KGM Torres EVX review

You can tell the EV from the combustion car primarily by its more overtly 'futuristic' front end, which does away with the ICE variant's heavy-browed and slightly angry face in favour of a sleeker, cleaner arrangement crowned by a distinctive six-slot illuminated grille. If KGM needs to build its brand identity anew, you see, it must ensure its cars look as distinctive at night as they do in the cold light of day.

It leans less heavily on the whole 'spirit of adventure' ethos that defines the petrol car, perhaps in recognition that electric, front-driven crossovers are hardly the preserve of the mud-plugging elite, dropping the faux front tow hook and beefy skid plate, but the mock tie-down handles, chunky roof bars and mock rear tyre carrier remain. 

Next to rivals, it cuts a distinctive and quite attractive figure, with its sharp edges and purposeful proportions giving it a certain superficial cachet that some of the more anonymous, blobby electric crossovers on offer can't quite attain. 

There are elements where it seems the designers have been rather too overt in taking influence from existing designs – the slanting C-pillar is unmistakably a nod to the Ford Explorer, there's a hint of Range Rover in the rear lights and the front grille will inevitably draw comparisons with the trademark motif of a certain US 4x4 marque – but as a whole it succeeds in carving out a cohesive and largely agreeable new look for Ssangyong's new era.