SsangYong XIV-Adventure and XIV-Air Concepts are Finding the Pace

Just a few short years ago, its show stands were littered with discordant designs that bordered on the comical – the original Rodius and Korando still have us biting our tongues. But now look at them – the  SsangYong XIV-Adventure (above) and XIV-Air concept (below) may not be design standouts, but they are perfectly contemporary, with some interesting details and overall proportions that would seem right at home in the dealers of any number of global automakers.

While labeled concepts, dealerships are exactly where an XIV-based model very similar to these crossovers will soon be found. The budget B-segment brawler will go on sale in Korea early next year and then reach out to other markets, presumably including mainland Europe. The XIV – however it ends up looking – will put power from a 1.6-liter engine in both gasoline and diesel flavors to the ground through either a six-speed manual or an automatic gearbox with an unspecified number of ratios.