KGM Torres Hybrid SUV review Australia
Korean brand KGM has added another electrified model to its range. Meet the Torres Hybrid, which uses a battery from BYD and has its own quirks and personality. And let me tell you, this is an interesting offering and value focus. So, let’s talk about it in this review. I’m going to give you some good alternatives, too. But let’s go. Thanks for watching. Thanks for subscribing. KGM is launching the Taurus Hybrid with two different variants. The K30 entry level model. You’ll see the driveaway price for it on your screen. And this high-grade K40 model, which is just a few thousand extra, but does add a few extra features. Now, this high-grade one comes with goodies such as 20in alloy wheels. They look fantastic. There’s also a power tailgate, LED front fog lights. You get black fake leather upholstery with heated front seats, still with manual seat adjustment, though, a heated steering wheel and rear door sunblinds. That’s in addition to what you get across both grades, which includes full LED lighting all around the car. The base model gets 18-in alloy wheels that don’t look quite as good. And on the inside, it gets cloth trim, but you’re still getting 12.3 in driver info screen and a 12.3 in touchscreen media system, but no wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. You still have to plug in for that, but you’re also getting a couple of good things inside. Ambient lighting. You’ve got auto wipers, auto lights as well, and heated power folding exterior mirrors across both grades. So, in terms of what you’re getting, it seems decent. Maybe not as cutthroat as KGM or Sangong has been in the past, but let’s talk about some alternatives that maybe might suit your budget better. If you can spend more money than this car asks, well, you could look at the Toyota RAV 4, the Hyundai Tucson, or the Kia Sportage, but all of those are a little bit pricey compared to this. And what’s surprising in this part of the market, the midsize SUV segment, is that now you can get plug-in hybrid tech for the price of regular hybrid tech. So alternatives that you might want to consider include the BYD Sea Lion 6. It starts at $42,990 plus on-road costs. And it’s a pretty capable SUV with lots of practicality, space, comfort, technology, and standard equipment. And you’ve got about 90ks of EV driving range from the entry level version. you have to plug in if you want to, but if you don’t, well, you’ve got decent efficiency from the petrol electric hybrid system in that car. Anyway, another option you might want to consider if you’re thinking, well, $45 to $50,000 is sort of my top budget, you can have a look at a 7seat Cherry Tigo 8 Super Hybrid with plenty of standard technology, three rows of seats. The back ones are more like bonus seats, but you do get heaps of great gear and it starts at $4590 drive away and it’s got like 80 km of EV driving range. Again, another plug-in hybrid that you might want to consider that one. And if you aren’t so sure about plugging in, you just want the ease of having a petrol car with electric assistance and electric efficiency, have a look at the GWM HL H6. It’s not the most efficient powertrain in the world, but it is a very, very good thing in terms of the value for money factor. Starting at less than $40,000, drive away for a hybrid SUV with plenty of space, comfort, tech, and features. And again, if you want plug-in hybrid, it’s just a few thousand more. So, what do you think about those options? Would you choose this instead? Do you just like the look of it? I can understand that in some ways. The design is growing on me with the KGM Taurus. When I first saw it, I really wasn’t sure about it, but I do like this sort of off-roy, wannabe, angular, strange looking finish. It’s got these very intriguing looking headlights. For some reason, that reminds me of my old axelottle that I had a few years ago. Um, but look, this side profile is where things maybe are a bit more peculiar. I love these 20-in wheels on this high-grade one. Not so hot on the tires. I’ll tell you about that later on. But uh the black section down the back pillar just looks different and it breaks things up because well that top section with the kink is a bit peculiar. All right, let’s talk about dimensions. You’ll see them on your screen now. It’s a big midsize SUV, 4.7 m long on a pretty lengthy wheelbase. Thankfully, it’s got some nice design cues on the outside and proper door handles, which is a nice plus, too. Now, I want to show you these. Uh you might have seen them in my previous Torres review. These little fake plastic tie down cleats that