2026 KGM Actyon K50 review

KGM has finally completed its prolonged rebrand in Australia, first transitioning from Ssangyong, then to KGM Ssangyong, and now it’s simply known as KGM. The first model to make its debut under the new brand banner is the Actyon.

The KGM Actyon revives an old nameplate, one that arguably introduced the coupe-style SUV trend roughly 20 years ago, and reimagines what a swoopy-designed version of the related Torres looks like in 2025.

These days, the Actyon competes against lofty rivals such as the Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage, Chery Tiggo 7, and Hyundai Tucson. Under the skin, its power is drawn from the same engine as is used in the Torres.

The KGM Actyon is impressively equipped from the base level (of two model grades total), but is it enough to sway buyers from preestablished options in the medium-size SUV market?

I slid behind the wheel to find out.

The KGM Actyon comes in two model grades named Actyon K50 and Actyon K60. They’re both available with drive-away pricing, which is a nice point of difference compared to other models out on the new-car market.

The entry-level Actyon K50 we had on test costs $47,000 drive-away, with no available add-on options to the buyer, whereas the up-spec Actyon K60 costs a neat $50,000 drive-away.

A big point of comparison is to KGM’s own Torres. It’s priced from $38,000 drive-away for the base-specification KGM Torres ELX, then $43,000 for the mid-grade Torres Adventure, and $47,000 for the flagship Torres Ultimate specification.

Reasons why you’d step up to the top-spec Actyon K60 include the sun blinds in the second row, wireless smartphone charger, 360-degree camera, and panoramic sunroof. However, that’s the extent of what the extra $3000 gets you.

Otherwise, both are powered by a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine with 120kW/280Nm, both feature a six-speed automatic transmission, and both feature niceties such as 20-inch wheels, power tailgate, an electric park brake, heated seats, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity, and dual-zone climate control.

It is a high-spec car based on the spec sheet – but they are not among the cheapest options in the segment.

There are far more affordable models on the market, such as the similar-style GWM Haval H6 GT ($40,990 drive-away), or the Jaecoo J7 (from $34,990 drive-away).

Meanwhile, more conventional rivals include the Nissan X-Trail (from $36,990 plus on-road costs), Mazda CX-5 (from $36,740 plus ORCs), and Honda CR-V ($41,900 drive-away).

The KGM Actyon is brand new to market, so deals on current stock may be hard to come by. Even still, you can browse KGM models for sale on Drive Marketplace. You can also view examples of its competitors.

Find your nearest KGM dealer using this link here. It's important that you see the model in the flesh before making any big buying decisions.

There’s a lot to like about the interior of the KGM Actyon, even in its base form. There’s no shortage of equipment and niceties to make you feel comfortable, while it’s also pretty roomy.

This is helped by the fact that it gets an open-style centre console arrangement with a lower tray for large items – such as a handbag – plus a flyover section for the cupholders and the lidded centre console bin.

There’s even some design flair by way of a crystal-like gear selector switch (very BMW), fake woodgrain-like dash inlays, ambient lighting through the dash and door panels, plus some swanky red stitching that looks pinched from the premium end of the market.

Storage amounts to a pair of cupholders, a glove box, door panel slots for drink bottles, and a phone slot beneath the dashboard. However, this specification misses out on a wireless phone charger – that’s reserved for the K60.

There are two USB-C ports and a singular 12-volt outlet.

Overall, the front cabin is spacious and presents well.

On the downside, although most panels are covered in soft-touch material, the centre console was surprisingly hard and plasticky, as were the door grab handles.

Even the steering wheel, although it’s covered in a leatherette material, feels particularly hard and doesn’t have much of a plush feeling.

Price-wise, this is competing with some strong competition, so it’s a shame to see the interior quality doesn’t match up.

Seat comfort was fair, and I was impressed by the standard heating and ventilation.

The Actyon misses out on auto-down windows for the second row, disappointingly.

The second row is comfortable for someone of my 194cm height (6ft 4in). There was enough head room and leg room despite the sloping rear roof line in the name of style, and the seat base was plush under my bum.

The front seats have some tablet stands to BYO entertainment, while the passenger seat can be controlled using buttons on the side (as you’d see in a Hyundai, for example).

There were two steps of recline to the second-row seat back, but the seat base didn’t slide on rails.

Other amenities included the air vents, USB power ports, fold-down centre armrest, and second-row seat heating.

Boot space in the Actyon K50 amounts to 668 litres, according to the brand, and this can be extended up to 1440L in total with the rear row folded flat.

There is a space-saver spare wheel under the boot floor, plus handy slots behind the wheel wells to stow smaller items. The boot is power operated, even in the base variant. 

Dual 12.3-inch screens run KGM’s infotainment software – one in front of the driver and one in the middle handling the lion’s share of the technology. Interestingly, it takes some time for the system to boot up after starting the car.

During other times, the system can be slower than expected to respond to touch inputs. But the overall experience is largely decent – if not a standout in the segment.

Annoyingly, all the air-conditioning controls are placed within the digital infrastructure, but KGM has made it easy to adjust things on the fly thanks to a sidebar climate-control display that takes up the right corner of the screen.

The design is basic with a simple home screen and a dedicated app menu, and while it doesn’t come with digital radio or native satellite navigation, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available through one of the USB-C ports.

Annoyingly, I couldn’t find a volume slider anywhere in the car apart from the steering wheel button. After investigating the infotainment system, I found you can pull down a menu from the home screen that houses a touch slider.

The digital driver’s screen shows critical driving information such as speed, rev-counting, and fuel level, plus trip data and fuel economy information. There are no different displays or gauges that you can cycle between.

There is currently no smartphone application that can wirelessly connect to the car to monitor bits and pieces like fuel level, air conditioning, or service status.

