The TagAZ Road Partner is an off-roader of the Russian manufacturer TagAZ and has been built in Izhevsk since 2008. Like the Tager, it was developed by SsangYong, and the engines of the SsangYong Korando were used in it as well. After SsangYong ran into financial difficulties in 2008, TagAZ bought the rights and the production lines of the car and renamed it the Road Partner.
TagAZ Road Partner at a glance
| Maker | TagAZ, Russia |
|---|---|
| Production | from 2008 |
| Assembly | Izhevsk, Russia; also built in South Korea |
| Origin | SsangYong Musso, developed by SsangYong Motor Company |
| Russian body | closed off-roader |
| Korean body | Musso Sports pick-up |
| Engine MT1 | 2,295 cc four-cylinder, 150 hp |
| Engine AT3 | 3,199 cc six-cylinder, 220 hp |
| Engine MT8 | 2,067 cc four-cylinder, 100 hp, pick-up only |
| Emissions | Euro 3 |
| Facelift | 2009, to set it further apart from its predecessor |
The Road Partner has no article of its own on the English Wikipedia; it is described on the German Wikipedia, and the English article on the TagAZ factory lists it in the model range.
History of the TagAZ Road Partner
A Russian Musso
The Road Partner is an off-roader of the Russian manufacturer TagAZ, built in Izhevsk since 2008. It shares its origins with the Tager: the SsangYong Motor Company developed it, and the engines of the SsangYong Korando were also fitted to this car. When SsangYong got into financial trouble in 2008, TagAZ bought the rights and the production lines of the model and gave it the new name Road Partner.
Two bodies, two countries
The Road Partner is produced both in South Korea and in Russia. In Russia the factory builds the closed off-road body, while in South Korea the pick-up version of the model, known at SsangYong as the Musso Sports, left the line. The car was redesigned in 2009 so that it differed more clearly from its predecessor.
Engines
The closed version was offered with two engines. The MT1 has a four-cylinder of 2,295 cc and 150 hp; the AT3 is powered by a six-cylinder of 3,199 cc and 220 hp. The pick-up built in South Korea, the MT8, has the weakest engine: also a four-cylinder, but with 2,067 cc and only 100 hp. All versions meet the Euro 3 emission standard.
Design and features
- Korean design: developed by SsangYong and bought outright by TagAZ in 2008.
- Closed body in Russia: the Russian plant built the off-roader, not the pick-up.
- Three engines: 2.3-litre 150 hp, 3.2-litre V6 220 hp and a 2.0-litre 100 hp unit for the pick-up.
- 2009 facelift: a redesign that made the model look less like its predecessor.
- Euro 3: all versions were built to the same emission standard.
TagAZ Road Partner versions
- MT1: 2,295 cc four-cylinder, 150 hp, closed body.
- AT3: 3,199 cc six-cylinder, 220 hp, closed body.
- MT8: 2,067 cc four-cylinder, 100 hp, the pick-up built in South Korea and sold as the SsangYong Musso Sports.
- 2009 model: the facelifted car with a more distinct front and rear.
The Road Partner was the sister model of the Tager, and both came from SsangYong. The factory’s later passenger car was the Vega. More cars are in the TagAZ collection.
Video: Tagaz Road Partner на новой резине в окрестностях города Салават.
Video on YouTube.
Sources
- TagAZ, English Wikipedia: factory, place of the Road Partner in the range
- Tagaz Road Partner, German Wikipedia: production, bodies, engines and facelift
