KGM SsangYong Torres Adventure 2025 Review

KGM is SsangYong’s saving grace after the brand was sold by Indian giant Mahindra. However, SsangYong’s latest incarnation is all about the positive signs to come rather than holding onto memories of the ‘interesting’ Daimler-Benz products from the ’90s.

Eye-catching looks aside, the 2025 KGM SsangYong Torres Adventure gains yet more traction within the cut-throat medium SUV segment thanks to its pert drive-away price of $43,000.

All three version of the Torres attract drive-away figures, with the entry-level ELX costing $38,000 while the range-topping all-wheel drive Ultimate is $47,000.

Interestingly, if you’re an ABN holder you can slash another $800 off each model grade.

While the Torres doesn’t make a song and dance about the fact it’s a KGM or SsangYong, it does proudly display its country of origin within the seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty sticker – no doubt making sure punters don’t assume it’s Chinese.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km (whichever comes first), with the first seven dealership visits costing $2678 – or an average of $383 each. That’s rather steep.

If you buy a 2024-plate Torres before the end of February 2025 you’ll also score three free services. Five years of roadside assistance is included.

Rivals to the KGM SsangYong Torres with a similar monetary bent are the BYD Sealion 6, Chery Tiggo Pro 7, GWM Haval H6, Mahindra XUV700, MG HS and SsanYong’s own Korando. Although, in terms of sales, any medium SUV in Australia is playing second fiddle to the outrageously popular Toyota RAV4.

Everyone has their own opinion on styling, but the consensus from onlookers while we had the keys to the 2025 KGM SsangYong Torres Adventure was positive. It isn’t a shrinking violet.

It’s hard to ignore the Jeep-like front grille, the almost Land Rover Defender profile and that Audi-R8-esque side blade. Others also picked up on the teepee shape to the roofline – more on that later. Fakery ensues with non-functional air vents, faux handles on the bonnet and a rear tailgate that appears to both house a spare wheel and be side hinged… it’s neither.

Standard kit includes 18-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, LED headlights, taillights, fog lights and daytime running lights as well as plastic body cladding to give off a rough-and-tumble persona.

Elsewhere there’s keyless entry and push-button start, dual-zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers, ‘leather look’ upholstery, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, heated folding mirrors, tyre pressure monitoring and a powered tailgate.

The 2025 KGM SsangYong Torres Adventure doesn’t carry an ANCAP safety rating as the range is yet to be tested by the local body.

Still, the Adventure gains eight airbags, dual ISOFIX points and three top-tether anchorages.

Other standard inclusions are autonomous emergency breaking (AEB) with forward collision warning (but not cyclist detection), rear cross-traffic warning, blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, lane-keeping assist, front and rear parking sensors, HD reversing camera, driver attention alert and road-sign recognition.

Given the family focus of most medium SUVs, it’s a shame that a 360-degree camera isn’t included in the Adventure grade. Also, some might see this as a benefit given it highlights the space underneath the tailgate, but the reversing camera is angled too far towards the ground, limiting what you can see in the distance behind you.

The calibration of the lane keeping technology is decent, but it can become overly intrusive. However, if the speed limit warning bugs you, it can be switched off – for good. Unlike most manufacturers, it doesn’t require you to disable the system every time you start the car.

While the 2025 KGM SsangYong Torres Adventure first landed in Oz last year, the model itself has been around since 2022. And some of the technology reflects its vintage.

There’s no wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, nor is there a wireless charging pad – despite a few easy-to-get-to locations where one could be placed within the cabin. There are four USB-C ports for charging devices, with one of them affording wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Apart from those oversights, the rest of the tech inside the Torres is up to snuff. Sitting proudly in the dash are two 12.3-inch displays, one for the digital instrument cluster and the other taking care of the infotainment.

Other standard inclusions are Bluetooth, voice control and a six-speaker sound system, but no native sat-nav or digital radio.

Lift the bonnet of the 2025 KGM SsangYong Torres Adventure and the hardware isn’t as big as you’d assume.

Powering the Torres is a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine tied to an Aisin six-speed automatic transmission. There’s no hybrid assistance and all-wheel drive is only available in the top-tier Ultimate.

Despite its diminutive capacity, the outputs are more than adequate for this size of engine at 120kW and 280Nm. It translates to sufficient, rather than hair-raising performance.

A relatively low (for a medium SUV) kerb weight of 1532kg aids progress and it doesn’t struggle too much for overtaking pace at highway speeds. It develops meaningful torque from just 1500rpm yet stretch towards redline, when the acoustics become intrusive.

The Japanese-built six-speed automatic is proficient with smooth shifts (there are steering-wheel-mounted paddles), but it can kick down harshly given the SsangYong’s propensity to always select higher ratios in the name of fuel economy.

A full EV version is available in other markets.

