Ssangyong Korando 140kW Ultimate 61.5kWh 5dr Auto

Ten Second Review

KGM targets 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 get from some other EVs of this price - think around £40,000. Plus much more equipment and a just about acceptable 211 mile range too.

Background

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 crossover that's very well equipped and credibly family-sized, you'll be doing well to find a decently-specified one that's priced at the £40,000 asking price threshold. But that's exactly what Korean maker KGM (who you might previously have better known as SsangYong) aims to provide with this car, the Korando E-Motion. KGM 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 Experience

One electric motor drives 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). Like all EVs, this one feels quite rapid - though not pointlessly so: rest to 62mph takes 7.6 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 (339Nm) 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 - the engineers 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.

Design and Build

It's not difficult to recognise this E-Motion model as the EV representative in the Korando line-up. For those who don't notice the blanked off front grille, special badging and unusual 17-inch wheels, the designers have added blue finishing to the door mirrors and the rear bumper. And yes, you have to have it. It's all a bit more sober inside, where the only real giveaways to this car's battery status lie with the bespoke instrument cluster and angular silvered auto gearstick. The 9-inch central infotainment screen isn't very big, but does include TomTom navigation. You also get a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. And quite a bit more rear seat room than is offered by a rival MG ZS EV (or a rival Peugeot E-2008 come to that). This KGM model's boot space isn't much affected by the battery pack, rated at 551-litres - which compares very favourably with the 448-litre figure of that MG ZS EV. Fold the rear seats on a Korando E-Motion and the capacity figure grows to over 1,200-litres.

Market and Model

There's only one Korando E-Motion variant available - 'Ultimate', priced at around £40,000, which seems quite ambitious. Still, you get a lot of kit for that. Features like 17-inch alloy wheels and intelligent adaptive cruise control. Plus a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, LED front fog lights, smart high beam LED headlamps, rear parking sensors and auto headlights and wipers. There's also a 9-inch centre-dash infotainment screen with smartphone-mirroring ('Apple CarPlay'/'Android Auto'), TomTom navigation and a rear view camera. You additionally get premium leather upholstery for seats that are power-adjustable, heated and ventilated in the front. And a heated steering wheel, privacy glass and a wireless 'phone charger. There's also a powered tailgate and a heat pump for longer battery range in cold weather. Standard camera-driven safety features fitted as standard include Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Autonomous Emergency Braking System (AEBS), Lane Departure Warning (LDW), Lane keeping Assist (LKA) and Driver Attention Alert (DAA).

Cost of Ownership

The powertrain draws from a 61.5kWh battery (though only about 55kWh of it's available to use) and this, as mentioned in our 'Driving' section, offers a WLTP-certified 211 mile driving range between charges. That puts it towards the bottom of the pack of Crossover EVs at around this price point (a cheaper MG ZS EV Long Range model manages up to 273 miles). Filling up the battery from empty takes around 11 hours from a 7kW domestic wallbox. Find a 100kW rapid charger when you're out and about and you can complete a 20-80% fill in about half an hour. A heat pump comes fitted to preserve battery range in cold conditions. As with all KGM models, there's the peace of mind of a seven year/90,000 mile warranty. Service intervals are every year or 10,000 miles. Where the Korando runs into trickier territory is in the area of residual values. With its limited dealer network and almost non-existent promotional budget, there's no getting away from the fact that public awareness of this vehicle is virtually nil. That can only have a detrimental effect on residual values which will never be as punchy as big name EVs in this segment. Some recompense comes with modest insurance ratings. Insurance is group 32D.

Summary

If you've taken a look at the pricing and equipment levels of family-sized EVs, then taken a step back, KGM's Korando E-Motion aims to have your number. It takes the budget formula the market was already being offered with MG's ZS EV and builds into that a little more interior space and boot capacity. It's a pity that lower-trimmed versions of this model are no longer being offered because it seems unlikely that too many customers will want to stretch up to towards £40,000 for this car in its single plush 'Ultimate' level of trim. But you get an awful lot for that and if you take equipment into account, this looks a decently priced package, particularly as the driving range figure is close to that of several better-known European rivals. In future, KGM will bring us better EVs than this, but for the time being, the Korando E-Motion is a decent start.