Although it has just arrived on the market, you will surely already know it because it is advertised everywhere. I have already seen it on television, on billboards on the roads… everywhere. And it doesn’t surprise me, because it is a new SUV that in terms of dimensions resembles the Toyota RAV4 and that, however, costs 9,000 euros less. Now, it is true that its approach is very different and that, due to its performance, it competes with models like the Hyundai Tucson and the KIA Sportage, which are smaller cars and in a segment below.
The model I’m talking about is the newcomer SsangYong Torres. The brand had fallen into complete disinterest in our market in recent years, but suddenly they have released a really interesting SUV. This new SsangYong Torres measures 4.7 meters long, so by measurements, it is a D SUV, but the reality is that it competes with the C SUV by price. Because? Well, because it can be purchased for 28,800 euros and, however, something in its category such as the Toyota RAV4 costs 37,650 euros at the moment. Of course, the Toyota model indeed has a non-plug-in hybrid engine for this price and, however, the SsangYong Torres uses a thermal engine without electrification.
As big as the Toyota RAV4, but the SsangYong Torres costs €9,000 less
As I told you, although it is larger than a Toyota RAV4, in reality, the SsangYong Torres is a rival for options like the KIA Sportage, which can be purchased for 26,000 euros, or the Hyundai Tucson, which right now has a minimum price of about 26,200 euros. Although the SsangYong model is 2,000 euros more expensive, more or less, it is much larger at 4.7 meters and offers larger rear seats, as well as an outstanding trunk – in two parts – with a capacity of 600 liters.
At a mechanical level, it is better than these options due to its power figure, using a 1.5 G15T block that develops 163 HP of maximum power, compared to the 1.6 TGDi of 150 HP that both the Tucson and the Sportage use. Of course, the Koreans spend very little due to their low fuel consumption and, however, the SsangYong Torres cannot boast of efficiency with averages slightly above 7 L/100 km. It happens like the MG HS, which surpasses its rivals in power but uses more fuel than them.
And compared to the Toyota RAV4, yes, it is true that the SsangYong Torres costs about 9,000 euros less, despite being more modern and larger. But the Toyota model has a 218 HP hybrid engine that not only surpasses it in efficiency, but also has ridiculous consumption, perhaps the most outstanding among all these models we are talking about, and it also has the ECO label of the DGT. So, although they are similar in size, in the engine section the Toyota is far, far above the SsangYong Torres. And that explains why it costs a lot more.
A good alternative to the SsangYong Torres is the MG HS. Yes, it is true that it only measures 4.57 meters long and that it offers a much smaller trunk, with a capacity of 448 liters. Now, it is much cheaper, with a price of only 24,440 euros, and in addition to being sold with a 7-year warranty, it has a 162 HP 1.6 TGDi engine, which also spends a little more than desirable, and above all It is a car that comes with much more and better equipment included as standard. Now, out of all this, I also confess that, although this is something very subjective, I prefer the design of the SsangYong Torres over the design of any of its possible alternatives.