you could not tie anything down to. I would not recommend it cuz they won’t hold it, I don’t think. Uh but at the back is where things get again a little bit more peculiar in terms of the design. It looks like an old Pajarro cuz it looks like it’s got a side swinging tailgate, but it doesn’t. Let me show you. It’s got an electric tailgate on this one. You push the little button down behind there and it opens upwards. Like why is there a bit that does that anyway? You’ll either love it or you won’t. Now, space in the boot is very good. You’ll see the cargo capacity figure on your screen, and that is decent for this class of vehicle. There’s a few good inclusions back here, too. You’ve got an electric button for the tailgate there if you’re a shorty and can’t reach up. You got a light there, too. And you’ve also got a shopping bag hook on the side and a little cargo tray, a 12vt port. And underneath the boot floor, there’s no spare wheel. That could be an issue for some people cuz that’s where the battery is. As you can see, it’s all in under there. And you do get a tire repair kit. So, I mean, if you are okay with a tire repair kit being the only spare um piece of mind that you get, then hey, it could be fine. But for plenty, it probably won’t be. Okay, let’s check out the interior. Okay, the interior is interesting, isn’t it? Like, this steering wheel looks a bit old school. It’s huge. It also feels a little bit cumbersome in some situations, but I also think that the stitching finish is quite nice. And the fact that it matches in with this copper tone finish that runs over the dashboard here is very, very intriguing. You’ve also got that stitching up on the doors and on top of the dash here as well. And it all ties together pretty nicely because it’s also on the seats and on the armrest. And it’s good to see that there’s a design theme here that works pretty well. It breaks up all the blackness cuz you’ve also got a dark headliner, but this fake leather seat trim is okay. They are manually adjustable seats only. Um, so if you are looking for those little luxuries for this kind of money and like electric seat adjustment or memory settings, you don’t get them. But the seat comfort is decent and the adjustability is good too. Uh, now let’s have a look at the rest of this interior design. So, as I said, steering wheels a little bit strange, but you’ve got uh the piano black finishing on the steering wheel controls. Thankfully, it’s not as smudgy as some others, but it is still not perfect. Uh, you’ve got a number of controls on here as you can see for your cruise control and you also got some controls for that screen there as you can see. So, I can jump through different menus, uh, different displays there. You can see what’s happening with your energy flow. Uh, and you can also jump down through your tire pressures, which is good, and your fuel consumption stuff. So, uh, that’s all pretty handy, I have to say. Like the fact that you’ve got a big bold range remaining number on the screen there. And you’ve also got your digital speedo. Now on this side, you’ll find you’ve got a button right there that you might want to press. That’s your lane keeping assist. You press and hold that and it will turn it on or off. Uh, as you can see, it goes off when it’s orange. Uh, and then you’ve got a voice control system and, you know, the usual media controls. Here you’ll find that you’ve got your back to fronty blinker on the left and lights and also wipers on the other side. And your paddle shifters. They are for regen braking, not for gear shifting. So, um, you can adjust how assertive or not the regen braking is based on your preferences, and that’s pretty neat. Now, on this screen, you’ll see right there, we’ve got Apple CarPlay active, but annoyingly, it is only by cable. You cannot have wireless CarPlay or Android Auto in this car. That’s disappointing because it puts it behind the times and makes it feel, well, a little bit annoying to live with. Uh, it’s just a little minor issue, but combine that with the fact that this one doesn’t have a wireless phone charger either, it means that well, you have to plug your phone in. And if you do decide to run your cable up through that little spot right there uh to dock your phone in there, just be mindful that your phone will fall out cuz mine has multiple times. That’s why it’s not in there right now. But this screen, it’s pretty easy to get used to. It’s not the most high-tech piece of technology, people. Uh back to the home screen here. You’ll see that there is not a whole lot to see here, but you can jump across and change this section here