SsangYong is venturing into electric cars. Torres EVX should also be of interest to customers who would otherwise bypass electricity – Garáž.cz

It is probably hard to imagine that a typical Czech customer of SsangYong, who is looking for a basic Koranda for half a million, would suddenly become enthusiastic about electromobility, no matter how well the Czech dealership managed to price the new Torres EVX. On the other hand, the electric Torres is still first and foremost a SsangYong, i.e. a practical and spacious car with an emphasis on the price/value ratio, and in such a case an electric car might even interest the Czech customer. We’ll see.

That the Torres EVX will also offer a great price/value ratio is unfortunately the only “concrete” information I can offer you at the moment. The price list and entry into the Czech market are not yet known, negotiations are still ongoing. I am curious about your price tips under the article.

First, let’s unpack the mysterious EVX abbreviation. E is simple, clearly, electricity. IN? It’s also not hard to guess, yes, that’s right, vehicle. But X? Um, any ideas? do you have Well, just a second and let’s go. So, X as eXtreme! Good good…

However, these three letters should not escape the attention of those interested in more traditional Torres, as I already indicated in the title. This SUV from SsangYong is due for a facelift soon, and it is the electric EVX that will bring some elements in advance.

First of all, it is the interior. And here it is, without exaggeration, a huge change. We already experienced something similar in the case of the Rexton, when the interior of the large SUV fundamentally changed with the modernization. With Torres, however, perhaps an even bigger turn has occurred (in the case of the internal combustion version, it is yet to occur).

I’ll start with the good news. The interior looks far, far more luxurious, more valuable, cozier… The day after the EVX, I sat in the classic existing Torres for a while, and these two worlds can hardly stand a comparison. The EVX brings far more luxurious materials, here the electric Torres really does not look like the product of a price-oriented automaker.

And the worse news? Unfortunately, SsangYong also went the route of complete digitization and placed practically all controls in a 12.3-inch touch screen. Moreover, not quite happily, I would say. For example, you have to call up the ventilation control on the display, it is not permanently available (perhaps in the form of some default bar at the bottom of the display). You then influence the air conditioning either in a separate menu or in the sliding bar in the right part of the display. However, it is quite far from the driver and the symbols are small. At the same time, we liked SsangYongs for their classically cut interiors, and even Torres, which leaned more towards digital, offered a completely separate panel for ventilation. And with a large enough font. Maybe we’ll get another upgrade. Anyway, get ready for this news in the facelifted SsangYong Torres.

A little more about the assistance systems – messages about their activity are typically very loud in Korean, fortunately the most beeping one (speed monitoring) can be turned off. Korean car companies set a very good example in this direction, their beeping is sovereignly the loudest across the market. However, a truce can still happen, let’s be happy for that. Hopefully this option will last as long as possible.

The bodywork also brings significant news, especially as far as lighting technology is concerned. I identified a more significant departure from the current design in the front part, which is now dominated by a light strip. It doesn’t look bad at all, but this will be specific to the electric version, the facelift of the combustion Torres should remain with more traditional headlights. The rear lamps received new graphics, said to be inspired by the South Korean flag. Overall, I found the Torres EVX to be sleeker and more elegant than the current model. Remove those special plastic handles on the hood and it will be without losing the flower. Nice SUV.

I am curious to see what the modernization of the combustion Torres will bring. We already know that even one technical innovation – a hybrid version will be introduced. It will combine a 110 kW petrol engine with an electric motor that will add 130 kW. Interesting parameters.

Regarding the parameters of the EVX electric version – the electric motor provides 152 kW, the torque reaches 339 Nm, it accelerates to 100 km/h in 8.1 s, and the maximum speed is 175 km/h. Mass? Less than two tons. At the moment, only the front axle is driven, four-wheel drive is being considered.

She would fit. The newton meters are sometimes too much for a lightweight front end, especially when going uphill on wet asphalt, I had problems with traction a few times. Of course, the all-season tires from Nexen, which slid even in corners, contributed a lot to this, better tires will undoubtedly improve the grip dramatically. Even so, I think that the four-wheeler under consideration will not be a bad idea at all.

The test route led to a few kilometer exceptions along the highway, so the consumption of around 27 kWh does not look bad in this context. In better conditions – also in terms of the weather, it was cold and raining in Istanbul, it was such a typical Czech winter of recent years – the proclaimed range of around 460 km would not have been so far. I would venture to guess that in the summer and with a minority of highways, a four hundred kilometer range could be standard. The battery capacity reaches 73.4 kWh, Torres EVX can charge up to 145 kW. The electrical equipment (including the battery, a version with a larger capacity should arrive in the future) then comes from the Chinese specialist BYD.

A few travelogue points of interest about Istanbul traffic. At first glance, it is a wilderness, the traffic density is terrible, but the drivers know about themselves. They have no choice but to look around, get nowhere, or kill themselves. The road rules are looser here, especially with regard to right of way. Here, however, you will quickly understand that Turkish drivers are actually very considerate. Are you exiting the side street and both directions are hopelessly congested? No problem, just drive into the intersection, the Turks will gladly stop for you. I’m not bullshitting. Tried in several cases. Given the endless streams of cars, any other approach would not even be possible. In fact, you don’t even need a turn signal, simply drive where you need to and the traffic will adapt to you. Nice surprise.

I paid attention to the price right from the beginning, it will be decisive for the success of Torres EVX. However, one cannot expect that it should not be acceptable within the segment, it is SsangYong after all. And here we still have SsangYong, only the label “by KGM” was added as part of the global rebranding.

Under the new owner – the KG concern – SsangYong has big plans. It sold 120,000 cars last year, and it should already be 320,000 in 2026. A number of new products are also being prepared, in the near future it should be an electric pick-up and a new compact SUV.

The Torres EVX is a typical SsangYong, which is logical given the implementation of electric equipment in the existing model. I still felt like I was driving a SsangYong, “just” very quiet and quicker to respond to the right pedal. Now just wait for the price. And also on how it will behave in Czech conditions. The test route, with an overwhelming majority of highways, was more monotonous after all. We will inform you!