KGM Torres SUV

1.5 K40 5dr Auto [2024]

KGM might not be a company you’re familiar with, but chances are you simply know it by another name.

At the beginning of 2024, SsangYong - an established Korean manufacturer - decided it needed a completely new brand identity following the acquisition of SsangYong Motor Company in Korea by the KG Group.

The Torres is a smart SUV that helped to usher-in the new ‘KGM Motors UK’ era. It sits behind the full-fat, seven-seat Rexton in the KGM range.

The Torres itself is available with either a traditional petrol engine or as the fully-electric Torres EVX. For the purposes of this review, we’re focusing on the Torres with the petrol combustion engine.

It’s named after the Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonian Chile, a landscape dominated by towering mountains and which attracts thousands of hikers and climbers each year.

And it’s these adventure-loving folks that the Torres has in its crosshairs. Range-topping models boast all-wheel drive while there are competitive approach and departure angles for when you’re climbing gravel tracks and fording streams.

An enormous 703-litre boot is also more than capable of carrying your rucksacks and camping kit with ease.

But while the Torres can tackle anything the great outdoors can throw at it, there are still some serious challenges it must tackle.

These come in the form of rival SUVs from some of the leasing markets biggest players, including the Ford Kuga, Nissan X-Trail, Hyundai Tucson and the Jeep Compass.

At the time of writing, you could also get behind the wheel of a Land Rover Discovery Sport for a similar monthly lease fee.

So, while the Torres is ‘Powered by Toughness’, as KGM tells us, is it tough enough to mix it with the best in the business? We buckle up and find out.