because you don’t have any physical controls for your climate stuff. It’s all on screen. You’ve got your seat heating buttons there and your steering wheel heating button. Your fan adjuster, where the air is going, and the temp as well, and a research button, too. Uh and look on this side, you’ve got a couple of controls for different menus. Uh you can go into your vehicle settings and make some adjustments if you wish. It’s just very slow to load sometimes this screen can be very frustrating. Uh driver assistance settings for instance in there as you can see. You’ve got a few things to play with. Uh and you can also set up convenience features um like yeah whether you want the car to tell you that your steering isn’t straight when you stop parking or whatever. Uh and yes, lighting. So there’s plenty of different things that you can change in here, including your ambient lights, which is kind of cool. Um your kids will love that. As you can see, it does change pretty brightly, which is great. Uh, and then you can have it on rainbow if you want. Um, so I like the usability and simplicity of some parts of this screen. It is slow to load, though, so just be mindful of that. Now, back here, you can see here you got radio. It’s got AM and FM, uh, and no digital radio. Um, and you just have to get used to some of these screens. You’ve also got rear seat sleep, which I mean will just mute the back speakers so those in the back can have a rest. And you can check out here your HEV screen, your hybrid screen to see what’s going on, see how efficiently or not you’ve been driving. Lots of EV driving for me, which is good. Uh, and you can also see what your battery status is like. So, that’s pretty cool. Uh, now back to this screen and also this dropdown because there is a number of things you need to pay attention to here. If you don’t have auto hold on, this car will not let you go backwards if you’re facing downhill without you really having to thump the throttle. I had an almost accident while parking yesterday because I didn’t have auto hold on and I couldn’t find a button for it cuz there are no bloody buttons in this car anyway. So, you’ve got some other controls here. Hill descent and steering wheel heating. You can also trigger the boot open switch there as well. You can adjust some other stuff here, including your drive modes. So on the screen there, it’ll also change a little bit of the display activity to well show you different elements, but um look, I think that it’s pretty good in terms of the usability. Not perfect though. And your volume control is there as well. Otherwise, you have to use the steering wheel controls. Uh now, so you can quickly get a bigger menu for your climate system if you want to by hitting the fan thing. Um and those things on the side will stay there when you’ve got CarPlay operating. So you can quickly go back and then quickly go back if you need to or semi quickly at least. Now down between these seats you’ve got a little shelf. You’ve got your USB ports. There’s a big storage tray down there. You’ve also got that little one there. Pair of cup holders. Your dinky little shifter. Be mindful. You really, really, really need to make sure that you’re putting it in and out of the gear and pushing down hard on the brake to do so cuz it can be finicky. Electric park brake. A decent size center console bin. But in some other KGM products, you get a wireless phone charger there. Now, here, decent glove box, decent bottle holders and storage in the doors. Soft materials on those doors as well. And it feels pretty decent. I keep saying decent. That sums it up. Uh here you’ll see you’ve got illuminated vanity mirrors, and they’re ones that you don’t have to press a button for like in a Hyundai. So, that’s nice. Auto dimming rear vision mirror and your light stuff up here. No connected services for this one, so you don’t get an SOS call button. Um, not sure that that really matters for the majority of people, but let’s jump into the back seat and see what the space is like there. This seat is set for me at 6′ tall and I have plenty of space here to be pretty comfortable. I’ve got well couple of inches of space between my knees and the seatback, which is one of those hard plastic ones, which is actually good for kids kicking. And foot room is good, too. What about head space? Well, this has a very tall roof, this vehicle. So, as you can see, there’s lots and lots of roof space above me. Um, yeah, it’s pretty impressive in terms of that. Uh, you’ve got overhead lights here as well, not on the sides, but they do point to the sides, so that’s good. You’ve got these grab