KGM Torres EVX (2024 - )

The five-door Torres is the first fully-fledged model to come out of the KGM stable, the manufacturer that was formally known under the SsangYong name.
Available in petrol or EV guise, it’s a vehicle that certainly makes a bold statement and is a great indicator of where KGM is going. It’s no longer the cheap and cheerful Korean brand, but with prices starting a fiver shy of £45k, the Torres EVX (EV version) is taking on some big hitters in the industry.
But as was the SsangYong way before it, KGM is ensuring its vehicles come fully loaded with all the bells and whistles as standard. That way, there are no nasty shocks at the check-out till.
The Torres EVX is available in two grades called K30 and K40, but both models are powered by a 73.4kWh battery, which has been sourced from leading battery maker BYD, and both models boast a combined driving range of 287 miles between charges, increasing to 394 miles in the city where the regenerative braking comes into force more frequently.
We opted for the flagship Torres EVX K40 for our test drive.

The Torres EVX has been designed with the ‘Powered by Toughness’ philosophy and one glance in its direction leaves you in little doubt to the accuracy of that statement.

The ‘X’ in EVX stands for extreme and the vehicles looks imposing from any approach thanks to its upright stance, a futuristic front end featuring sweeping light clusters with dot-shaped daytime running lights, blacked-out rear windows and tailgate, black wheel arches, roof rails and 20-inch diamond cut alloy wheels. 

Moving inside, the interior is elegantly set out with a minimalist approach, but plenty of on-board technology to explore and this is all included in the asking price.

The main focal point is the infotainment system that sees two 12.3-inch screens merge seamlessly together behind one pane of glass and these are the vehicle’s nerve centre.

The left screen is where you access the likes of the navigation system, Apple CarPlay or Android Auto smartphone connectivity, climate control, Bluetooth, six-speaker sound system, drive modes, safety kit and plenty more besides.

The right screen offers all the vital driving data such as speed, driving range and battery charge levels.

Everything works smoothly enough, but some of the controls are quite small and positioned too far from the driver. You have to drag from the right of the screen to get to the climate settings or alternatively there are short cut icons but these are positioned at the furthest point from the driver which isn’t ideal.

But those minor gripes aside, the EVX is certainly designed for comfort with powered premium leather seats which, along with the steering wheel and outer rear seats, can be heated to fend off the winter blues. The front seats can also be ventilated.

Our front-wheel drive KGM Torres EVX K40 was powered by a 73.4kWh battery delivering 207PS and 339Nm of torque. This translates into a sprint time of 8.1 seconds and a top speed of 109mph.

The acceleration via the single-speed automatic transmission is smooth and responsive and this model can be driven for 287 miles between charges, or up to 394 miles in busier town centres where the battery is boosted thanks to regenerative braking, the levels of which can be adjusted to one of three settings of strength via the steering wheel paddles.

Despite its quite bulky size and weighing in at 1.9 tonnes, the Torres EVX is deceptively agile and is well balanced when fizzing through the twisting country lanes. The grip is flawless and there are minimal signs of body sway in and out of tighter corners.

It will eat up the motorway miles for fun, although you will notice an increase in the levels of wind noise at higher speeds and staying at a steady 70mph will see the range start to drop quite quickly. But this is the case with all EVs to be fair.

Drive modes, accessed by swiping down from the top of the infotainment screen, are called Eco, Comfort and Sport, and these alter the driving characteristics of the vehicle

Refinement levels are generally good with the effective suspension system smoothing out any unexpected bumps along the way, while the cabin is well insulated against outside sounds.

With the elevated driving position, the all-round visibility is excellent, and it would be amiss of me not to mention the sounds that are emitted by the Torres. When you start it up or power down, it resembles a five-second ditty that wouldn’t be out of place in the TV soap theme tune awards.

The KGM Torres EVX boasts a really strong road presence with many people commenting on its similarity to certain Land Rover models. It stretches 4,715mm in length, is 1,890mm wide (including mirrors) and 1,725mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,680mm.

And those dimensions translate into a spacious cabin with bundles of room for five occupants and very few restrictions on what luggage they can bring along. 

Up front a couple of six footers can stretch out and the same, rather unusually, can be said of the back too where three adults will fit without too many complaints. There are Isofix child seat anchors to the outer rear seats, along with window blinds just in case a passenger fancies 40 winks. There is even a ‘Rear Seats Sleepers’ button that mutes the speakers in the back for added peace.

The boot is accessed via a powered tailgate and it can swallow 703 litres of luggage, increasing to 1,662 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped flat. There is an underfloor compartment, along with side bins featuring elasticated straps to hold items in place.

Elsewhere, there is a good-sized illuminated glovebox, a vast storage area beneath the centre console, a wireless charging pad, seat back pockets with separate phone holders, front and rear cup holders, wide door bins that can hold 1.5-litre drinks bottles, coat or backpack hooks in the seat backs and plenty of USB-C ports to keep devices charged on the move.

Talking of charging, the KGM Torres EVX’s 73.4kWh battery can be boosted from 20 to 80 per cent in 37 minutes if using a 100kW rapid charger or in nine hours if plugged into an 11kW home wallbox.

And with family breaks in mind, the Torres EVX can tow a braked trailer or caravan weighing up to 1.5 tonnes.

The KGM Torres is available with two powertrains, a 1.5-litre petrol model or the fully-electrified EVX.

The petrol range starts from £35,080 for the entry-level Torres K30, increasing to £38,080 for the K40, while AWD bumps the price up to £39,995. The Torres EVX line-up costs £44,495 for the K30 model and £47,495 for the range-topping K40, as tested.

Financially, owners can still benefit from numerous rewards for driving an electric vehicle with zero carbon emissions. For example, they will be exempt from road tax, along with any Congestion Charge or Ultra Low Emission Zone fees. And customers will not be charged an additional premium car tax for vehicles costing in excess of £40k either. 

However, we should point out that these incentives will be cut back or withdrawn completely from next year.

Any business drivers considering the KGM Torres EVX as a company car will be rewarded with an attractive Benefit in Kind tax rating of two per cent.

While it’s still too early to comment with any certainty on the reliability of the all-new Torres EVX, we should point out that it shares the same Blade battery technology as BYD which means the units have been tested in extreme conditions to guarantee their durability and safety in equal measures. This process included overcharging the battery by 260 per cent and heating it in a furnace at 300 degrees centigrade, amongst other measures. None of these tests resulted in a fire or explosion.

For added peace of mind, the Torres EVX comes with a seven-year, 90,000-mile warranty, which increases to 10 years or 620,000+ miles for the battery (that’s one million kms) and the car sits in insurance group 48.

The Torres EVX is an impressive debut model from KGM, which is the newly rebranded name for SsangYong. It certainly makes a bold statement and is a clear indication of what’s to come from the Korean carmaker with its Powered by Toughness design philosophy evident at every turn.

Generously equipped as standard, it’s not cheap and is facing up against some very big names in the industry that are already very well established. But a new name and new models are always a welcome breath of fresh air and the more competition, the better in our book.

As for the name itself, if you were thinking Torres is derived from a leading character in Star Trek Voyager you would be very much mistaken. It is in fact inspired by the Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia. I quite the Star Trek theory to be honest especially with the Torres’ futuristic flight deck, or rather instrumentation layout!