KOR BLIMEY (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

Jonathan Crouch thinks KGM's Korando deserves consideration for family buyers seeking a really practical mid-sized SUV.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 61

Here's a properly capable family-sized SUV for the price of a feebly capable supermini-sized one. KGM's Korando (previously sold with 'SsangYong' badging) has previously been something of a fringe player in the value reaches of the Crossover class, but this MK4 model aims to edge into the mainstream. It's well equipped, quite smart and can tow up to 1.5-tonnes. Sounds promising.

Backgroundword count: 146

Buying a mid-sized family-shaped SUV can be an expensive business these days. The ones you can have for anywhere near £30,000 tend to offer weedy performance and a relatively cramped interior. It's far more typical to be paying £35,000-£40,000 for a decently-specified 'Qashqai'-class family hatchback-based Crossover of this kind and many plusher models sit in the £40,000-£45,000 bracket. So what are we to make of this, the KGM Korando, which you might well better know with its previous 'SsangYong' badging. Prices are pitched from a genuine £25,000, with a really nice one pitched at around £30,000. This model's also better equipped than most comparable rivals and can tow heavier loads. But all of this you'd maybe expect from a Korando. Can this one though, offer a properly class-competitive proposition when it comes to things like fit and finish, drive dynamics, efficiency and safety? Let's find out.

Driving Experienceword count: 244

Only one engine is available to prospective Korando customers. It's a 1.5-litre GDI-turbo unit with 163PS and 280Nm of torque which can only be had with front-wheel drive. It's usually mated to 6-speed manual transmission but can alternatively be had with an auto gearbox. The previously-offered 1.6-litre diesel is no longer available. Nor (rather disappointingly for a Korando) is 4WD. If your Korando has the 6-speed automatic transmission, it'll also come with selectable 'Normal', 'Sport' and 'Winter' drive modes. Braked towing capacity is impressive for a 2WD model, rated at up to 1,500kgs. There's also an EV version, the Korando E-Motion, which uses a 188hp motor situated on the front axle. It's energised by a 61.5kWh battery with an unremarkable 211 mile driving range (or 309 miles in the city). In the combustion form we focus on here, this is a proper SUV, rather than a Nissan Qashqai or SEAT Ateca-like crossover - and you feel that in the way that ride quality over poor surfaces at low speeds can sometimes get slightly unsettled in a manner you wouldn't experience with obvious rivals. But that's only because the engineers' goal here was to improve body control through the bends. They've achieved it. Aided by quite a stiff chassis, this car flows from corner to corner with real poise, making cross country journeys reasonably enjoyable. That steering may be light, but it's also accurate, allowing you to place the car exactly where you want it.

To see the full road test text contact us on 0330 0020 227