handles with hooks. Only the driver misses out on a grab handle. And over here, I’ve got sun shades as well. And they do have a pretty effective effect, let’s say. Now, door pockets. Yep. Bottle holders in there. Soft elbow pads here. No ambient lights in the back, which your kids might not love cuz they have them in the front. And there’s also map pockets here with an extra pocket for a device on both seatbacks. Now, there is a transmission tunnel to contend with. It’s not too bad, though. You will be able to fit three across here. It will be a bit squishy potentially, though. And you do have directional air vents. And down here, you’ll see couple of USBC ports, too. Some extra storage cubbies. That’s handy. And the seat itself has ISOIX points on the window seats. three top tethers, a flip down armrest with cup holders, and the comfort levels are pretty good. There’s also a level of reclinability. As you can see, I can tilt this seat forward a bit more or backwards a bit more if I want to lay down and enjoy the ride. Now, yeah, we’ll get to what the ride’s like later on, but the interior space and comfort pretty good. KGM calls this the Jeweltech hybrid system. It was developed in collaboration with BYD. Yeah, you know BYD and it’s got a pair of electric motors and a hybrid specific transmission as part of this equation. It also has a 1.5 L turbo petrol engine. You’ll see the outputs for that on your screen. And then there’s the outputs of the electric motors, which is pretty good. 130 kW, 300 Newton m. They draw their grunt from a 1.8 kWh LFP battery or BYD blade battery. And it’s also got a combined maximum output of 150 kW. No combined torque figure for this one, but it seems to be a pretty grunty operator. And speaking of grunt, it’s got the goods when it comes to towing capacity. Well, at least anyway. 500 kilos unbreak, 1300 kilos brake towing capacity. And if you’re wondering about the weight of this SUV, it’s not too heavy. 1670 kilos and the payload is 580. So, better than some of the other hybrids out there by well, almost 200 kg, which is good. Now, let’s go drive it. We’ll see what it’s like in reality. So, before we get going, I want to reiterate that you really need to pay attention to your gear selection in this car because if you just quickly flick this little shifter, it might not actually go into the gear that you’re hoping. And that might mean that you’re rolling forwards or backwards in neutral when you’re not intending to. And also, I got to say, this is the most dependent car that I’ve ever driven on the auto hold system. So, auto hold, if you’re unaware, basically means if you’ve put your foot down hard on the brake, it will basically hold the car in that position so that it won’t roll forwards or backwards. And in this car, it really relies on that. Um, I almost had an accident in parking yesterday. I was with Albos from Car Expert and it was the most hilarious thing because we were both like, “What is wrong? Why isn’t it going backwards?” But the car kept rolling forwards cuz auto hold wasn’t on even though I was in reverse and I was trying to do two pedals. So, holding my foot on the brake and accelerating. It just wouldn’t let me go backwards. We had to knock on the window of the car ahead, which was a BMW iX com car. So, I’m really glad we didn’t hit it, but it was close, like millimeters close. So, yes, just be mindful if you’re buying this car or even test driving it. Have auto hold on and make sure that you um drive it how it needs to be driven cuz that is one thing that you might find frustrating. You might have just heard the tires scrabbling for grip there. They will do that a lot because there’s a lot of grunt going down through these front tires. Let’s see if it happens again here. Yep. Um you will spin these 20-in Nexons regularly. Um, so make sure that you do your tire rotations, but it is something that um is frustrating because there is no all-wheel drive option in this SUV and it might mean that it’s not going to be right for you because um getting the power down in dry weather is a challenge at times. In wet weather, yeah, you know, you know what I’m trying to say. So, you got to be gentle with the throttle. The brake is actually pretty good in terms of the reactiveness. It’s little bit of guesswork here and there, but um it’s got regen braking, so you can adjust that. It’s just when you actually start to push at the end of the pedal, it can actually be too abrupt to stop. So, there’s some fine tuning that could be done in terms of those elements of the drive experience. But, like I said, you’ve got the regen paddles, so you can make it