First impressions are important. With the Kyron that impression will vary depending on the angle from which it is first viewed. It looks as if two or more designers worked quite independently on the overall shape. Like the curate’s egg, it’s good in parts but lacks design cohesiveness. An example of this diversity of thought is evident in three separate grilles, stacked one above the other, with nothing to suggest that they even came from the same pen. The front is modern with a sweeping shape, somewhat reminiscent of the good-looking Ssang-Yong Rexton, while the rear is something of an afterthought. With such strong wedge styling it’s crying out for high, c-pillar mounted taillights. It’s not a happy mix but once you get past the external styling issues the Kyron begins to impress. Kyron’s interior stylist could easily have worked for Volvo; such is the mix of solidity and style and even the choice of textures and materials. While not up to the same standard as Volvo, it has a smart ‘edge’ design and is also practical and well laid out. It appears to be a typical mid-sized soft-roader, albeit bigger than its obvious competitors. Inside, it is roomy and clearly larger than Grand Vitara, which we tested back to back with Kyron. Not only is Kyron roomier than Grand Vitara and indeed all its competitors, in terms of combined driver and passenger space, it also has a particularly large luggage area ‘to boot’. The seats are well designed, in terms of both comfort and support. The upholstery appears to be a durable and practical choice. Dark grey in colour, it has tasteful inserts in the seats and door trims and is neatly stitched. As the rear seats fold away, the squabs drop down into what is otherwise useful storage space beneath. The extended load level is not too much higher than the actual boot floor. The instruments are simple and easy to read. The indicator stalk apart, which is to the left of the steering wheel, is matched with the wiper stalk at a ‘10 to 2’ position. There’s some logic in that positioning but things can get confusing if the indicator doesn’t self cancel. When you hear the indicator is still on, you’re inclined to think the indicator stalk is up above ‘normal’ height and therefore try to flick it down even when it is already down. Unusually, the digital clock has the hour numeral set above the minutes. It also kept resetting itself, as did the air conditioner. There’s a useful and quite deep tray under the central dash as well as the centre bin between the front seats. Underneath a sliding cover, ahead of the centre bin, there are two drink holders, and two sunglasses holders in the centre roof. The glovebox isn’t large but is well-shaped. There are storage nets behind the front seats and the centre bin. In the boot are storage areas to each side that require two screws to be undone to open the lids. In one is a tool-kit and bottle jack. Under the boot floor are wet storage trays of various sizes. The rear door is a huge tailgate that opens nice and high to provide walk in access for those of above average height. It also provides good shelter in a sudden shower. The spare wheel is in a cradle under the boot floor. Mirrors on each sunvisor are uncovered, which causes some driver distraction either because you’re looking back at yourself or at your arms or hands on the steering wheel. Obviously, Kyron was originally intended for a left-hand-drive market. Along with the indicator, the handbrake, fan and audio volume controls are also biased to the left. The handbrake is a stretch but with an automatic transmission it isn’t used quite as often. The steering wheel has audio controls mounted on it, which resolves the problem of the volume knob being too far away. The cruise control is mounted behind the steering wheel and takes a little getting used to; you’re never quite sure when you have activated cancel or stand-by modes because you use the same plane of movement for both functions. The double DIN audio head unit has cassette and CD options and even has component front speakers with high mounted tweeters. Radio reception wasn’t always great but sound quality was otherwise quite good. Ventilation controls are easy to use rotary dials and airflow was good to the cabin. With such a large interior volume, the air-conditioner did struggle to keep the cabin cool on one really hot day but it still provided a nice cool airflow to the driver and front passenger. Access and egress to and from the Kyron is good but there is no handgrip to help pull you up into the vehicle when needed. Visibility is a little affected by the sloping windscreen and wide a-pillars and the rear screen is very shallow due to the wedge styling with its rising waistline. It was difficult to see when reversing as a result. There are dual airbags. Down to business, Kyron has a 2-litre, 4-cylinder, direct injection, common-rail, intercooled turbo-diesel. It pumps out 104kW (141hp) at 4000 rpm and 310Nm from 1800 to 2750 rpm. There’s a ‘tip-tronic’ 5-speed automatic with low-range. A 5-speed manual is available. It has a part-time, switch activated 4WD system, with automatic hubs, no centre differential and it has a limited-slip rear differential. Independent front suspension by MacPherson strut and double wishbones is an unusual combination but the 5-link live rear axle is standard fare. The rear anti-roll bar is mounted quite high, above the trailing arm links but the panhard rod is mounted low and with a curious rubber strip, rather like a very wide mudflap mounted to it. Brakes are ABS controlled four-wheel discs. The tyres are road-biased 225/70R16 Kumho Road Venture STs fitted to alloy wheels. While it does have a light-weight towing point, it isn’t suitable for off-road recovery purposes. The braked tow rating is 2300kg. Minimum ground clearance is 193mm. The transmission mounting is the limiting factor. Other obstacles to venturing off-road are the engine air-intake scoops either side of the bonnet catch and a low alternator mounting, both of which will limit Kyron’s ability to wade to any great depth. However, despite touching the front and rear valence, both of which are flexible plastic the Kyron proved to have a better Ramp Travel Index (‘RTI’) than expected. At 482 for the front and 500 for the rear the RTI rating is much better than Grand Vitara. As was its ability on the wheel articulation test, where it simply drove through with no less than three wheels on the ground. In the hill climb test, in dry dusty conditions, the Kyron just ‘walked it’, straight up the hill first time. There are several bumps halfway up but they did nothing to affect its grip. Further attempts to provoke it into wheelspin by climbing the sides of the ruts met with very little resistance; Kyron just went up again and again. That’s in complete contrast to Grand Vitara. Along the trail the transmission mount is inclined to act more like a grader on a rutted track; clearing the grass from between the ruts as we went. Great if you’re the vehicle following but a ‘real drag’ otherwise. The risk of bellying it in slippery conditions is disappointing from an otherwise quite capable soft-roader. Grand Vitara seldom touched on the same rutted track even as lead vehicle. So, while slowed off-road by this lack of clearance and its limited wading potential Kyron still has good wheel articulation and great traction. On road Kyron was a bit of a surprise. It has a lovely balance to it; from its ability to turn in nicely, with good grip, to holding its line no matter what bumps you encounter mid corner. You can feel those bumps working through the live rear end but they don’t deflect it from your chosen line. It sits on the road well, partly due to its 2000kg plus kerb weight, but the suspension seems remarkably well set up for the road given its off-road wheel articulation. At low speeds the front tyres will protest and push a little if you attempt a fast entry to a roundabout, for example, but at open road speeds it’s like driving a well-sorted family sedan. In this regard it is easier to drive than Grand Vitara, which has a little initial understeer. As speeds rise a sense of caution prevails and you remember Kyron is big and heavy although it never feels such. It can cover distances quite quickly even on winding roads because it has such good ability to change direction. The ride is firm but supple and it never feels anything other than smooth. There’s an initial delay when you press the accelerator but then it pulls like a train. It has great torque and will rev to well over 4000 rpm to boost on road performance. The effect is helped in no small way by an excellent transmission with good ratios. It also works well in ‘manual’ mode, which ‘tips’ from side to side rather than backwards and forwards. It holds gears properly, not allowing it to change up but it will change down if you forget to, preventing the engine labouring. In ‘D’ the Kyron holds on to each gear as long as possible on long uphill climbs, letting the torque do the work. Accelerating from a standing start the Kyron took just 12.1 seconds to reach 100 kph. Remember it weighs over 2 tonnes and has a 2 litre engine. In simulated overtaking from 80 to 110 kph it took just 7.1 seconds. Overall, the Kyron is far better than I expected. There are shortcomings in its appearance, its ground clearance and the gremlin that affected the electrics. The vehicle tested was an evaluation model however. There’s no left foot rest to brace against but as an auto that wasn’t too much of a problem because there’s some room next to the brake. On the plus side, it drives really well both on and off the road with great performance from both engine and transmission. It is quiet with little engine, wind or road noise and the interior is very nice and it’s roomy and practical. At $42,990 it is well positioned to pick up sales from owners of old model Grand Vitaras, who still need more off-road ability than the new model affords.
