Saying goodbye to our KGM Actyon: final thoughts on this left-field SUV

He’s used it mostly for hauling all of his camera kit between shoots, as well as ferrying around friends and family.

And as a practical workhorse, the KGM has been brilliant. The boot is big enough to swallow up all of the kit and clobber which goes into a video shoot, and Miguel has never had to lower the rear seats.

The interior is quite nice as well, with plenty of posh materials and a pretty cool design – you can read more about the cabin in the interior report. Some of the tech is a bit frustrating to use though, especially the laggy touchscreen. That’s a problem when all of the car’s major functions are controlled through it.

It’s been a comfy cruiser on long journeys, and Miguel has done a lot of motorway miles in this car. There’s not much wind noise and it’s pretty smooth, but the adaptive cruise control is useless. It can’t seem to maintain a safe distance to the car in front, meaning he just doesn’t use it.

The biggest issue with this car though is the fuel economy, because over the last six months Miguel has averaged around 29mpg. By comparison, Tommy from our social media team has been running a Peugeot 5008 which is averaging over 50mpg.

So what’s the final verdict on the KGM Actyon? Well it’s really spacious and practical, well-equipped and decent to drive, but the price is a sticking point.

This car costs £39,400, and for that sort of money there are loads of alternatives which are better to drive and more economical. You could have a top-spec new Citroen C5 Aircross, a Skoda Karoq or a Kia Sportage, and all of those cars are more comfortable and use less fuel.

If you’re after an SUV which looks a bit different and has a spacious cabin, the KGM Actyon is worth a look. The fuel economy may be enough to put you off though.

How have we been testing this car?

The Carwow video team have been using this car to haul kit to shoots, as well as ferry crew members between locations. It’s spent a lot of time slogging up and down the motorway, as well as driving around town as a camera tracking car for Mat Watson’s video reviews.

The boot has been put to the test with loads of bags and cases, and the thousands of motorway miles have allowed the team to thoroughly evaluate the comfort and refinement.

Five good things about the KGM Actyon

1. Choosing the right one is easy

Picking the right trim level and engine combination can be tricky when buying a new car, but with the KGM Actyon it’s simple. There’s just one version on offer, and it comes with all the standard kit you’ll need such as the twin 12.3-inch screens, half leather seats and a 360-degree camera. All you have to do is pick the colour – there are five to choose from; ours is Iron Silver.

2. It makes you feel like a celebrity

You may not think it, but the KGM Actyon turns loads of heads out on the road. We’ve never seen another one during our time with the car, and people come over all the time to ask us what it is. We’ve parked this car at a meetup with supercars and it still attracts attention.

3. There’s plenty of space

We predominantly use our KGM for ferrying kit to video shoots, and it can swallow up everything we throw at it with ease. We rarely need to fold the rear seats down, which means we can also carry the crew in the palatial rear seats.

4. Plenty of power

The 1.5-litre petrol engine in this car feels really punchy when you put your foot down. It may not be all that economical, but for pulling out on short slip roads or overtaking its ideal. The Actyon is also decent on a country road, with minimal body roll as you go through the corners.

5. Cooled seats are a game changer

One of the many standard features you get in the Actyon is cooled seats, and these have been life changing in recent weeks as it gets hotter outside. It’s unusual to see a feature as premium as this on a standard family car, let alone for it to come as standard.

Five annoying things about the KGM Actyon

1. Infotainment woes

The Actyon’s massive dual-screen setup may look great, but the infotainment system is pretty fiddly to use. It can be glitchy at times and slow to respond, which is especially annoying when you have to operate all the climate controls through it.

The reversing camera also disappears for a few seconds after you select reverse gear, which isn’t ideal when you’re trying to manoeuvre in tight spaces.

2. Nannying safety tech

The lane-keeping assist can be overly sensitive at times, almost like it’s not set up for tight British B roads. It tugs away at the wheel and beeps all the time, and turning it off isn’t especially easy.

3. Jiggly suspension

For a large SUV, the KGM Actyon handles pretty well on a twisty road. The trade-off for this though is firm suspension, which means it’s not as comfortable over bumps as a Volkswagen Tiguan. We’d rather it was a bit softer.

4. Dark and dingy

The interior of this car is a bit dark, and this is made worse by the fact there’s no glass roof. You can’t even get one as an option, and it’s a feature we’d really like to have. It would lift the cabin no end.

5. A drinking problem

Something you might want to consider before buying a KGM Actyon is fuel economy, because this car is not a light drinker. We’ve been averaging 28-30mpg over the last six months, whereas our Peugeot 5008 has been doing well over 50mpg.

It’s even dropped as low as 21mpg after some spirited driving, which isn’t much better than our 2002 V8 Toyota Land Cruiser.

Living with a KGM Actyon report 2: Engine and driving

We’ve covered loads of miles in this car, and while it’s been pretty good to drive we have noticed one pretty significant issue – fuel economy.

