Review: KGM Torres

You’ve probably never heard of KGM. But a bit of online searching will tell you that it is the new name for Korean motor manufacturer Ssangyong.

Under various guises the company has been in existence for 70 years with the Ssangyong name around since 1988.

Ssangyong officially entered the UK market in 1994 with the launch of the Musso SUV and proceeded to introduce a range of other large SUVs at regular intervals.

To celebrate the name change KGM revealed the Torres earlier this year. An impressive five-seater SUV which is, for the moment, available with a petrol-engine or as a full electric model (EVX).

Sales have been slow but steady: 979 year to date with 106 in June, the latest figures available.

It’s a very good looking car and bears more than a passing resemblance to the Land Rover Discovery or new Defender with a touch of Jeep thrown in for good measure.

It’s a big car at 4.7 metres long and 1.9 metres wide and appears to be even bigger than it is. The styling cues are bold, particularly from the the front with nice touches such as the red towing eye and bonnet grab rails.

Inside it’s roomy and comfortable with plenty of leg, shoulder and headroom for five.

It has all the positive attributes of an SUV, high riding position, so good forward visibility and a commanding road presence.

Rearward visibility is not as good but the excellent rearview camera coupled with parking sensors make light work of parking up.

The cabin materials are of good quality but I couldn’t drum up any enthusiasm for the bronze-coloured trim which smacks of 1970s kitsch.

In the cabin there is too much of a reliance on the touchscreen which is not all that easy to navigate and is a bit clunky at times.

It does come with smartphone mirroring which at least means you can customise the music etc to your own preferences

The interior is roomy and there are plenty of versatile storage options, a couple of USB-C points at the front and two at the back and, if you have the higher spec model of the two as we did, the K40, there’s also a wireless charging pad.

The boot is enormous at 703 litres and with the rear seats folded down gives a flat load floor.

Bizarrely the boot lid opens conventionally upwards despite the handle on the right hand side indicating that it opens sideways.

The 161bhp 1.5-litre turbo petrol engine is responsive and can make the 0-62mph in 10.8 seconds with a top speed of 118mph.

Mated to a an automatic transmission there is no option for manual gearbox

It's a bit wallowy and lacking in grip when cornering but is much improved from the Ssangyongs of old which were frankly terrible.

First impressions are that this is a good start for KGM’s new beginnings and once the car-buying public catches on to its attributes it should do well.

KGM Torres K40

Price: £38,080

Engine: 1.5 litre petrol

Power: 160bhp

Torque: 192lb/ft

Transmission: six-speed automatic

Top speed: 118 mph

0-62mph: 9.8 seconds

Economy: 33.2mpg

CO 2 emissions:194g/km