I just saw one at Megamall today.

I immediately wrote it off, thinking, "egads! it's a Ssangyong! and it probably costs 1.5 million pesos!"

Imagine my shock to learn that the base-level 2.3L gasoline with manual transmission is 899K. And the 2.3L gasoline with automatic is 949K.

Admittedly, at that price class, you only get one airbag, a cheesy-looking "Ssangyong" stereo, and hard plastics on the dash.

But... it has a ladder-frame. This is a real SUV, not a car converted into an SUV. And it's the price of a Hyundai Tucson 2.0L CVVT manual! and it has a 2.3L engine!

I only looked inside it for a short while (medyo sumama loob ko na ka-presyo niya ang aming Mazda3 hatchback). But the doors slam nicely (about 70% as nicely as a Benz E-class), the fit and finish is fairly good.

And it looks good! for a Ssangyong, it looks surprisingly good. Actually if I could buy a car all over again, I'd get it, over the Mazda3 hatch we're currently paying off.

Yes, the front can take some getting used to. But the rest of it is quite aesthetic. And for the price!