Mixed views on KGM’s Torres EVX

Not many people have heard of Korean car company brand KGM, previously known as SsangYong. The brand name is now globally changed to KG Mobility, distributed here by KGM Ireland.

KGM has recently introduced its latest offering, the mid-sized Torres EVX electric SUV to the Irish market. It joins the line-up of Korando, Tivoli, Musso and the large Rexton including the two-seat commercial version, all renowned tough SUVs that we know from SsangYong.

In its path towards electrification, KGM worked with Chinese EV car specialist BYD who make their own batteries to develop an all-electric version of their Torres SUV, which hadn’t been sold in Europe. So the EVX has a 73.4kWh BYD battery outputting 204bhp and powering a single electric motor that drives the front wheels. The car is only offered in 2WD.

Torres EVX has also been given a modern design to appeal to European customers. It certainly is an attractive-looking vehicle with an almost vertical front and strong detailing giving an elegant but rugged appearance. I particularly liked the horizontal LED daytime running lights that light up in a row at night giving a beautiful effect. 

Being an electric car, there’s no need for a grille. Large wheel arches, dark cladding and distinctive 20-inch alloy wheels add to the car’s robust look as does the hexagonal trim on the rear resembling the boot-mounted spare wheel cover of a traditional SUV. The sturdy roof rack can take up to a 100kg load.

My car was in a nice shade of Forest Green with a contrasting black roof and privacy glass.

The spacious five-seat cabin has a modern-looking dash, taken up with a huge 12.3-inch touchscreen and same-sized digital instrument cluster that merge together. It all looks impressive and both screens are angled towards the driver. The infotainment screen provides links to Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, the car’s manual, climate general settings and vehicle settings. But it’s not intuitive to work your way through and there are no physical buttons on the dash for key features like volume control or for climate.

Copper-coloured inlays added colour across the lower dash and flat of the central console brightening the grey interior. Seats had power adjustments - front seats get lumbar support - and copper colour stitching gives a nice contrast to the grey leather-style upholstery.

The steering wheel feels good and there are regenerative braking paddles off the steering column. A ‘shift-by-wire’ toggle switch gear shifter juts out from the front armrest. I found it quite difficult to use at first but you then get the hang of how it operates. When I put the car into reverse gear, a large image of the car turning round on the central screen made me feel quite dizzy. No wonder I can’t play video games! The reversing camera itself is excellent and parking is made easier with the 3D 360-degree ‘surround view’ monitoring system.

There’s head and legroom in the rear for three good-sized adults and there’s only a small transmission tunnel to bother anyone seated there. Passengers can heat the outer seats and there are two type C USB ports to charge devices. The middle seat back comes down as an armrest complete with two cup holders. Nice touches include the large coat holder on each of the front seat backs, a smartphone holder in the seat pockets and how the rear doors open very wide for ease of getting in and out.

You have to manually pull up the big door handle on the rear to raise the tailgate. There’s a high boot floor and the luggage capacity is a very decent 703 litres which can stretch to 1,662. A 12V power socket is provided here. Below the floor is a storage area for tools and service kit. There’s no frunk space below the bonnet.

The car’s height provides very good visibility and there are excellent blind spot alerts to help keep you safe when planning to overtake. The car drives like most electric vehicles we test drive, but perhaps wasn’t as quick off the mark as those built on a dedicated electric vehicle platform. I found the steering quite light for me but it helps when manoeuvring the car to park.

You get annoying speed warning beeps if you go even a fraction above the speed limit. At least you can turn off the lane departure warning beeps. Drive modes are Eco, Comfort, Sport.

The one trim level available comes with a big amount of standard equipment and ADAS safety features that include eight airbags, Hill Descent Control, Auto Hold, Adaptive Cruise Control, Rear Cross-traffic collision Assist, a Safety Exit Warning among others.

The CCS charging port is located close to the front of the car on the left side which means you simply drive into a parking meter slot to charge the car. You can charge the battery with a three-phase pin from 0-100pc in nine hours, fast charge from 10-80% 300kW in 37 minutes, and 100kW in 42 minutes.

The claimed electric range of 462km (WLTP) is probably sufficient for daily commuting or for long-distance trips on a single charge.

A handy feature is a vehicle-to-load (V2L) connector that allows you power up outdoor domestic appliances from the car’s battery when off-grid such as when camping or on a family excursion.

The road tax is €120. Towing capacity: 1,500kg braked, 750kg unbraked.

The Torres NVX has not yet been assessed by Euro NCAP.

PRICE: Price from €51,000. Price inclusive of SEAI grant €47,500.