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SsangYong Rodius
The SsangYong Rodius (Korean: 쌍용 로디우스, sold in Australia, New Zealand, South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa as the Stavic) is an automobile released in late 2004 by the South 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." Considered a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), 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 slid forward and backward.
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 diesel engine was criticised as 'old-school' and 'dated', but praised for 'solid Mercedes underpinnings'.
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 which reduced criticism concerning its appearance, however the styling was still widely panned. 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 with either a 6-speed MT or a 5G-Tronic automatic unit sourced from Mercedes-Benz. The manual transmission was often criticised by reviewers for a poor gearchange.
The car was criticised on release by many reviewers for poor build quality, handling, refinement, emissions, performance, safety, ride, and interior finish, but praised for its space, practicality, value for money, low price, number of seats, after-sales service, the availability of four-wheel-drive, Mercedes-Benz mechanicals, and generous warranty terms. Many were used as airport taxis due to the generous warranty and large space available, enabling the car to transport entire families while carrying luggage. In 2015 the first generation Rodius became one of the most popular vehicles on the Banger racing circuit due to its high centre of gravity and high strength in a collision, eventually leading to a ban from the sport in 2017, the second vehicle to be banned from Banger racing after the Chrysler Imperial in 2016.
In the mass media, the vehicle received some negative reviews of its aesthetics, with many describing it as the 'ugliest car ever'. The styling was described by contemporary reviewers and pundits as 'awkward-looking', 'curious', 'pot-bellied', 'abysmal', 'distinctive', 'challenging', 'hideous', 'controversial', 'oddball', 'outrageous', 'strange', 'weird', 'unusual', 'gopping', and an 'ocular insult' with a 'gormless face', 'barn-door' rear-end, 'shopping-trolley wheels', and 'grotesquely oversized front features'.
The styling was also notably condemned by Top Gear regarding the appearance of the standard wheel trims and 'gloopy front', saying that 'the whole rulebook on what is ugly has been rewritten'. As a follow-up, the car won the 2009 'WTF' award from Top Gear Magazine, which said that it 'looks like it got bottled in a pub brawl and stitched back together by a blind man'. Jeremy Clarkson described the car as an "unholy merger" of a coupe and a removal van, with 'wheels... the size of Smarties', while Richard Hammond criticised it as 'rather ugly'.
Due to its appearance, the car was quickly dubbed the 'Odious Rodius' by automotive journalists, some of which described the car as a 'surprised hippopotamus' that was 'so ugly it could frighten small children'. The car was voted by readers of the Daily Telegraph as the ugliest car on the road, taking 29% of the vote, commenting that 'even its own mother would call it ugly'. In Australia, the car was described by the Sydney Morning Herald as looking like 'a collapsing bus shelter', and by Wheels as 'having a face like a burnt thong'.
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SsangYong Rodius
The SsangYong Rodius (Korean: 쌍용 로디우스, sold in Australia, New Zealand, South America, Southeast Asia, and Africa as the Stavic) is an automobile released in late 2004 by the South 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." Considered a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), 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 slid forward and backward.
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 diesel engine was criticised as 'old-school' and 'dated', but praised for 'solid Mercedes underpinnings'.
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 which reduced criticism concerning its appearance, however the styling was still widely panned. 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 with either a 6-speed MT or a 5G-Tronic automatic unit sourced from Mercedes-Benz. The manual transmission was often criticised by reviewers for a poor gearchange.
The car was criticised on release by many reviewers for poor build quality, handling, refinement, emissions, performance, safety, ride, and interior finish, but praised for its space, practicality, value for money, low price, number of seats, after-sales service, the availability of four-wheel-drive, Mercedes-Benz mechanicals, and generous warranty terms. Many were used as airport taxis due to the generous warranty and large space available, enabling the car to transport entire families while carrying luggage. In 2015 the first generation Rodius became one of the most popular vehicles on the Banger racing circuit due to its high centre of gravity and high strength in a collision, eventually leading to a ban from the sport in 2017, the second vehicle to be banned from Banger racing after the Chrysler Imperial in 2016.
In the mass media, the vehicle received some negative reviews of its aesthetics, with many describing it as the 'ugliest car ever'. The styling was described by contemporary reviewers and pundits as 'awkward-looking', 'curious', 'pot-bellied', 'abysmal', 'distinctive', 'challenging', 'hideous', 'controversial', 'oddball', 'outrageous', 'strange', 'weird', 'unusual', 'gopping', and an 'ocular insult' with a 'gormless face', 'barn-door' rear-end, 'shopping-trolley wheels', and 'grotesquely oversized front features'.
The styling was also notably condemned by Top Gear regarding the appearance of the standard wheel trims and 'gloopy front', saying that 'the whole rulebook on what is ugly has been rewritten'. As a follow-up, the car won the 2009 'WTF' award from Top Gear Magazine, which said that it 'looks like it got bottled in a pub brawl and stitched back together by a blind man'. Jeremy Clarkson described the car as an "unholy merger" of a coupe and a removal van, with 'wheels... the size of Smarties', while Richard Hammond criticised it as 'rather ugly'.
Due to its appearance, the car was quickly dubbed the 'Odious Rodius' by automotive journalists, some of which described the car as a 'surprised hippopotamus' that was 'so ugly it could frighten small children'. The car was voted by readers of the Daily Telegraph as the ugliest car on the road, taking 29% of the vote, commenting that 'even its own mother would call it ugly'. In Australia, the car was described by the Sydney Morning Herald as looking like 'a collapsing bus shelter', and by Wheels as 'having a face like a burnt thong'.
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