KGM has just been canned for NZ, but we're reviewing the Torres hybrid Ultimate anyway

We were literally typing the final words of this review when the news dropped that Kiwi KGM importer Inchcape was dropping the brand from its portfolio. On July 1 it announced it had rethought the Korean's brand's suitability for New Zealand as a "joint decision" with KGM and would be ending its distributorship at an undisclosed future date, "following a transition period".

Perhaps not a massive surprise given Inchcape doesn't handle KGM across the Tasman (it's a factory operation over there)... but a surprise nonetheless.

What does that mean for its current models? It has promised all existing orders will be delivered, its 5-year/unlimited warranty, Assured Servicing Price and Pre-Paid Service Plans remaining unchanged.

It also presumably means if you're willing to take a punt on a brand that's departing, the stock that's left might be sold at extremely attractive prices. So for what it's worth, we reckon the Torres hybrid, with its BYD powertrain components, is a pretty good thing.

We also hate to waste words, so here's our review of the flagship $54,990 (negotiate hard, obviously) hybrid Ultimate.

On the outside: what are the KGM Torres hybrid Ultimate's main design features?

The Torres hybrid picks up its styling detail from the petrol models rather than the previous pure-electric EVX, which had a smoother look and flush front.

There are some weird bits for sure, but the Torres is still quite an endearing thing. You have to go in with your eyes wide open of course, given KGM is on the way out in NZ.

Boring it ain't: the angular shape is interesting in itself, but it's also garnished with a number of SUV-adjacent design features, including a red plug on the front bumper that looks like a cover for a heavy duty tow hook, tie-down handles on the bonnet and a spare-wheel cover.

Fake, fake, fake. None of it is real, and contrary to what you might expect from the side-mounted handle on the tailgate, it's hinged at the top, not the side. It's all a bit silly... but kinda fun too.

You can spot the Ultimate most effectively by its black C-pillar blade (it's silver on other models). It also rides on larger 18-inch wheels.

OVERVIEW

On the inside: what's the KGM Torres hybrid Ultimate cabin like?

The Ultimate still has most controls in the touch screen. It's pretty well laid out, with swipe-down shortcuts at the top and a swipe-sideways (from the right) to create a split screen if you wish (you can then scroll up and down on the right-hand section for different functions).

The screen layout is quite intuitive, but the OS is a bit sluggish. It takes 12-15 seconds to boot up, which doesn't sound like a lot... but count it out.

If you're in full-screen phone projection (wired only, mind) mode, there's a dock of shortcuts on the left-hand side to get you back to KGM OS central.

So the layout's quite intuitive, but the screen itself is a bit sluggish. It takes 12-15 seconds to boot up, which doesn't sound like a lot but count it out: you're usually well down the road by the time it's ready to go. The menus are also slow to respond to the touch: you get a beep as acknowledgement that a command has registered, but then you have to wait for a second until anything happens.

The cabin styling is simple, the materials pretty basic despite the flashes of copper colour: there are many, many hard plastics, including very obvious areas like the entire door cards.

But you can't complain about the equipment level in the Ultimate. It picks up genuine leather upholstery (it's synthetic in lesser Torres models) with nice copper stitching, heating for the front and outboard-rear seats, 8-way power adjustment and ventilation for the front chairs, secure holster-style wireless phone charger and power tailgate.

It also has some novel Korea-centric features (we only say that because we've seen them primarily on other Korean cars), like a Rear-Seat Sleep mode that mutes the audio in the back and power-controls on the side of the front passenger seat, positioned so that rear occupants can reach them. The jacket hangers built into the front seatbacks are also odd but quite handy.

The main omission is a 360-degree camera, which these days of Chinese SUVs have encouraged us to expect even in mainstream cars. Instead, the Torres has a reversing display only.

The enormous boot is still a Torres USP and the rear seatback is split 60/40 so you can mix and match passenger and load space.

INTERIOR

On the road: what's the KGM Torres hybrid Ultimate like to drive?

KGM is quite vocal about the Torres hybrid using a BYD Blade battery. Fair call: the Chinese maker is ackonwledged as a leader in this area. The infotainment energy display is also quite proud and seems to suggest the battery fills the Torres undercarriage like a full BEV.

