New KGM Musso is the UK’s cheapest electric pick-up truck
Long-serving Musso nameplate can now be had on an all-electric truck
If you were sad about the fact the Tesla Cybertruck looks like it’ll never be officially sold in the UK then fear not, because KGM has an all-electric pick-up truck of its own, called the Musso EV.
We’ve already driven the newcomer in the UK and it largely impressed us with the caveat of whether KGM ‘would get the pricing right’. Well, the South Korean brand formerly known as SsangYong has now released full pricing for its electric truck.
The Musso name has been a staple of the pick-up truck market for several years, so we understand why KGM has carried it over to its first electric truck. Although this isn’t simply a zero-emissions version of the existing, diesel-powered Musso.
Instead, the Musso EV is based on the recently launched Torres EVX electric SUV, and is said to offer the same levels of comfort and efficiency, but with the extra practicality of a load bed, along with a tailgate that can support up to 150kg.
The Musso EV goes on sale in May priced from £42,495 (including VAT) and utilising the £2,500 plug-in van grant. That makes it cheaper than the Maxus T90 EV (£49,950 excluding VAT) and far less than the Isuzu D-Max Electric (which costs £59,995 excluding VAT). Our pick-up truck of the year, the Ford Ranger, can currently be had with an average saving of almost £6,000 on the Auto Express Buy A Car service.
The Musso EV offers a maximum towing capacity of 2.3 tonnes and a payload of 690kg and as with the Torres EVX, there’s V2L (vehicle-to-load) charging capabilities, so its battery pack can be used for electric appliances, such as power tools.
The front lighting signature and extensive use of black plastic is similar to the Torres EVX, too, but the truck adds grab handles and the traditional Musso rhino logo on the C-pillar. It can also be fitted with a roof rack, hard-top canopy, roll bar and a bed floor that slides out for easier loading.
Power comes from a 80.6kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) blade battery that’s sourced from BYD. This can provide a range of up to 240 miles, according to KGM, even though the pick-up truck is far from the most aerodynamic shape on the road.
There’s an electric motor on each axle with a total of 204bhp and 339Nm of torque being distributed to all four wheels. A self-levelling suspension and an all-wheel drive system that constantly monitors stability and surface grip is also fitted to the KGM.
The Musso EV boasts more than twice the recharging speed of its Torres EVX sibling, at 300kW. This means a 10 to 80 per cent top up will take around 31 minutes, according to the manufacturer.
Inside, the cabin is more or less carried over from the SUV, with twin 12.3-inch screens, a floating centre console and a good amount of standard safety kit, including adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking and blind-spot detection.
Other standard features include heated and ventilated front seats with eight-way power adjustment, heated rear seats and 17-inch alloy wheels and LED headlights.
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