KGM is a carmaker you probably have never heard of, writes Brian Byrne. But if I say SsangYong, it will ring Korean bells. For international motor industry anoraks, SsangYong will be known for a history going back to 1954, and over decades having a rollercoaster ride of various ownerships and joint ventures. Irish distribution over the years has also been a bit changeable — in the early 2000s it was sold by Chevrolet Ireland, then connected to Nissan Ireland. In early 2013 the Harris Group relaunched SsangYong here, then it later went through another change in 2020 to the Malta-based Famalco Group. With the global SsangYong name change to KG Mobility last year, the distributor here is now KGM Ireland.
All that probably makes it a little more difficult to impact the Irish market, but the model names are reasonably well known — Korando, Tivoli, Musso, and the large Rexton, all in the SUV genre. All with a reputation for solid build and mostly decent styling, if occasionally with a few Asian-style detail flourishes that don't always fit with European tastes.
Which brings me to their latest offering. As part of a tilt towards electrification, the carmaker has worked with Chinese EV specialist BYD to develop an electric version of their Torres mid-sized SUV, not previously sold in Europe. The Torres EVX is the result, and from its inception Europe was a target market. It is the first KGM-branded nameplate.
It is a striking car in style. Sized slightly larger than one of its key target vehicles here, the Skoda Enyaq, it also has more of a traditional SUV style. The geometric body design structures are deliberately aimed at signifying toughness. There's something of the Land Rover Defender about the detailing, or the retro look of the Toyota 4Runner popular in the US but not sold on this side of the pond. The wheel character is definitely modern, as are the LED running lights and linked strip just below the front lip of the bonnet. At the back there's a vestigial design detail nod to the traditional covered wheel at the back of old SUVs, the chunky handle is a similar reminder (d'you remember the side-hinged doors, most recently on Ford's EcoSport?), but the overall sense is quite contemporary.
Inside, the review car's faux-wood trim inserts in an almost orange colour are a bit 1960s, but otherwise the quality of the materials, and their fit, is excellent. The screens are merged into a single wide unit, offering fairly straightforward information to the driver once you ignore the distant mountains picture background (one of the those Asian flourishes). The companion infotainment one I quite frankly ignored. Though it does accept Apple CarPlay for navigation, there isn't a knob or switch in sight to manage volumes or climate. My dream is to one day have a car that doesn't rely on touchscreens.
The car is roomy, with plenty of space for those middle seat passengers even behind me. And the comfort level is good, those leather-type seats are well designed. There's lots of room for stuff in the boot with seats lots more with them down. Again, the finish throughout was very good, and there was that same sense of toughness that were always a feature of older SsangYong models.
The electric powertrain is likely as good as anything else in this size of EV, given that the fundamental battery tech is BYD, with their rugged lithium iron phosphate makeup. The rated range is 460km, which as always will change with external conditions and what kind of driving is done.
The Torres EVX has all the expected advanced driver assists. No less than 15 alphabet soup acronyms are involved in detailing them (there's a 16th that the car doesn't have). I'm not going there.
After reading this, at least you will now have heard of KG Mobility. That's a start.
PRICE: €51,000. WHAT I LIKED: The sense of toughness.
