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- A million torments: why the Korean crossover turned out to be more expensive than the Chinese one
A million torments: why the Korean crossover turned out to be more expensive than the Chinese one
The length of these cars matches up to a millimeter, and the style of both is fiercely off-road. At the same time, the price difference is more than a million. The fact is that the KGM Torres crossover is made in South Korea, and the Jetour T1 crossover is made in China. Is it worth paying too much for "Korean quality", Izvestia found out.
KGM Torres vs Jetour T1: Off-road Style
KGM Torres is the most unusual—looking model of the KGM brand, the former SsangYong, which returned to the Russian market in early 2025. The eccentric approach to design once brought some problems to the South Korean brand, but risky experiments continue. Introduced in 2022, the Torres is a bizarre mix of Jeep and flying saucer styling. The wide pillars behind the rear doors are additionally highlighted in silver and look like the stabilizers of an outlandish aircraft. The squat car is lavishly decorated with off—road paraphernalia - a bright red towing eye lid, handrails on the hood and an imitation spare tire trunk on the tailgate. In this case, the trunk door does not open sideways, off-road, but upwards.
The Jetour T1 and KGM Torres are available in six body colors. In addition to black, white, and silver, shades of blue, green, and gold/sand are available.
The Jetour T1 is a more recent model, it was introduced in China in mid-2024, and Russian sales began in the fall of 2025. It continues the off-road styling, beating the Land Rover Defender design started by the T2 model. T1 is slightly smaller than T2 with the same wheelbase, its trunk is more spacious and there is more legroom in the second row. It is positioned as a more urban model, so there are fewer pseudo—road decorations — like fake plastic bolts, handles and eyelets - and the luggage door is devoid of a spare tire and rises like a passenger car. At the same time, the geometric patency of T1 is even better than that of T2.
KGM Torres vs Jetour T1: dimensions and interior
The magic power of design: The Jetour T1 seems small until you enter a narrow courtyard filled with cars. The KGM Torres, on the contrary, visually gives the impression of a large and massive car that is "wider across itself". With the same length of 4,705 mm, both crossovers belong to the mid-size segment. The T1 is taller and wider than the Torres, and its wheelbase is 12 cm larger. Inside, the Jetour feels more cramped due to the bulging door cards and plump "furniture". The austere and angular interior of the KGM gives the impression of being more spacious, but measuring with a tape measure shows a different picture. The Torres is inferior in the width of the cabin, there is as much space in the legs of the second-row passengers, and due to the lower seating position on the back sofa, it has more overhead space. The trunk of the Torres is roomier and deeper.
Torres is rough, both on the outside and inside. Plastic copper linings look cheap, and the abundance of sharp corners and hard parts does not make the interior cozy. However, he has a comfortable armchair with leather upholstery and a cushion of normal length, which is also adjustable in inclination. The Jetour is more comfortable inside, and overall its interior looks more expensive, although there is plenty of hard plastic. The driver's seat boasts height adjustment of the lumbar support, but the range of adjustments is smaller. The pillow is of normal length, but the tilt is not adjustable, it is installed too high and upholstered with slippery dermatin. After the Torres, the landing seems less convenient. But the front passenger has a pull-out footrest that allows you to recline.
KGM Torres vs Jetour T1: ergonomics and options
The unexpectedly large steering wheel of the Torres is nevertheless more comfortable and familiar than the angular, flattened steering wheel of the Jetura. At the same time, the KGM's "physical" keys are mainly focused on the steering wheel, and almost all functions, including driving modes, are controlled via a touchscreen with fairly primitive graphics. Under the large colorful Jetura display, there is a block of "physical" keys for controlling climate control. Different temperatures can only be set via the touchscreen, and the climate here, like in Torres, is two-zone. Driving modes are switched by a large "washer". To adjust the mirrors in T1, you need to go to the multimedia system menu, and the Torres has a separate "physical" unit.
The Torres multimedia system has a very high-quality sound and confidently connects to smartphones. The T1 made an error when trying to connect Android Auto and is probably inferior in sound quality, despite the fact that it has speakers with the Sony logo.
A unique feature of KGM is the "cape" located between the seats, which houses the transmission selector and a recess for a mobile phone with a hole for a charging wire. There is also vertical wireless charging, from which the smartphone will definitely not fall out. The Jetura has a traditional "floating" center console with a niche under it and a recessed pad for smartphones with charging. Various niches, shelves and deep pockets offer both crossovers, in addition, the Torres is equipped with tablet holders for second-row passengers, which, in truth, do not fix gadgets very well.
Dimensions of KGM Torres: 4705×1890×1720 mm. Wheelbase — 2680 mm
Unlike the T1, the Torres windshield is not equipped with electrical filaments, but the airflow warms it up quite quickly. Powerful brushes easily brush away snow, whereas in Jetura they constantly freeze and leave streaks on the glass.