more assertive if you want. It’s in the most assertive mode right now. And look, it’s not like single pedal driving, but it will feel a little bit more EV like than some others. But look, the powertrain itself, aside from those um little quirks, is a pretty bloody good one. I have to say, this turbo petrol engine will act as a generator or will be assisted by the electric motor and the battery pack to drive in a different number of modes, in a different number of situations. And so what it means is that at times up to like 100ks an hour, you will notice it will drive in fully electric mode. I’m in EV mode right now and it coasts along really aly in EV mode. And then if you do need to uh give it a bit of a bootful, you can. And it’s got the petrol engine. Don’t do it in front of a car. It’s got the petrol engine to allow you to quickly accelerate away and it will call everything into action as it sees fit. And the logic of the powertrain is really, really good. It knows what it needs to be doing. It’ll feed regen brake energy back to the battery pack and allow you to, if you need to, just give it a squirt and it just zooms away. It’s quite fast. So, don’t go thinking that it’s going to feel like it’s not refined either, cuz it is a pretty refined powertrain. And I really, really like it. But what about the rest of the drive experience? Well, the steering, I think, isn’t helped by the fact that it’s got a very big steering wheel, which makes it feel more cumbersome to drive than it perhaps actually is. Um, and in low-speed parking situations, that might actually be a pain in the neck because it’s not quite as direct as it should feel in my opinion. um when you’re just quickly turning on center to turn around a corner or just do a quick maneuver, it just doesn’t react as fast as it probably feels like it should. Um at higher speeds, it’s a bit more trustworthy feeling, but at lower speeds, you really do have to turn the wheel more than you might be expecting in order to get the outcome that you’re after. And the ride comfort, well, it’s got different dampers to other versions of this car. And it does feel like the frequency selective, I think they’re calling them. Um, the dampers are a bit more in tune with the surface and a bit more comfort focused. God, spinning those tires. Um, bit more comfort focused than uh in the previous KGM Taurus that I drove, which didn’t feel very comfort focused. It’s still firm. It still has 20-in wheels with low profile tires and pretty stiff springs, but it’s decent in terms of the comfort and the refinement. I mean, it’s not luxury levels of silence and um comfort. You do get a bit of road noise intrusion over rougher surfaces, and that’s partly to do with the fact that it’s got 20-in wheels with those rather aggressive tires. So, look, it’s not the most lovable experience in a lot of ways, but it’s also pretty good when it comes to just being a daily conveyance once you get used to the idiosyncrasies. I don’t know whether you should have to in this segment though. I’d love to know what you think. But let’s talk about efficiency because that might actually be the decision maker for you. Okay, hybrids are obviously designed to be more fuel efficient and the way that this car uh works with its EV system and its petrol engine and basically has very good logic to decide how it should be operating means that it is pretty efficient on paper. The official combined cycle figure, you’ll see it on your screen now, 5.6 L per 100. That’s good. It’s not as good as some of the others in the class, but it’s still pretty competitive, especially considering this is a pretty bluff car and bigger than some of those rivals. Um, but in real world driving, what have I achieved across a mix of urban and freeway and highway and commuting and stop start and parking and all that stuff you’ll see on screen now. I think that’s pretty good for a realworld return. Better than some of the other hybrids I’ve driven, that’s for sure. and it means that it might be a very strong option if you are looking for something that’s efficient but also has some quirks. Now the fuel requirement is 95 ron premium unlettered. So that will add to your bills. Just keep that in mind. And fuel tank capacity is 50 L. So you should be able to get a decent amount of range between fills but maybe not as good as some of those other cars that I mentioned earlier on in the alternative section. Yeah. What do you reckon? Have you say in the comments? This vehicle hasn’t been tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAAP in terms of the safety rating. So, I don’t know whether that’ll be a dealbreaker