The claimed economy isn’t the most impressive to start with at 33mpg, which is 12mpg shy of a petrol Volkswagen Tiguan and only 5mpg more than our 530hp BMW M4. In reality though we’ve been getting an average of 29mpg, and it’s even dropped as low as 21mpg in some conditions.

That’s really not good in a sensible family SUV. One member of the Carwow team has a previous-generation petrol Tiguan, and that car averages around 40mpg. The KGM’s petrol tank isn’t massive either, so fuel stops are pretty frequent.

If you’re looking for a car which is cheap to run, you can check out the most economical cars on Carwow and compare deals to save yourself some cash. You can also sell your car through Carwow quickly and for a fair price. 

It’s a shame really, because beyond its unquenchable thirst the Actyon is actually a nice car to cover long distances in. There’s very little wind noise and it’s pretty refined at speed, although the firm suspension can jiggle over bumps around town.

It’s also pretty nippy. There’s only 163hp on tap from the 1.5-litre engine, but there’s plenty of punch for overtaking or joining the motorway. At least it’s turning all that fuel into something. Out on a twisty road that firm suspension means it doesn’t lean too much and you can actually drive this thing quite quickly.

The adaptive cruise control isn’t great though. It just can’t seem to keep up with the car in front, so it accelerates up to it before jabbing at the brakes. It can be quite unsettling, so we don’t really bother using it.

So the KGM Actyon is a tale of two halves. On the one hand it’s pretty comfortable, quick and easy to drive, and if you scroll down to our interior report below you’ll see that it has a nicely-made and spacious cabin. But that poor fuel economy could be enough to put you off.

Living with a KGM Actyon report 1: interior and practicality

1. It’s really well-made

KGM, formerly known as Ssangyong, hasn’t always had a reputation for building posh interiors. Well the Actyon seems to have changed that, because this cabin is a lovely place to spend time.

There’s loads of plush-feeling suede materials and lovely leather, and we like the dashboard design as well. There are also no annoying squeaks or rattles, unlike our Honda H-RV which has developed a noise from behind the dashboard.

2. Comfort and refinement is great

The Actyon’s sound deadening is really good. The cabin at 70mph is whisper quiet, and the seats are also really comfortable. It’s a great car for covering lots of miles in, and we also really like the ventilated seat function as the weather has started to warm up.

3. Loads of interior space

We use our Actyon for hauling equipment to video shoots, and the huge boot has made this really easy. At 668 litres it’s bigger than a Volkswagen Tiguan’s, and the square shape makes it easy to load. There’s also plenty of rear legroom for ferrying your mates to the pub after a long day of filming.

4. The infotainment system isn’t the best

The twin 12.3-inch screens look really impressive when you get in the car, and the graphics are decent as well. In operation though, the central touchscreen can be really laggy and slow to load. This is especially annoying when all of the climate controls are buried in it.

5. Reinventing the wheel

Why do car manufacturers keep changing the shape of the steering wheel? Having flat bottoms has been a thing for years now on sporty models, but the Actyon’s is a weird hexagonal shape. It’s split opinions in the Carwow office, with some people saying it looks cool and others not being so convinced.

*Prices correct at the time of writing

Living with a KGM Actyon: intro

This is our new KGM Actyon, a funky-looking SUV which provides a slightly left-field alternative to cars like the Volkswagen Tiguan and Kia Sportage. Never heard of KGM? It used to be known as Ssangyong before a full rebrand back in 2023.

It’s been selling cheap and cheerful SUVs in the UK for decades, as well as pickup trucks. The new Actyon is KGM’s latest offering, and on paper at least it looks quite appealing.

The Actyon is certainly striking to look at. It may be slightly ungainly from some angles – we’re not sure about that massive rear overhang – but the slim LED lights and muscular stance make it stand out against some of the more dour SUV offerings out there.

Our car is the K50 model, and so is every other Actyon out there because it’s the only trim level available for now. It comes fully loaded with kit. You get electrically-adjustable heated and ventilated leather seats up front, heated seats in the rear, dual-zone climate control and adaptive cruise control.

Outside there is only one alloy wheel option – with 20-inch diamond-cut rims coming as standard. Our Actyon is finished in “Iron Silver”, which is a £750 option. White is the only no-cost colour option.

Under the bonnet things are less impressive at first glance. The only engine on offer is a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol with 163hp, driving the front wheels only via a six-speed automatic gearbox. It’s a pretty old-school setup, and the claimed fuel economy is just 33.1mpg. By comparison a Kia Sportage hybrid can do 50mpg. Perhaps the Actyon will surprise us over the coming months though.

That silver paintwork is the only option fitted to this car, bringing the total price to £39,399. Equip a Kia Sportage to a similar level and you’ll pay about the same, while a Volkswagen Tiguan will cost a few hundred pounds more.

So our KGM Actyon has a lot to live up to. We’ll be documenting what it’s like to live with here, so bookmark this page to stay up-to-date.

Car change? Carwow!

Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.

Click here to follow us on WhatsApp, where you can keep up-to-date with all the latest news, reviews, advice guides and videos.