KGM Torres EVX Review 2024

If you’re looking for something that seeps character, offers a competitive range, a massive boot, and a quiet ride, then the EVX should be considered. On a number of occasions while having the EVX on test, we were asked by the public if it was Jeep’s new car.

It suits the person who has a young family and needs the space, but also someone who requires a motorway cruiser. 

It’s less suitable for those looking for a bona fide SUV, as the EVX is only available in front-wheel drive, and if you seek any sort of driving engagement. 

Unlike its rivals, the Torres is offered with one powertrain and battery. The battery is a 73.4kWh BYD-supplied unit which provides an official range of 287 miles, something that should be sufficient enough for most people’s needs. 

The single motor delivers lively mid-range performance, and people should find its power adequate for dispatching slower-moving traffic. Keen drivers may want to look at the opposition, as many of these offer a more engaging driving experience.

The KGM Torres EVX’s key competitors are the Nissan Ariya, Volkswagen ID.4, Kia EV6, Skoda Enyaq, Renault Scenic E-Tech and Ford Mustang Mach-E. All offer broadly similar pricing (although the Ariya 63kWh Engage is the cheapest of those competitors) and quirky interior and exterior design elements. 

There’s also the Genesis Electrified GV70 and Polestar 2, although these are more premium alternatives. The Torres EVX sits between the Korando and Rexton in the KGM range.

It feels like KGM has rushed the Torres’s interior, and this applies not only to the EVX but also to the ICE guise. It all seems well put together at first glance, but wrapping your knuckles and on the touchpoints quickly destroys any existing quality mirage. 

The driver’s seat is firm but supportive, and the steering wheel doesn’t feel as comfortable in your hands like the helms found in rival cars. Also, the switchgear and plastics don’t quite shout as much as the £44,495 price tag does, and disappointing plastic finishes ruin the EVX’s rugged exterior look.

Still, the bezel that wraps around the touchscreens is of Kia and Skoda quality, and the seat piping lifts the interior’s overall feel.

Buyers can choose from two trim levels: K30 and K40. Both come with a 12.3-inch infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Like the ICE Torres, the graphics on both screens are impressive, and the visual clarity is high among the opposition. 

Sadly, that’s where most of the infotainment positives stop. We found the touchscreens in both the EVX and standard Torres to be equally frustrating. Accessing the climate screen, something that should be an easy enough task, requires full concentration to first find the menu and then the setting that you need. Pulling the screen downwards from the top reveals another host of settings. 

At first, the touchscreen seems speedy, but don’t be fooled. During the week spent with the EVX, it completely froze on us during a journey, which meant we had to pull over and restart the entire car to regain control of its functions. The sat-nav then thought we had caught a ferry to the Faroe Islands, as it randomly positioned us in Torshavn and refused to update. 

Like the rear, there are two USB-C ports up front and there’s a 12-volt socket. Its stereo system does the job, but it’s nothing to rave over. There are six speakers in total, but audiophiles might want to look elsewhere as there’s no premium sound system option. 

Luckily, like the interior, the boot is gigantic. A false rear tyre storage bump on the rear door and side-positioned handle gives the impression that the EVX’s boot, like the ICE car, is side-hinged, but this raises and lowers like a regular door. 

Opening the boot reveals a raised floor and two small storage compartments on each side, which are handy for storing cable bags. Lifting the raised floor reveals yet another storage compartment, complete with a Ssangyong-branded bag of breakdown stuff. There’s a roller blind for hiding anything of value in the boot and this can be lifted out and chucked in a shed if it’s not needed. 

With the 60:40 rear seats folded, the EVX will swallow up to 1,662 litres, and 703 litres with the seats in place. This alone is a trump card for KGM as it smashes the Volkswagen ID.4’s 543 and 1,655 litres and the Nissan Ariya’s 466 litres. 

It falls below the Skoda Enyaq’s maximum boot space figure at 1,710 litres, but that’s almost bordering minibus territory. Unlike some EVs, there’s no ‘frunk’ on the EVX, just lots of electrical gubbins where the engine would usually be. 

It stretches 1,890mm wide (including mirrors), 4,715mm in length and 1,725mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,680mm. The rear comes with Isofix child seat anchors and there are window blinds for those needing a nap; there’s even a ‘Rear Seats Sleepers’ button somewhere in the infotainment system, which mutes the rear speakers. 

A wireless charging pad up front keeps your phone battery topped up and there are front and rear cupholders. There are also nifty coat hooks on the seatbacks and wide door bins that can swallow 1.5-litre drink bottles. 

