MOTION SLICKNESS (some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

SsangYong's Korando e-Motion takes the Korean maker into the EV market for the first time. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 51

SsangYong targets the affordable end of the market for family-sized EV Crossovers with this car, the Korando e-Motion. There's more cabin space and luggage capacity than you'd normally get from an EV of this price - think around £30,000: and a just about acceptable decent 211 mile range too. Sounds promising.

Backgroundword count: 203

Almost every month now, we're seeing developments in EV technology. What we're not seeing is retail asking prices of electric vehicles falling as quickly as family motorists might like, as the cost of creating EV technology becomes able to be spread across now greater sales numbers. If you want an EV that's credibly family-sized, you'll be doing well to find a decently specified one that's significantly under the £35,000 asking price threshold for the current £1,500 government Plug-in car grant. But that's exactly what Korean maker SsangYong aims to provide with this car, the Korando e-Motion. SsangYong hasn't electrified the entire Korando range - the thirsty 1.5-litre conventional petrol version still continues. Like that model, the e-Motion can only be had in front-driven form, which feels slightly disappointing given that the Korando model series has historically built its reputation on 4WD: provision of that extra traction would have been an additional extra selling point for the Korean maker in this segment. Still, customers in this class don't really need it, the Korando e-Motion's task being to wrest sales away from its closely priced arch-rival, the MG ZS EV, in the fight for custom from budget-orientated family folk contemplating the switch to an EV.

Driving Experienceword count: 208

One electric motor drives the Korando e-Motion, situated on the front axle. It's powered by a 61.5kWh battery with an unremarkable 211 mile driving range. Like all EVs, this one feels quite rapid - though not pointlessly so: rest to 62mph takes around 9 seconds and the top speed is 97mph. A sporty drive mode is provided for quicker acceleration, but the car works best with the more languid power delivery offered in the normal setting. All the torque is, as usual with an EV, delivered at once, so on a greasy road, if you're setting off with purpose, you need to be careful not to spin the front wheels. Refinement is impressive, even for an EV - SsangYong has worked particularly hard on wind roar. The suspension is pretty well damped and doesn't clue you in to the heaviness of the powertrain beneath the floor, ironing off most ordinary bumps quite easily. Speed humps and larger pot holes catch it out though. As with most EVs, you can alter the level of brake energy recuperation using steering wheel paddles, the most aggressive setting of which provides virtually single pedal driving; ie, there's rarely any need to use the actual brake pedal, so severe is the off-throttle deceleration.

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