Ssangyong are back in Ireland. The Korean company that brought us massive motors like the Rodius, Rexton, Korando and Tivoli, some with Mercedes engines, are now marketed as KGM in Europe.
Yes Ssangyong are back, but this time as KGM and they have now joined the electric revolution with two electric cars to start with and there are more on the way. I drove the Korando e-Motion a few weeks back and last week my test car was the Torres EVX.
KGM says it wants to build on the heritage of Ssangyong and the Torres EVX is a 4.7-metre-long SUV and that’s longer than both the Nissan X-Trail and the Skoda Kodiaq both of which are seven-seaters.
Externally, the Torres has a rugged, but attractive look to it. There are some nice LED lights at the front, but as it’s an electric car there is no fancy grille.
Inside this is a really spacious car and I liked the high driving position. The dash is dominated by a massive infotainment screen that stretches almost all the way across. My test car had copper stitching and a copper-coloured inlay which also stretches all the way across. It certainly brightens up the interior, where the colours are mainly black.
Prior to picking up the Torres, a motoring colleague mentioned that the ‘beeps’ would wreck my head. He said that he difficulty switching off the speed warnings and ‘lane’ warnings, but KGM now provide a video to show drivers how to turn off those annoying beeps. I would never complain about a ‘beep’ that tells me when I am over the speed limit, but the car has too many beeps.
In the first few days I had a slight problem selecting the ‘Drive’ and ‘Reverse’ positions. But I was told that you need to take it slow and move the gear level twice, e.g. first into neutral and then to drive or reverse.
Plenty of room in the back for three well-built adults and if you have only two back seats passengers, they fold down the middle section and use the drinks holder. The boot is massive.
The rear of the car is unusual looking and apparently the rear tail light carry images of the South Korean flag. When I saw a handle to open the boot, my first impression was that the door would open out, like in the original Hyundai Santa Fe. But in fact the boot opens upwards, like any other regular boot.
Mark Creevey from KGM says that the Torres EVX is proving popular with Irish taxi drivers, who, depending on the age of the car they are trading in, can get up to 20K off the €51,000 selling price. As usual with electric cars road tax is €120.
A hybrid version of the Torres will be available in Ireland next Spring, while in October this year, KGM expect to have their new Actyon hybrid for sale in Ireland.
My test car came in an attractive Forest Green colour with a black roof. The official range is 450km with a full charge, but of course range depends on how and where you drive the car.
The Torres is as comfortable as any electric car that I have driven recently and if you are a taxi driver with an old car to trade in, then it would be a very attractive offer. KGM now has 17 dealers countrywide.
