KGM Motors Actyon Review & Prices

The KGM Actyon is not, as many might assume, yet another new Chinese brand and model entering the UK market. Actually, KGM is what used to be called Ssangyong, so it’s Korean, and it’s not new either — there’s a 75 year history to the company, which has changed names a few times. This new Actyon, then, is sort of like an off-brand DVD player from a company you’ve vaguely heard of at some point.

The Actyon is KGM’s second all-new model, following on from the Torres. While the Torres — also available in all-electric form — is a chunky SUV, the Actyon is a little lower and sleeker, although it’s still some way short of the coupe that KGM claims it to be. The Actyon picks up a lot of the Torres’ styling cues, but in a somewhat cleaner, better-finished way. It’s actually rather good looking, and comes with standard 20-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, the Actyon’s cabin is a big step up from the cheap and sometimes crummy interiors of previous Ssangyong models. There are two big 12.3-inch screens for your instruments and infotainment, and these actually work quite well, with the instrument screen taking some clear inspiration from BMW. The infotainment screen is less good though, and is too fiddly to use easily when on the move, but then that’s a complaint we could level at almost every car maker at the moment. There is a menu shortcut button on the steering wheel, where you might expect to find something like a driving mode switch, but it doesn’t help very much.

Overall quality is actually quite good, aside from a nasty, and very visible, join in the wood trim that runs across the dashboard. There are nice fake-suede panels on the doors and on the seats, and it’s actually very comfortable.

Space is good too, with lots of legroom in the back, although headroom will be limited for very tall rear-seat passengers. There are handy seatback pockets too, with small extra pockets at the top of the seat which are perfect for holding a phone or earbuds.

The boot is quite large, with 550 litres available up to the luggage cover, although the shape is rather long and shallow, instead of square and deep, so you might find that bulkier items don’t fit so easily. Oddly, KGM has given the Actyon an internal boot release, saying that Korean buyers are keen on a bit of in-car camping, and like to be able to open things up from the inside.

Fold down the back seats and there’s a useful 1,568 litres of space, although that’s much less than you get in some alternatives, and even in some estate cars. There are no remote seat folding levers in the boot, which is a faff.

Power comes from a single engine option, a 1.5-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol, with 163hp. It’s a front-wheel drive car, the Actyon, with no option of four-wheel drive, which seems odd for a brand best known for making rugged 4x4s.

There’s also no hybrid option, which might limit the appeal of the Actyon for company car buyers, but then KGM’s customer base is more directed at private buyers, so that might not be so much of a problem. The 33mpg, at best, thirst might put even those buyers off, though, as will the chunky road tax cost of its 194g/km CO2 emissions.

The Actyon’s biggest draw is that it’s well-priced, with plenty of standard equipment, and it comes with a good five-year, 100,000 mile warranty. There are plenty of other SUVs that do the job rather better, though.

If you fancy a KGM Actyon, you should check out the latest KGM Actyon deals on Carwow to see how much money you can save. You can also see our best KGM Actyon lease deals, as well as browse used KGMs. When the time comes, you can sell your current car through Carwow, too.

The Actyon is well-priced and well-equipped, with prices starting from just over £36,000 and standard equipment that includes Nappa leather, two big screen, adaptive cruise control, heated front and rear seats, CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, heated steering wheel, 360-degree camera, eight airbags, rear cross traffic alert, 20-inch wheels and more for the single K50 trim.

That makes the Actyon much better value than similarly-sized rivals such as the VW Tiguan and Ford Kuga, but it’s worth pointing out that a top-spec MG HS is actually better value again, and comes with an impressive plug-in hybrid system and an even classier cabin than the KGM’s.

Our video team spent six months with the KGM Actyon, putting it through its paces as a daily driver and stress-testing its practicality by ferrying all the video kit it takes to run a YouTube channel with over 10 million subscribers.

What we liked

Although a 1.5-litre petrol engine doesn’t sound like much on paper, it proved more than powerful enough for day-to-day use even with a fully loaded boot.

Speaking of, there’s plenty of space in there for all your stuff. We rarely needed to fold the seats down to carry all our equipment, which helped with taking extra crew members to shoots. That extra bit of underfloor storage proved a godsend, too.

What we didn’t like

Most of our gripes with the KGM Actyon can be pinned on its tech features. Its infotainment proved frustrating for a start, often glitching out and being slow to respond. It also takes a few seconds to engage the reversing camera, which gets irritating pretty quickly.

There’s the overly intrusive lane-keeping assistance, too, which doesn’t feel at all set up for tight British roads. It’ll fight with you and beep pretty often, and it’s not an easy system to turn off on the move.

Our final thoughts

While the KGM Actyon is a really spacious, practical and well-equipped car, its price point is its biggest drawback.

On this side of the market, there are tonnes of alternatives that are better to drive, better built and more economical. A well-specced Skoda Karoq or Kia Sportage would be a more favourable option here.

Want something a little different from the obvious, though? The Acyton is at least worth a look.