With the rising popularity of car camping in South Korea, the pickup truck market in the country has surged in recent years, up from around 22,000 vehicles sold in 2017 to 42,000 in 2018.

The trend has only grown with the COVID-19 pandemic as more people are opting for outdoor and social-distancing activities that require larger storage and stronger off-road driving capacity.

Leading the segment is SsangYong Motor’s Rexton Sports, which pioneered the Korean market for open-deck sports utility vehicles in 2018.

The Rexton Sports sold a total of 41,717 units after it launched in 2018, and 41,326 in 2019. In April this year, 27 months after its introduction, total sales surpassed 100,000 units.

Rexton Sports shares the premium interior and specifications of SsangYong’s flagship sport utility vehicle G4 Rexton.

Targeting both adventure and daily driving, Rexton can be operated in a two-wheel drive mode in normal driving conditions and a four-wheel drive mode during bad weather conditions and off-road experiences.

The vehicle has dynamic suspension, an off-road undercover and an off-road side step to improve off-road driving performance. It provides a maximum of 187 horsepower and 40.8 kilogram-meters of torque.

Its cargo space is an appealing feature for those needing to carry hefty gear for outdoor activities.

It boasts a wheel base of 3,100 millimeters, a full length of 5,095 millimeters and a full width of 1,950 millimeters.

Rexton Sports Khan, which is more spacious than Rexton Sports, has a wheel base of 3,210 millimeters, a full length of 5,405 millimeters and a full width of 1,950 millimeters. Khan’s deck with an increased capacity by 24.8 percent from Rexton Sports can be loaded up to 700 kilograms.

The 2020 Rexton Sports is priced between 24.19 million won ($20,392) and 32.6 million won, while the 2020 Rexton Sports Khan is sold for between 27.95 million won and 35.1 million won.

“The Rexton Sports Series is specialized for outdoor activities. With its unique design, ample cargo space and diverse convenience features, it has been receiving positive reviews in both domestic and overseas markets,” SsangYong Motor said.

This year, the vehicle received the “2020 Pickup of the Year” award by the British magazine 4X4 for its second consecutive year. It was also cited as the best pickup -- among those less than 12,700 kilograms -- by UK automobile magazine What Car this year.

By Shin Ji-hye (shinjh@heraldcorp.com)