There is no current rating for the KGM Actyon, nor its Torres mid-size SUV counterpart.

Eight airbags cover the KGM Actyon’s passive safety measures, but the active systems go deeper in preventing injury in accidents. These include autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-change and lane-keep assists, and blind-spot monitoring.

One area in which the Actyon improves upon the Torres (at least in the entry-level variants) is the addition of adaptive cruise control, rather than the regular type. It works well for the most part, but the lane-centring assist too often grabbed at the steering wheel despite the car being within lane markings.

I came across no other undue interruptions from the Actyon’s safety systems. I do like the fact that the driver can change the sensitivity of certain safety items.

KGM’s Australian warranty lasts for seven years with an unlimited-kilometre distance limit. This is impressive for the mainstream SUV segment in Australia, bettering plans offered by Subaru, BYD, Toyota, and Honda.

This is matched with a seven-year capped-price service plan.

Service prices alternate between $338 and $442 each visit. Three years’ maintenance runs to $1118 and five services costs $1898. On top of those service costs, KGM also has separate schedules (and additional costs) for brake fluid and filters (every two years), and spark plugs (four years/60,000km), which may push servicing costs higher.

The brand offers five years of roadside assistance too.

This compares against the Honda CR-V, which costs $995 over five visits, or the GWM Haval H6 Ultra Hybrid, which costs $1650 over five visits.

Comprehensive insurance for the KGM Actyon K50 runs to around $1710 per annum, based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW.

Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

KGM claims the Actyon consumes fuel at a rate of 7.6 litres per 100 kilometres. Annoyingly, the turbocharged engine will only accept a minimum of 95-octane premium unleaded. This is a common occurrence for premium models from brands like BMW, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz, but is less common for mainstream cars.

Much of my time in the car was spent running the Actyon through my daily commute, and while the car does come with start/stop technology (with a switch to turn the system off within the infotainment), I could only manage 11.6L/100km.

This high-level consumption number is behind the competition. For example, a recent garage road test of a Kia Sportage netted an 8.2L/100km result, while another road test of the Jaecoo J7 achieved 8.2L/100km.

Beneath the Actyon’s bonnet lies the same 120kW/280Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine that’s found under its more conventional-styled Torres twin.

In this application, it performs in much the same way. While not an outright powerhouse (there are several more powerful alternatives), the Actyon manages enough outputs to ensure swift acceleration away from a standstill.

It’s less motivated by a sudden request for full power, as the six-speed automatic transmission lacks swift decisiveness, but it’s far better controlled with smoother inputs.

The Actyon does come with a tricky throttle that is difficult to modulate – for example, if you only need a small amount of power, the car can surge forward faster than you’d expect. However, this phenomenon is easy enough to accommodate once you become familiar with the car.

Annoyingly, the gear selector must be prodded twice to slot it between drive and reverse (or pressed and held for a few seconds), which doesn’t help when you’re quickly trying to execute a three-point turn.

The start/stop system takes a long time to restart the engine after letting off the brake pedal, and it’s a shame there’s no dedicated button to switch the system off. You'll have to do this from within the infotainment system.

The steering is light, largely devoid of feel, and the system is slow, meaning you’ll likely have to apply more lock than you’d expect for turns. I experienced a surprising amount of wheelspin during my rainy time with the car too, which is interesting given the reputable Michelin Primacy tyres it ran on.

In my time with the car, I didn’t experience much tyre or wind noise, but the firmness of some interior panels (such as the door pulls or centre console) means they can sometimes creak as you go over bumps.

Speaking of bumps, the Actyon’s ride comfort is a two-sided story. It’s very capable of absorbing large impacts like speed humps, but it’s a poor experience over the minor stuff. This means small imperfections such as road joins, tram tracks, potholes, and drain covers are felt with a brittle effect.

It’s a shame that the car is so tightly sprung in this regard, because the handling quality isn’t anything to write home about either. It’s not unwieldy, but it’s clear that KGM places style over substance in creating this ‘coupe’ SUV.

According to KGM, the Actyon can tow up to 1500kg using a braked trailer or up to 750kg without.

This is fair for the segment, but the Actyon doesn’t feel like a particularly handy tow rig. Buy something else if you’ve got towing in mind.

KGM does its best work with its more work-hardy products such as the Rexton and Musso. These two models are genuine challengers to segment highlights such as the Toyota HiLux and Mitsubishi Triton.

These two cars offer an alluring value-for-money equation and punch hard on aftersales care and inclusions. A strong seven-year warranty and capped-price servicing program are nothing to be sniffed at.

Which, granted, the Actyon benefits from too. But, others offer similar levels of post-purchase care in the medium SUV space.

The passenger car market, specifically for medium SUVs, is full of brilliant products. It makes the Actyon’s deal far harder to appreciate, especially with a swathe of enticing options, such as the GWM Haval H6, offering better value for money and better economy. Even KGM's own Torres shapes up far more enticing on pure value-for-money alone.

The Actyon does come with a unique sense of style, and I do appreciate that it’s very well equipped from the Actyon K50 entry level. But, other parts, such as the lack of auto-down windows for the second row, a control-heavy infotainment system, and the missing satellite navigation and wireless smartphone mirroring seem a misstep given its price point.

In that, I expected a little bit more out of the Actyon K50 given its $47,000 drive-away price.

Tom started out in the automotive industry by exploiting his photographic skills but quickly learned journalists got the better end of the deal. With tenures at CarAdvice, Wheels Media, and now Drive, Tom's breadth of experience and industry knowledge informs a strong opinion on all things automotive. At Drive, Tom covers automotive news, car reviews, advice, and holds a special interest in long-form feature stories.

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