If you want to buy a new electric SUV, you can buy a Tesla Model Y. But the whole world already does that. If you want to be more original, you can go to the KGM Torres EVX. That electric SUV had already been announced and now also has a price.
What about KGM again? The abbreviation stands for KG Mobility. This mobility branch is part of the KG Group, a giant chemical and steel company based in South Korea. In 2022 it swallowed up SsangYong, the also Korean car brand that you may remember from the Rexton and the Rodius, which has often been declared the ugliest car ever. Just Google images, but be warned.
SsangYong was very happy with the takeover. Before that it was in Chinese and successively Indian hands, and that has only brought misery to the brand. SsangYong even went bankrupt at one point. KGM has retained the logo symbolizing two dragons (‘ssangyong’), but the name has disappeared.
In October 2023 we already drove a KGM Torres with a petrol engine. It was already known then that only the electric KGM Torres EVX would come to our country. And now the price has also been announced. That amounts to 41,250 euros and you can call that competitive. The Tesla Model Y is a competitor and is available from 43,990 euros. With a purchase subsidy, the Torres EVX costs 38,300 euros.
More KGM models are coming, you can stay informed with our newsletter.
Battery from BYD
The KGM Torres EVX is equipped with a so-called ‘blade battery’ from BYD. It does not contain cobalt and nickel, raw materials that are under fire due to controversial extraction. The battery has a net capacity of 73.4 kWh, good for a theoretical range of 462 kilometers. For comparison: the entry-level Model Y produces 57.5 kWh net and 455 kilometers.
The KGM Torres can charge quickly, just like the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6 with a maximum of 350 kW. KGM claims that the battery will be full again in 28 minutes. And just like the Hyundai and the Kia, the Torres offers the option to charge electrical equipment (‘vehicle-to-load’).
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Battery warranty: 1 million kilometers
The KGM Torres EVX has a power of 207 hp. The towing capacity is comparable to that of the Model Y, 1600 kg for the Tesla, 1500 kg for the KGM. What struck us during the first test with the petrol version is how spacious the Torres is. The back seat is spacious and the trunk is also large. The EVX offers 839 liters behind the second row of seats. If you fold down the backrest, it can hold 1662 liters.
To convince consumers, KGM offers a warranty of no less than 1 million kilometers on the battery, just like Lexus does that. But Lexus uses 15 years (whichever comes first) as the age limit, KGM keeps it at 10 years. The rest of the car has a 7-year (or 150,000 km) warranty. For the time being, KGM has four dealers in the Netherlands (in Alblasserdam, Bredevoort, Echt and Haaksbergen), but this will increase in the long term.
