KGM Actyon K50 long-term test: value SUV plays a mainstream game

Verdict

Our introduction to the KGM Actyon has revealed a family SUV with clear strengths and weaknesses. The very fact, however, that we’re judging it on an equal footing with mainstream rivals, and not looking at it as a bargain-basement option, shows the progress KGM has made. We’ll learn a lot more as the long-term test continues.

• Mileage: 751 miles
• Efficiency: 32.2mpg

If you’re looking for a cheap new car, your options aren’t what they used to be. The legislative bar has been raised to a level where manufacturers can’t seem to deliver models that are clean and safe enough at prices that dramatically undercut rivals. We’ve also seen a scramble by established brands to vacate the cheaper end of the market and avoid going head-to-head on price with Chinese newcomers. All that puts the KGM Actyon in an interesting place and makes it a perfect candidate for a long-term test.

The brand formerly known as SsangYong has always had value-for-money at its heart in the UK, but with new cars like the Actyon mid-size SUV, it too is trying to shift itself a bit further upmarket. 

A list price of £36,995 looks tempting for a car of this size that’s as well equipped as the Actyon, but it’s not a deal that will see you raise your eyebrows in that way that some SsangYong models did in the past. 

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Instead, the Korean brand is banking on the Actyon’s interior space, specification levels and design to allow it to compete on close to level terms with the likes of the Kia Sportage, Peugeot 3008 and Volkswagen T-Roc. We’re keen to find out if that’s misplaced confidence or a realistic possibility, and six months of living with the car should be a foolproof way of doing exactly that. 

The Actyon is offered with just the one powertrain, a single trim level and only a smattering of options, so if you find yourself getting flustered by the amount of choice on some modern cars, it’ll be a refreshing change. Our test car is in Grand White, the only free colour choice, while all the others cost an extra £650. You can also get side steps, towbars, a dog guard and protective mats for the interior, but that’s about it. Even if you tick every available option box, you’ll struggle to raise the price over the £40,000 mark.

My first impressions are that it doesn’t look bad or seem obviously cheap and cheerful in terms of its fit and finish. There are hints of Kia Sorento about the front end, and Range Rover Sport at the rear, with KGM adopting a traditionally boxy SUV design. The handle-like attachments on the bonnet are a strange addition, but the diamond-cut alloy wheels are fetching – although at 20 inches, they look a little small against the bulky body. 

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Things get even better inside, where the car’s size gives the KGM a major advantage in terms of interior space. It’s particularly noticeable in the back seats – which I find offer plenty of head and legroom, even at six-feet tall – and in its vast 668-litre boot. 

What was less expected is the quality of the interior. The Actyon genuinely holds its own next to mainstream rivals in terms of sturdiness, materials and design. When you sit in the driver’s seat, on the leather and suede seats, and look out across the neatly stitched dash with its 12.3-inch central touchscreen and digital driver’s display, you aren’t instantly reminded that you’ve saved £3,000 over an equivalent Kia. 

The infotainment system gives the game away a little, though. You often have to prod the screen more than once to make inputs and although it has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, they aren’t wireless. 

There’s a fixed panel for the heating and ventilation controls, so they’re always within reach, but I find the areas you have to push a bit fiddly and too small to use while you’re driving. There’s loads of storage, though, including wide door pockets and a big central bin, as well as powered, ventilated and heated front seats, heated rear seats, sunblinds on the back doors, 360-degree cameras and a powered tailgate. You couldn’t really expect much more in a sub-£40k family car. 

So far, then, things are looking promising for our new long-term test car, but despite this, the first few weeks with the KGM haven’t all been sweetness and light. Our biggest concern is its performance. It uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine with 161bhp that’s used to drive the front wheels, and it highlights how spoiled we’ve become by the punchy acceleration of EVs in today’s market. The 10.8-second 0-62mph sprint feels pretty slow and you often find yourself having to work the engine quite hard to get out of junctions or up hills, at which point it can sound harsh. There’s also a tendency towards  wheelspin on greasy roads with the steering set to anything other than straight ahead. 

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It’s early days, but there’s a wide variation in the fuel economy we get from the Actyon, too. Although as much as 40mpg is possible on the motorway, around town it struggles to get out of the mid-twenties. Officially, it should do 33.1mpg combined, which feels about right as an average, but higher engine revs have a big impact on fuel efficiency. 

But probably the biggest drawback, so far, is the ride quality, which is choppy to say the least. On urban roads, with the usual assault course of drain covers and potholes, the Actyon isn’t as comfortable as others in its class, although matters improve on smoother surfaces. On the open road you also have to get used to the bleeping from the lane-departure warning system, together with its regular tugs on the steering wheel. Happily, you can turn these driver aids off through a sub-menu on the infotainment system and there’s a ‘favourites’ shortcut on the chunky hexagonal steering wheel as well. 

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.