Officially the 2025 KGM SsangYong Torres Adventure is rated at 7.4L/100km, which makes it competitive with other non-hybrid or diesel competition.

However, given the 1.5-litre engine needs to work a bit harder to propel the Torres, our real-world figure came to 8.5L/100km. This included a mix of city, suburban and highway driving with a bit of spirited testing thrown into the mix.

Overall, our economy figure isn’t too bad, but there are more efficient offerings out there. The Torres requires at least 95 RON and drinks from a 50-litre tank.

An area where there’s also room for improvement is the idle stop & go system. It’s slow to refire the engine and rather intrusive when it does. You can switch it off via a drop-down menu within the infotainment screen.

Out in the real world, the 2025 SsangYong Torres Adventure defies its off-roading pretences (in name and design) to be an honest daily tarmac terrier.

The Torres is built on the same platform as the smaller Korando in South Korea, but enjoys bigger dimensions by being 4700mm in length, 1890mm in width and 1720mm tall.

While the Adventure spec uses ‘smaller’ 18-inch alloys wrapped in Nexen tyres, the ride quality is firm at CBD speeds. Sharp potholes are felt within the cabin. However, up the pace on country roads or highways and the experience becomes a lot more comfortable and compliant.

Benefiting from the stiffer suspension tune is body control. The shock absorbers are also adept at reducing bounce and wallow. Yes, there is a bit of lean through corners, but all up the Torres handles better than you expect it to. Sport and Winter driving modes are also available, but there isn’t much of a use case for either.

There are a few issues with the steering, though. The first being the size of the actual tiller itself – it’s huge. Other than that, the electronic assistance for the rack-and-pinion arrangement returns inconsistent and synthetic feedback. Flick it into Sport mode and the overall feel becomes far too heavy.

Oddly, despite a lack of outright grunt, there’s also some torque steer present. Taking off from a standstill with both verve and steering lock applied induces a tugging sensation through the wheel – and sometimes even a fractional loss of traction.

An issue to keep in mind – especially if you turn the warnings off – is the fact that the cruise control doesn’t retard your speed on declines to maintain the set pace. At all. And you have to step up to the Ultimate if you want adaptive cruise control.

Yes and no. It has 195mm of ground clearance, a wading depth of 300mm and hill-descent control. Yet, with bitumen-focussed tyres and the fact drive only goes to the front wheels, you’re unlikely to be going off the beaten path.

The SsangYong is fitted with trailer sway control and has a segment-average braked towing capacity of 1500kg.

Visually, the 2025 KGM SsangYong Torres Adventure appears to have turned a premium corner. There’s a lot to look at design wise, but it’s a pleasing aesthetic. The colour palette is also amped up by the inclusion of the copper hue.

The panoramic-style screens emulate one large digital panel and sit nicely within the dash. At first you notice the soft-touch materials, but it doesn’t take long to discover the hard and scratchy plastics – the sticker-price savings must come from somewhere.

There are some ergonomic flaws. The shift-by-wire gear selector looks interesting, but its operation requires two movements as you’re always required to pass through neutral to engage forward or reverse.

And while the central touchscreen appears decent, it isn’t the most responsive unit. It’s a factor that becomes tedious given the cabin is virtually a button-free zone. There is a swipe-down menu that remains active when smartphone mirroring is in use, but the shortcut for the climate controls isn’t, meaning it’s a distracting operation.

However, where the Torres racks up a few wins on the board is in terms of space. For a medium SUV, there is loads of it – and the rather awkward exterior roofline makes more sense. A basketball player wouldn’t struggle for headroom in the back, while toe and legroom are spacious, too.

Amenities are well covered off thanks to rear USB-C ports, air vents, map pockets, door bins and a centre arm rest with cup holders. Up front you get decent storage solutions too, while the front doors can accommodate two large bottles each.

KGM SsangYong quotes a cargo capacity of 703 litres. However, that’s skewed given the figure is measured to the roof, which isn’t an industry standard. Therefore, the actual boot space when measured to the belt line is a useable 465L. A space-saver spare hides under the boot floor and the back seats fold (and recline) in a 60/40 fashion to further aid practicality.

There is no doubt the 2025 KGM SsangYong Torres is a step in the right direction. It’s bold, budget-biased appeal will strike a chord with myriad buyers in search of bang for their buck in the medium SUV segment.

The success of Chinese rivals is proof of that. The fact SsangYong is already a familiar marque in Australia will no doubt help facilitate KGM’s integration into the market. The mid-spec Adventure stands as the Goldilocks spec choice for the Torres, but there are cheaper alternatives from rapidly improving Chinese brands.

Ultimately, the KGM SsangYong Torres Adventure’s report card reads well enough, but there’s room for improvement.

2025 KGM SsangYong Torres Adventure at a glance:
Price: $43,000 drive away
Available: Now
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 120kW/280Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.4L/100km
CO2: 169g/km
Safety rating: Not rated

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