The powertrain is essentially a BYD DM-i with a tiny battery and no plug. Which also means it works like a super hybrid.

No such luck: it's a full hybrid with a tiny 1.8kWh battery that can power the vehicle for short distances only. It's paired with a 1.5-litre engine that we'll assume is a BYD effort too, although KGM isn't quite as vocal on that point: it's exactly the same capacity as the petrol powerplant in a BYD Sealion 5 and 1cc more than the non-hybrid Torres models.

So it's essentially a BYD DM-i with a tiny battery and no plug. Which also means it works like a super hybrid, running most often in series mode (the petrol engine making electricity for the front e-motor), but also sometimes parallel, with both petrol and electric motors driving the wheels.

Sans the massive plug-in battery of a typical BYD, the powertrain can be pretty busy switching around between various combinations of petrol and electric; there's a super hybrid-style dedicated hybrid transmission (DHT) handling all of that.

You can't select the operating mode or manage the power (force it into EV mode, for example), and we're okay with that. Let the car do the thinking.

It's quiet, smooth and it works. On a 100km test route we often use that involves some pretty hard driving, the Torres hybrid returned 6.2l/100km. On a kinder day of running around Auckland city and a bit of motorway driving, the trip computer showed 5.1l/100km. Go carefully and you could be in the 4l-bracket.

You can also indulge in a bit of EV technique with the steering wheel paddles, which don't change DHT gears but rather adjust the level of braking/battery regen.

There are three drive modes, although you could go a long time without finding them. The only place they exist is in the swipe-down menu on the infotainment screen. Odd.

Not that there's any pressing need to hit Sport mode. The Torres hybrid rides well and is kind to passengers, but it's not built for open-road excitement. The big gangly steering wheel is the first hint; the steering is slow and at speed the car understeers, often with a rattle of the steering rack like 1990s Kias used to do. Body control is approximate when the going gets bumpy.

One thing the hybrid lacks compared to the petrol model is an AWD option. The electrified model is front-drive only, and the strong torque delivery can definitely break traction in the wet or under hard cornering.

Overall, the dynamic package is not terrible, it's just not super-polished. As a cruiser, the Torres hybrid can deliver quite a likeable driving experience.

SPECIFICATIONS

On ownership: what's the KGM Torres hybrid Ultimate warranty and servicing situation?

The vehicle warranty is 5 years/100,000km. There's a first service at 5000km, then maintenance is required every 15,00km/12 months.

On the whole: what do we think of the KGM Torres hybrid Ultimate?

There are some weird bits for sure, but the Torres is still quite an endearing thing. You have to go in with your eyes wide open of course, given KGM is on the way out in NZ, but putting the distributor situation to one side the Torres hybrid Ultimate is a genuinely good thing.

At $54,990 we'd say the competition is pretty stiff given what you can buy from established names like Toyota, Nissan and Kia (see below), but there's no way you'd pay that now.  For quite a bit les than that as a distress sale, you'd be getting a thrifty family SUV that feels a bit different.

KGM Torres hybrid Ultimate FAQs

What kind of car is the KGM Torres hybrid Ultimate?

A medium-sized 5-door family SUV.

Does the KGM Torres hybrid Ultimate have hybrid or EV technology?

It's a full hybrid (HEV).

What’s the fuel economy of the KGM Torres hybrid Ultimate?

It's rated at 5.0l/100km under NZ's 3P-WLTP standard.

Is the KGM Torres hybrid Ultimate safe?

Torres has not been tested by ANCAP. It gets a 5-star rating under NZ's VSRR.

What safety and assistance features does the KGM Torres hybrid Ultimate have?

What are the KGM Torres hybrid Ultimate's main rivals?

• Toyota RAV4 GXL 2WD ($54,990): The go-to hybrid medium SUV and impressive in its new guise.
• Nissan X-Trail ST-L e-Power AWD ($53,990): Range extender tech and brilliant electric AWD system
• Kia Sportage HEV Earth 2WD ($54,990): Sportage is now hybrid-only, Earth the mid-range specification
• GWM Haval H6 Ultra HEV 2WD ($45,990): Another super hybrid-type powertrain, good quality and value
• BAIC B30 Premium Adventure hybrid ($44,990): Like the Torres, a bit strange and strangely appealing