Being fully electric, the EVX gets a single-speed transmission and a 73.4kWh battery. It feeds all 207PS and 339Nm through its front wheels, giving a 0-62mph time of 8.1 seconds and a top speed of 109mph, putting it on par with the Skoda Enyaq iV 80.

Like some manufacturers, where batteries or power are increased by trim level, it gets the same regardless of whether buyers opt for the K30 or K40 trim. Being an EV, you still get that seamless acceleration without worrying about cog swapping, and providing a smooth ride is something the EVX does well. 

There’s a variety of driving modes such as ‘comfort’, ‘sport’ and ‘eco’. Selecting ‘comfort’ softens the accelerator and suspension, as does ‘eco’. Sport sharpens the throttle response. We’d leave it in ‘comfort’ or ‘eco’ as ‘sport’ is just a bit too much given how little grip is offered. There’s also regen paddles tucked behind the steering wheel, allowing the driver to choose from three strength levels. 

The KGM Torres EVX has an official range of 287 miles. We found that it'd comfortably cover more than 200 miles on a motorway journey - more like 230 or 240, which is a decent amount in the real world. Rivals like the Nissan Ariya and Skoda Enyaq iV are available with bigger batteries and longer ranges, though.

With no petrol rumble, the EVX is already off to a head-start over its ICE sibling. You will hear a faint whirr from the electric motor when pulling away, but it remains relatively hushed around town. 

Things continue to remain quiet and sophisticated below motorway speeds, but wind noise begins to spoil the cabin’s ambience if pushed to 70mph or beyond. 

Overall, the cabin feels more insulated and offers a general headache-free experience over its sibling; we didn’t notice any rattles or suspension creaks with the car that we sampled either.

Like many recent Ssangyong/KGM products, these are too new to score in Euro NCAP’s vigorous safety testing. However, the EVX does come with a plethora of tech to help prevent accidents and keep occupants safe.

Both the K30 and K40 come equipped with dual and side driver and passenger airbags, curtain airbags for front and rear passengers, and there’s a driver’s knee airbag. There’s also active rollover protection, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, driver attention alert, and lane-keep assist as standard. 

Upgrading to the K40 gives a rear cross-traffic warning system, blind spot detection, blind spot assist, and a safety exit warning system. The entry-level car comes fitted with parking sensors while the K40 gets a 360-degree camera system.

It’s difficult to gauge at this stage how the EVX’s long-term reliability is. We've had a few gremlins with KGM Torres EVX test vehicles - including a crashy infotainment screen and a flat 12-volt battery.

Hopefully these are early issues that will soon be ironed out. Before the name switch, Ssangyong received an 88.5% rating in the 2020 Honest John Satisfaction Index, putting it above Hyundai, Dacia, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW. It also earned first prize in the 2018 index. 

All KGM vehicles come as standard with a five-year/100,000-mile warranty, except for the Torres EVX. This gets a longer seven-year warranty but only for 90,000 miles. 

Insurance is one area that will sting you more than with the EVX’s petrol counterpart. It falls into group 48, whereas the regular Torres is just 33D and this puts it beside the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Polestar 4 and Tesla Model Y. 

The EVX might not be the best choice for new drivers, but we would recommend searching for some insurance quotes regardless before purchasing. 

Electric cars are becoming increasingly popular, and many insurers still class them as specialist vehicles which could be expensive to repair. This means a higher premium compared to a diesel or petrol car. 

One saving that owners will find is from road tax and this is because pure-electric cars are exempt from premium car surcharges. Owners of cars with a list price of over £40,000 are often hit by a £490 yearly premium car tax – a decent saving that can go back into charging or paying insurance costs. 

There are not a lot of options when kitting out an EVX in comparison to its competitors. Buyers can choose from six colours, all of which complement the car’s physique, and two trim levels as previously mentioned. 

Regardless of trim, buyers can pay £400 for a black metal side step, the only option available under the ‘styling and personalisation’ tab on the KGM website. There are a few other options such as a vehicle-to-load power cable, which can be handy for hooking up kettles and fridges if you plan on taking your EVX on camping trips. 

There are two tow bar options – fixed or detached. A 13-pin wiring kit, caravan extension, roof cross bars, various floor mat options and a type 2 charging cable are also available. 

The £44,495 K30, now on sale via the KGM website for £39,995 at the time of writing, comes with 18-inch alloy wheels, front and rear heated seats, heated steering wheel, and a TomTom-powered sat-nav.  

The £47,495 K40, reduced to £41,995 at the time of writing, gets the same tech but is equipped with larger 20-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels wrapped in chunkier 245/45 tyres. It also gets premium leather seats. 

While not yet available in the UK, KGM has been known to offer the Torres EVX in a multitude of interior colours such as grey and brown.