of SsangYong's 'Korando' - DongA Science dongascience.com
코란도와 함께 가슴이 시키는대로 달려보세요 - 탑라이더 top-rider.com
2024 SsangYong Korando review | CarExpert carexpert.com.au
SsangYong Korando vs Skoda Karoq | Auto Express autoexpress.co.uk
Our Story and Timeline | 70 Years of Innovation | KGM Motors UK kgm-motors.co.uk
The new Ssangyong Korando e-XDi200: the C200 Concept makes it to production! - paultan.org paultan.org
Euro NCAP | SsangYong Korando euroncap.com
Fuertes y Vallejo terminan el mejor Dakar en el top 25 elprogreso.es
Rally Dakar - el día a día en el mundo KGM | KGM kgm.com.es
New SsangYong Korando e-Motion 2022 review | Auto Express autoexpress.co.uk
SsangYong Korando – Wikipedia de.wikipedia.org
[토요이슈]국내 최장수 자동차 브랜드 ‘코란도’의 7전8기 : 비즈N bizn.donga.com
SsangYong Korando: Gebrauchtwagen-Test - AUTO BILD autobild.de
SsangYong Reveals Korando ELX 'Red' Special Edition For The UK | Carscoops carscoops.com
R.A-S.H: Ssangyong Korando – Hooniverse hooniverse.com
Will Anyone Spend $17,000 on a Florida-Titled 1998 Ssangyong Korando? thedrive.com
SsangYong Korando LE review | | Auto Express autoexpress.co.uk
AMI 2014: Ssangyong feiert 60. Korando-Geburtstag - Auto-Medienportal auto-medienportal.net
SsangYong Korando SUV (2011-2019) | Carbuyer carbuyer.co.uk
Used SsangYong Korando (Mk4, 2019-date) buyer's guide: an SUV for just £10k | Auto Express autoexpress.co.uk
SsangYong Korando SX 5-dr wagon Reviews | Our Opinion | GoAuto goauto.com.au
First pictures: 2016 model-year Ssanyong Korando - Business Car businesscar.co.uk
쌍용차, 스페셜 에디션 '코란도 R-Plus' 출시…판매가격 2715만 원 - 이투데이 etoday.co.kr
SsangYong lobs all-new Korando pricing | GoAuto goauto.com.au
New SsangYong Korando 2017 facelift review | Auto Express autoexpress.co.uk
Jeep CJ - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org
KGM 코란도/미디어 namu.moe
SsangYong Korando или Tagaz Tager: стоит ли покупать за 500 тысяч kolesa.ru
1990 SsangYong Korando K9 for sale on BaT Auctions - sold for $8,000 on June 23, 2020 (Lot #33,058) | Bring a Trailer bringatrailer.com

en.wikipedia.org
dongascience.com
top-rider.com
carexpert.com.au
autoexpress.co.uk
kgm-motors.co.uk
paultan.org
euroncap.com
elprogreso.es
kgm.com.es
de.wikipedia.org
bizn.donga.com
autobild.de
carscoops.com

At a glance

The story

Keohwa gives its Jeep a new name

Ken Greenley's KJ takes over

Second-generation production ends

Giugiaro shapes the 2010–2011 revival

Fourth generation takes aim at the Karoq

Euro NCAP: 88% adult, 85% child

Korando DKR takes 24th at Dakar

e-Motion becomes the first SsangYong EV

Every generation

Power over the years

Versions

K4 / K6 / K9 (first generation)

Korando hardtop / removable-top / van

S / SX (Australia)

SE / EX / ELX (UK)

ELX / Ventura / Ultimate (UK, fourth generation)

LE

Korando e-Motion

E32 3.2 (second generation)

ELX Red (UK)

R-Plus

ELX LE / Ultimate LE (Australia)

Sixty Edition (Germany)

How to spot one

Look for

Year by year

Don’t confuse it with

Daewoo Korando

TagAZ Tager

Jeep CJ-7

Against its rivals

The rest of the story is in the app

Versions

Legend

Generations

Market

Sources

Photo credits

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