SSANGYONG Chairman Models/Series Timeline, Specifications & Photos

The deal between Mercedes-Benz and the Korean manufacturer SsangYong started with the SsangYong Musso and the Kurando SUVs based on older ML platforms.

While the Chairman model wasn’t based on a Mercedes platform, it was still similar to the E-Class and the E-Class older versions when it came to both the exterior and interior designs.

Acceleration was moderate, with power coming from an ageing 3.2-liter 6-cylinder unit that developed 217 hp. The Chairman was a heavy car, thus, the luxurious sedan was not very punchy.

Inside, one could easily notice the Mercedes’ genes in the design of the dashboard, dials and switches.

Interior room was generous, especially for the rear seat passengers that enjoyed many luxury touches such as reclining rear seats, heated and cooled drink-holders and audio and climate adjustments available in the rear cabin.

Equipping the Chariman with more convenience and luxury features rose the Chariman’s price a little high. The Chairman could be equipped with powered driver’s seats, memory seats, heated all five seats, rear parking assistance an a premium quality 10-speaker audio system.

Other options included adaptive cruise control and high entertainment systems.

The safety features available with the Chariman were twin front and side airbags, an electronic stability program and ABS with brake assist.

As part of the agreement signed with Mercedes-Benz, SsangYong received the rights for a licensed Mercedes-Benz E-Class, which the Korean carmaker modify-it according to its design language.

SsangYong knew nothing about building street vehicles since its experience was more in the off-road area, but Mercedes-Benz knew pretty much everything about that domain. When the German carmaker agreed to give the Koreans the rights to build their version of the W211 E-Class, the result was an affordable, executive vehicle.

While the W211 was already old, the Korean carmaker updated it in 2004 and introduced new technologies, plus a few design changes. The headlights were big, and the grille resembled the Mercedes-Benz model. In the back, they just spoiled everything by placing a flat, big metallic plate on the vertical side of the trunk lid. Its taillights looked ridiculously small.

The interior was completely changed and featured a nice, waved dashboard. Its wood-trims didn't look as good as on the older Mercedes, but they were far better than the gray plastic parts. Since the car was refreshed in 2004, it already received several features like the reversing camera and a sat-nav system with a touch-screen stuck in the middle of the center stack. Unlike the German model, the Chairman featured a steering wheel with all the buttons grouped at the bottom.

Under the hood, SsangYong installed a choice of three engines built under Mercedes-Benz license. All of them were paired to a five-speed automatic transmission.