New KGM Torres 2024 review: big SUV says so long SsangYong

Verdict

The Torres is a solid start for this reborn brand, with excellent amounts of cabin space and generous equipment lists. Performance is only respectable, though, efficiency looks a little behind the curve, and several of the car’s rivals offer a better user experience on the all-important in-car tech. Keen finance deals may well be required if the Torres is to win converts from more polished Korean and European rivals – but there is promise here, certainly, that perhaps the EVX or the forthcoming hybrid can really fulfil.

It can’t be easy to overhaul an entire car company, but that’s precisely what KGM is attempting to do with the brand formerly known as SsangYong. The process started last spring with the change of name, but it’s really kicking in now with the arrival of the first all-new model launched under the fresh ownership: the Torres.

You could hardly describe KGM’s first debut as an easy vehicle to slide under the radar, either, for the Torres is neither a small car nor a subtle one. The company says it wants to “build on the heritage of SsangYong” and sure enough, its first new offering is a 4.7-metre-long SUV; that’s longer than both the Nissan X-Trail and the outgoing Skoda Kodiaq, seven seaters both. If you’re looking closer to home, this model is designed to slot in between the Korando and the Rexton, both still on sale as part of KGM’s rebranded portfolio.

In design terms, the Torres is a bit of a mishmash of influences, with Jeep-like vertical grille slats at the front and a distinct whiff of Range Rover in the way that the rear lights wrap around the corner of the tailgate. There’s a lot of faux butchness about it, in truth, with bonnet-mounted grab handles and roof rails, but it’s probably imposing and distinctive enough overall for what is a desperately crowded market.

KGM claims the Torres is based on a new platform, although work on the car started before the company took over Ssangyong, so we wouldn’t be surprised if it were in some way related to the old Korando architecture. Either way, it can accommodate a variety of powertrains, and it’s being launched with a choice of combustion or pure-electric power. There’s a single regular engine on offer – a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged unit producing 161bhp and 280Nm of torque. It’s paired up with a six-speed automatic gearbox and either front- or four-wheel drive.

The all-electric version is badged Torres EVX and it’s due in UK dealers by early summer, equipped with a BYD-sourced ‘Blade battery’ measuring 73kWh and delivering up to 287 miles of range. A petrol-electric hybrid, again featuring tech sourced from BYD, will arrive in the next 12 months, and it’s hard to see how it won’t end up replacing the regular 1.5-litre petrol completely.

In the meantime, KGM UK has gone for a simplified line-up, with just two trim levels on offer, both of them pretty well equipped. The Torres K30 comes with 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, full-LED headlights, heated front seats and steering wheel, keyless entry, front and rear parking sensors, a 12.3-inch infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity, dual-zone air-con and cruise control. It costs from £34,995, which puts it north of smaller five-seaters like the Nissan Qashqai, but in the mix with seven-seaters like the X-Trail and new Kodiaq. We’re still waiting to see how KGM’s finance deals will stack up on monthly payments.

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The K40 that we’re testing here, meanwhile, carries a premium of £3,000 but steps up to 20-inch wheels and adds navigation, power adjustment on the front seats, heating and ventilation in the front and rear seats, premium-leather upholstery, adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera system. This is the Torres that you can have with four-wheel drive, incidentally, for an additional £2,000.

A 1.5-litre engine doesn’t sound much in a car this big with a kerb weight over more than a tonne and a half, but in unladen form at least, the Torres makes a decent fist of things. The gearbox doesn’t appreciate being rushed, but a more patient approach will be rewarded by smooth progress – much the same, in fact, as you’ll find in any of the new generation of large SUVs featuring smaller petrol motors instead of good old-fashioned 2.0-litre diesels. The KGM’s engine – already used elsewhere in the range – spins up smoothly enough, only sounding harsh if you stamp on the throttle and demand instant acceleration, sending the revs rocketing. This may occur more frequently when every seat is filled and the boot is full of luggage, mind you.

The new platform delivers a more rounded dynamic performance than SsangYongs of old, with slightly better body control and keener turn-in than the likes of the Korando. This is still a tall vehicle, though, and one where the trade-off for compliance is a bit of lean in corners – so you might find yourself correcting the relatively quick steering if you try to tip the Torres into a corner at high speeds. Still, that lengthy wheelbase helps on the comfort front, and only really sharp, high-frequency inputs break through to the cabin. We suspect a K30 on 18-inchers would be even better at this, bringing the overall dynamic package closer to the likes of the Kia Sportage or the Kodiaq.

Cruising refinement is pretty decent, in fact, despite the bluff front end, tall windscreen, the larger wheels and the aforementioned bonnet adornments. At a steady 70mph you’ll be pulling just over 2,000rpm and returning around 50mpg, although your overall average mpg figure is likely to be in the mid thirties at best. The hybrid can’t come quickly enough for those not ready to leap to full electric.

The Torres’s elevated cabin delivers a commanding view of the road ahead, and the sharp edges of the chunky styling mean that it’s an easy vehicle to place on the road, despite its size. From the driver’s seat, the dash is dominated by a pair of 12.5-inch displays, integrated into one neat panel that combines the infotainment and instruments.

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There’s no denying that the displays are crisp enough, and the system is reasonably rapid in operation, but there are a couple of software flaws that we’d hope could be overcome through updates. Firstly, the infotainment takes too long to boot up considering it needs to be accessed for several key functions, including heating and ventilation; you’ll find yourself waiting for up to a minute after start-up just to flick on the windscreen demister (did anyone suggest a physical button, we wonder?).

Secondly, once it is up and running, the interface is a little haphazard; there are sensible shortcut buttons to the main functions, admittedly, but they’re on the far side of the screen from the driver, and the system isn’t averse to overlaying information about, for example, audio volume over the top of virtual buttons controlling vehicle functions. There’s no wireless Android Auto, either – and we found the connection via cable a little flaky, with occasional drop-outs.

Still, once you look beyond the digital tech, the cabin definitely feels like it has the space for seven occupants, even though the Torres is sticking firmly with a five-seat configuration. There’s masses of space for four grown-ups, with generous leg, knee and headroom in the second row. Only the transmission tunnel cramps the style of the fifth occupant, but anyone under six feet tall could get reasonably comfortable there too, we’re sure.

The boot is equally huge; KGM claims a capacity of 703 litres with the rear seats in place, and up to 1,662 litres with them folded down, and the cavernous load bay, complete with a minimal load lip and an underfloor storage area, makes these numbers look extremely believable. SsangYong had a history of providing big, practical transport – and if the Torres is anything to go by, KGM is going to continue the tradition. There’s nothing clever back there, though - no way of stopping your luggage from sliding around on the floor, and not a single hook on either side of the boot itself.