KGM Torres vs Jetour T1: How they are on the move
Under the hood of the KGM Torres is a one—and-a-half-liter turbo engine with 163 hp combined with a six-speed automatic, while the Jetour T1 comes with a more powerful two-liter turbo engine (245 hp and 375 Nm). The passport acceleration difference is more than two seconds, the subjective difference is less. The Torres engine pulls more actively from the bottom, and the "automatic" changes gears quickly, while the T1 motor–transmission bundle "blunts" and responds to pressing the accelerator with pauses. Sports mode is not able to radically change the situation. In addition, the Jetour T1 is heavier than its competitor.
Dimensions of the Jetour T1: 4705×1967×1843 mm. Wheelbase — 2800 mm
According to the flight computer, KGM consumes about 11 liters per "hundred", Jetour — a liter more. Despite the lower number of gears, the KGM is quite comfortable at high speed — at 130 km/ h, the engine reaches the same 2,500 rpm as on the T1. The Torres is also less noisy compared to the T1, in which aerodynamic noise is added to the hum of the tires and the hum of the engine at speed.
The dense suspensions of both cars mark the joints and speed bumps, but at the same time they have a good energy consumption. Reactions to the steering wheel of the Torres are sharp, and the rolls in turns are confident, the force on the T1 steering wheel is artificial, and the reactions are mild. The Jetura's brake pedal, on the contrary, is more sensitive.
The claimed acceleration to "hundreds" of KGM Torres is 10.9 seconds, the maximum speed is 191 km/h.
Surprisingly, the KGM, while equipped with an electronic assistant system, is not equipped with adaptive cruise control. Jetura has it, but it doesn't work very efficiently.
The KGM is front-wheel drive by default, and the rear axle connects automatically if necessary and sometimes lags. The only off-road mode, 4WD Lock, locks the clutch up to a certain speed and gives more torque to the rear wheels. Torres drives recklessly through the freshly fallen snow, passing through the turns in a slide. It's easy to drive sideways — the stabilization system practically does not interfere with the process, traction can be dosed very precisely.
The dried—up average consumption is 9.1 liters per 100 km, the tank volume is 50 liters
A beautiful animation on the Jetour T1 display shows that both locks are locked at startup. The rear axle is connected a lot and often, but in general the car is configured more safely and in order to slip, it is necessary to turn off the stabilization system. However, he still does not "sweep his tail" as willingly as Torres.
KGM Torres vs Jetour T1: Off-road
In the virgin snow, it is necessary to turn off the stabilization system already at the Torres. Jetour rides off-road more confidently thanks to a set of off-road modes.
The Jetour T1's passport acceleration to 100 km/h is 8.6 seconds, and the maximum speed is 190 km/h.
Both cars are able to move through deep snow without a hint of overheating of the clutch, however, the T1 engine speed began to "walk" after the "snow baths". The Torres came out of the test well done, but it is inferior to the Jetur in terms of maneuverability: the geometry is worse, the suspension moves are smaller, and the electronics do not slow down the suspended wheels very confidently.
KGM Torres vs Jetour T1: options and prices
The Jetour T1 is available in Russia only with all-wheel drive, a classic automatic transmission and a two-liter engine. The price without discounts starts from 3.77 million rubles. The second one, which is also top-end, will cost almost 4 million rubles.
The stated average consumption is 9.7 liters per 100 km. The tank capacity is 70 liters.
The difference is in the lack of ventilation of the seats, the extendable ottoman of the passenger seat and the front parking sensors. The audio system is simpler, and the all-wheel drive system lacks an inter-wheel rear lock, there is no complex of electronic assistants and adaptive cruise control.
The nominal clearance of the KGM Torres is 195 mm. The angle of entry is 18.2 degrees, the angle of exit is 21.7 degrees
The Torres is significantly more expensive: the most affordable front—wheel drive version costs 4.2 million rubles without discounts, the most affordable all—wheel drive version costs 4.9 million rubles, and the Icon AWD version, which was tested by Izvestia, costs 5.33 million rubles. The difference between these trim levels is the presence of electronic assistants, a knee airbag, double front windows and atmospheric interior lighting. The seats in both cases are upholstered in genuine leather. However, there is also the most expensive top version of the Icon AWD Brown (5.43 million rubles), the main difference of which is the seats upholstered in a combination of eco-leather and brown fabric, and the front passenger seat is devoid of electrical adjustments. Even KGM's approach to creating a list of options is at least eccentric.
The claimed ground clearance of the Jetour T1 is 190 mm. The angles of the entrance and exit are 28 degrees
The eccentricity of the Korean manufacturer is no better than the specific Chinese approach to a set of options and ergonomics.The technical complexity of the Jetour T1 does not give a significant advantage over the Torres with its not very modern units and electronics. The serious price difference does not seem justified: the cars are similar in performance. To overpay for a Korean car, you have to be clearly prejudiced against your Chinese counterparts. The obvious advantages of crossovers include a bright off-road style, practicality and the presence of classic "automata".
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