for some, but it does have still a decent amount of standard safety technology and equipment. The base model comes with things like autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection. There’s adaptive cruise control. There’s lanekeeping assistance and emergency lane keeping. Plus, you get a reversing camera and parking sensors, too. And if you step up to the high-grade K40, you actually add a few extra safety items, including blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert. The fact that they are an emission from the entry-le grade, it’s a bit out of step with the market, that’s for sure. What’s also out of step with the market is there is no surround view camera system in this vehicle, just a rear view camera. There’s also no speed sign recognition camera and no driver monitoring camera. And those things might actually make it far more appealing if you don’t like the bing bong technology of new cars. But there’s also eight airbags fitted. Dual front, front side, front center airbag, driver’s knee airbag, and curtain coverage for both rows of seats. KGM offers a 7-year unlimited kilometer warranty for its model range, including this car. And when it comes to the battery warranty, it’s 7 years and 150,000 km. Now, there are some things we need to talk about when it comes to servicing this vehicle. The intervals are pretty short, 12 months and 10,000 km. And if you do a lot of distance, that might mean that well, it could be pretty expensive to maintain. Now, the brand doesn’t have a traditional capped price servicing plan, but they do have a service price menu, and that will also need some extras added to it, consumable items that you will need to pay extra for. But the average cost of the service price menu is on your screen now and that’s for 7 years or 70,000 km. Uh so per visit it’s okay, but if you do a lot of KS it might not be okay. And there’s also roadside assistance included for 5 years. Look, I don’t think this car has nailed it in terms of the price and spec. It seems a little bit expensive and a little bit under equipped for a Challenger brand that is trying to break into one of the most competitive parts of the Australian new car market. But let me tell you, I like lots of elements of it. I like the powertrain system. I like the efficiency on offer. And I also kind of like the design. It is really growing on me. But what do you think? Have you say in the comments section below? Is it well enough equipped for the cash for you? And would you buy a KGM? Anyway, thanks for watching. Thanks for subscribing. I’ll see you when I see you.
Meet the KGM Torres Hybrid, which uses a powertrain developed alongside BYD! Subscribe here: www.youtube.com/@therightcar?sub_confirmation=1 —
This petrol-electric HEV / hybrid SUV is a peculiar one. It’s cheaper than many of the mainstream options like the Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage. But it’s also on par with the likes of the BYD Sealion 6, Chery Tiggo 7 and Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid, and other models that come with HEV and PHEV, like the GWM Haval H6.
So, what’s it like, and should you consider one?
CHECK OUT MY REVIEW OF THE PETROL TORRES HERE: https://youtu.be/GBt0rPZmIyk
Well, in this detailed review of the Australia spec KGM Torres Hybrid, you’ll find out that it’s missing some stuff it should have, but also has a few omissions you might be grateful for!
CHECK OUT SOME OF THE ALTERNATIVES:
BYD Sealion 6 PHEV – https://youtu.be/c9DZekeHF3E
BYD Sealion 5 PHEV – https://youtu.be/P94YsLZ87bo
Chery Tiggo 8 Super Hybrid – https://youtu.be/MAHADB3EWgw
Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid – https://youtu.be/vgklMgefArw
Jaecoo J7 SHS – https://youtu.be/hKKfUU0O9dk
GWM Haval H6 Hybrid – https://youtu.be/1D0eojfIln4
GWM Haval H6 PHEV – https://youtu.be/kWEMC-ymB2k
Geely Starray EM-i Super Hybrid – https://youtu.be/TSg9g0k60uE
Toyota RAV4 – https://youtu.be/gda7EW6gyLs
Kia Sportage – https://youtu.be/CV599V8wA60
MG HS – https://youtu.be/-s_xoTaXlWM
MG HS Hybrid – https://youtu.be/4jNGDnMZskU
Honda CR-V – https://youtu.be/vcPRFvSjPuo
Hyundai Tucson – https://youtu.be/xVeQ8VPUGTM
Kia Sorento PHEV – https://youtu.be/7TtwodfXHII
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV – https://youtu.be/SLTKe8Bqqaw
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00:00 KGM Torres Hybrid
00:22 Is it the right price?
01:38 What are the best alternatives?
03:26 Is it the right size?
05:48 Interior
14:19 Under the bonnet
15:30 Driving
21:24 Efficiency
22:45 Is it safe?
23:51 Ownership
24:42 Verdict
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