Mercedes Musso
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| Manufacturer | SsangYong Motor |
|---|---|
| Also called | SsangYong Musso Libero SsangYong MJ Daewoo Musso Mercedes-Benz Musso Morattab Musso TagAZ Road Partner |
| Production | 1993–2005 (South Korea) 1997–2005 (Vietnam) 2003–present (Iran) 2008–present (Russia) |
| Assembly | Pyeongtaek, South Korea Taganrog, Russia (TagAZ) |
| Successor | SsangYong Actyon SsangYong Kyron |
| Class | Mid-size SUV |
| Body style | 4-door wagon |
| Engine | 2.3 L I4 (petrol) 3.2 L I6 (petrol) 2.9 L I5 (diesel) |
| Wheelbase | 2,630 mm (103.5 in) |
| Length | 4,640 mm (183 in) (1993–1998) 4,656 mm (183.3 in) (1998–2005) |
| Width | 1,850 mm (73 in) (1993–1998) 1,864 mm (73.4 in) (1998–2005) |
| Height | 1,735 mm (68.3 in) |
| Related | SsangYong Musso Sports |
| Designer(s) | Ken Greenley |
First produced in 1993, the car was available with either a petrol 2.8 and 3.2-litre inline six-cylinder Mercedes-Benz M104 engine, a Mercedes-Benz M111 engine 2.3-litre inline four-cylinder petrol engine, or a 2.3-litre four-cylinder and 2.9-litre five-cylinder diesel engines (Mercedes-Benz OM601 and OM602) with natural aspiration or turbo intercooler (from 1997). The car was designed by Briton Ken Greenley and received the Auto Design Award from the Birmingham Auto Show hosted in 1994 and 1996. Also known for its off-road abilities, the vehicle won the Pharaohs Rally of Egypt for 4WD vehicles in October 1994. A facelifted version has been available since 1998.
The Musso seats five people and its wheels are fit for off-road driving, similar to its smaller sibling, the Korando. The SsangYong Musso Sports, a Musso variant with a truck bed, was released in later years.
The Musso is available in Russia as TagAZ Road Partner, produced by TagAZ in Taganrog, Russia (since 2008) and also in Iran as Musso, produced by Moratab Khodro Co. (since 2003). It was sold in Vietnam by Mekong Auto Corporation from 1997 to 2005.
As SsangYong had a technology-sharing deal with Mercedes-Benz at the time, the decision was made to sell the Musso as a badge-engineered Mercedes-Benz model in some markets. This allowed SsangYong to gain footholds in new markets without having to build their own infrastructure (utilizing existing Mercedes-Benz networks) while giving Mercedes a competitor in the then-booming SUV market
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