It’s about time that someone designed a pick-up that makes sense primarily for tarmac use. Yet one that’s still tough enough to tackle the rough stuff. SsangYong claims to have created just that in the form of this Musso one-tonne pick-up.

SsangYong’s Musso pick-up aims to redefine the value proposition for customers in this segment and provide them with rugged but car-like transport. Better to drive and more affordable than its competitors, yet better equipped, it’s a five-seater Double Cab design that’s as practical as you’d want, can tow up to 3.0 tonnes and carry up to a tonne and comes complete with the support of arguably the best after-sales warranty package in the business. If you’re buying in this sector, you probably won’t have been considering one. Perhaps you should.

It might not be over-stating things to suggest that this SsangYong Musso pick-up is one of the brand’s most important models. While this growing South Korean maker’s passenger car models must battle with badge prejudice against more established rivals, this product will sell to pick-up people who’ve usually no such hang-ups. They simply want the toughest, best value vehicle their funds can give them. And this could well be it.

On tarmac, you wouldn’t call this Musso model’s ride absorbent, but if you’re used to the crude bumpy experience that most other pick-ups provide, it’ll be impressive. Enough perhaps, to make the difference between having to buy a conventional passenger car for driving around when the work day is done - or continuing to rely on the varied talents of this SsangYong.

Under the bonnet lies a piece of technology the brand is especially proud of, it’s 2.2-litre Euro 6 turbo-diesel engine. This power plant puts out significantly more power than many of its rivals and this Musso’s more than ready to get tough on the rough stuff. It uses a part time selectable 4WD system that’s been reliably proven over some of the most demanding terrain in the world, aided by design that optimises this pick-up both for gradient and water-logged ground.

Inside, there’s a light and airy environment thanks to large front, side and rear windows, while the careful blending of black and metallic finishes along with an LED illuminated cluster has created a smart and refined interior. It’s at the rear though, where this Musso holds an important advantage over its most direct rivals. The back seat in many a Double Cab pick-up seems often to be something of an after-thought, cramped for the feet and uncomfortably upright for the back. Not only is there plenty of room for head, shoulders, knees and feet but, rather uniquely, you can recline the rear seat back by up to 29-degrees.

There’s a lot to think about when it comes to picking out a pick-up. You’re buying one in the first place because you want practical, go-anywhere ruggedness. Yet if at least some of the time, it’s to serve as your only means of transport, then you also need car-like qualities - real refinement, supple suspension and a comfortable cabin. Ideally, you want all of this, a high specification and a price that looks like a misprint. You’d be asking a lot.

This segment version is not only as honest, reliable and highly capable as every pick-up should be thanks to the one tonne payload, but crucially, thanks to car-like coil sprung suspension, is also better suited to a life on-tarmac than any of its contemporaries. Plus, there’s the after-sales support every pick-up should have and even a bit of a sense of style.