Kgm Actyon vs Subaru Levorg

What's the difference?

Is all of the above enough to spur you into Actyon? It should be, or at least make your medium-SUV shortlist.

Bold styling, keen pricing, an inviting cabin, loads of space and an involving driving experience make the new KGM everything we wanted from but never really got from the old SsangYong.

A bit more torque, a little less thirst and a softer ride would make a surprisingly good family-friendly medium SUV a real crowd pleaser.

We’re looking forward to what else KGM has coming in the future.

The Levorg STI Sport is a niche car that flies so close to true greatness. It’s a bucket load of fun… but not fun enough for the true enthusiast. A practicality, equipment and safety hero… but too brutal to be cross-shopped with an SUV… It’s an awesome car that’s just too narrow in its appeal to find a large audience. One thing is for sure – it will be interesting to see what Subaru does next with the Levorg badge.

KGM currently sells no fewer than three medium-sized SUVs of roughly similar dimensions.

There’s the more-compact Korando (which arrived in 2020), the bigger and boxier Torres (released in 2024) and, of course, the new Actyon. While all sit on variations of the same monocoque-bodied platform, the newcomer benefits from additional development (and funds) under KGM ownership.

Not obvious unless viewed together, the Actyon is designed to be a sportier and more coupe-like take on the Torres, and is slightly lower at 1680mm as a result. But it’s also a bit longer at 4740mm and wider at 1920mm wide. Both share the same 2680mm wheelbase.

This may seem an extravagant niche for KGM to pursue, but it claims the original SsangYong Actyon (unveiled in 2005) beat the admittedly far-more influential BMW X6 by about three years, to become the world’s first productionised coupe-style SUV.

Whatever, today’s Actyon is a sleeker and perhaps prettier design than the Torres, with obvious Range Rover (Evoque, Velar) homages throughout, particularly when it comes to the lighting elements.

According to KGM, the grille’s lighting design is inspired by the four symbols found on the South Korean flag, representing heaven, earth, water and fire.

A nod to SsangYong’s reputation for tough, rugged vehicles are the controversial bonnet-mounted ‘handles’, a decent ground clearance rating of 206mm, squared-off wheel arches, unusually-wide C-pillars and clear Jeep Grand Cherokee overtones in the tail-light and other rear-end treatments.

What should be a visual mess seems to meld together cohesively regardless of influence, making the Actyon a distinctive, handsomely-offbeat design.

I love the Levorg’s design. It’s slick, low and mean, and also unmistakably Subaru. It also plants itself right next to the WRX in the brand’s stable with that utterly ridiculous and unnecessary bonnet scoop, which does actually lead to a massive intercooler and thus is at least, functional.

The entire front of this car borrows so much from the boy-racer camp it’s just exciting to look at and, like any hot wagon should be, it’s party in the front and business in the back, with a paired-back rear end and side profile which says it’s ready for the family haul during the week.

The only giveaways from the rear are the chunky dual exhaust pipes and the almost aftermarket-style alloys which in our test car’s case were body-coloured.

Just like its WRX sedan brother though, the Levorg’s exterior design does lag a little behind the brand’s all-new Impreza and Forester ranges with it’s last-gen fittings exposing it’s last-gen underpinnings (rumor has it a new Levorg is on the horizon…).

The Levorg’s interior is as plush as it is chunky, with nice soft leather-trimmed bits placed along the doorcards and transmission column, as well as on the thick, purposeful steering wheel. Again, pundits who have helmed a WRX in the last few years will be familiar with all the fittings in here.

There’s little to give away the fact that the Levorg is older than the rest of Subaru’s range, it’s a modern dash design. It also suffers from Subaru’s obsession with screens as you have a TFT screen in the dash cluster, a information display in the binnacle atop the dashboard and a 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen embedded in the centre stack. It’s just too much information from too many angles.

I will say I love the design of the analog instrument cluster, with its red highlights and the multimedia screen is definitely one of the better ones, with an easy-to-use interface and flawless phone mirroring (for Apple CarPlay at least).

It’s a symmetrical, cosy and aesthetically pleasing place to be.

Inside is where the Actyon really gets into its groove, as an impressive, thoughtfully engineered family-sized SUV.

Big doors open up nice and wide, revealing a welcoming interior, with a sense of space and airiness, aided by deep windows, large mirrors, a lofty driving position and – in our top-spec K60 test vehicle – the vast glassy sunroof above.

The sporty front seats look and feel fab, fit like a glove and offer plenty of adjustability for a broad range of backs and bottoms alike.

A chunky square-ish steering wheel is good to grip, and, along with the instrumentation’s distinctively angular graphics, gives off lots of BMW vibes.

In fact, it is clear that KGM has been inspired by its latest round of up-spec Kia, Hyundai and even Genesis compatriots when it comes to the Actyon’s fit, finish and presentation. There seems to be no concessions of quality or ambience in order to maintain the Actyon’s keen pricing, and that’s remarkable.

Especially as most things work so well.

Let’s take the 12.3-inch central display. No physical buttons are present, unfortunately, and that’s probably partly due to the modern, clean, horizontal look that today’s designs seem to adopt wholesale.

However, the difference here is that it does not quite suffer the same pitfalls as normal software-based, electronics-heavy set-ups.

Along the left side of the main screen border is a row of permanent fast keys for home, media and climate. Up the top of it is a tab for a temporary menu for fast access to driving modes, stop/start on/off, traction control, camera views, vehicle settings and general settings. While down the right-hand side of the screen border and close to the driver for easy access is a swipe-left tab for a detailed computerised climate-control display. This takes up one-third of screen real estate.

Sounds complicated but it is actually disarmingly intuitive. You're still prodding and swiping screens, and that’s always a potentially-dangerous distraction. But at least nothing is more than a double action away. And almost all functions are also accessible in a dedicated widget home screen. Handy.

Helpfully, KGM also provides a big, physical button on the steering wheel as a ‘favourites’ fast-key to whatever you use most. We set ours for direct drive mode access.

Meanwhile, all of the Actyon’s other main cabin functions, including the climate control, endless storage, twin USB-C ports, varying interior lighting and audio sound of adequate quality, operate without complaint.

Now, while the upper-level materials seem premium, cold and hard lower plastics beg to differ, yet they neither look nor smell cheap, so that’s a win.

But all these favourable first impressions don’t mean there isn’t any room for fixes in this South Korean family truckster.

At the very top of that list should be turfing out the very, very fiddly drive selector. Imitating Volvo’s infinitely more-effective toggle functionality, it needs two, three and even four stabs at selecting Drive or Reverse before engaging. This is a form of torture.

Running close behind is a multimedia system that needs at least 20 seconds to boot up on initial start-up. Not every time, just after a period of inactivity. Painfully slow, it’s also a hazard as the reversing camera won’t operate during this time! Fail.

Other annoyances include the lack of digital radio and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, meaning you’ll need a cord to access both via your smartphone. And finally, that C-pillar is a massive blind spot.

Meanwhile, out back, all the expected (but not always available in others) amenities are present, like air vents, twin USB-C ports, overhead grab handles, reading lights, coat hooks, a folding armrest with cupholders and an abundance of storage.

But there is also a shocking number of surprise and delight features, including electric front passenger seat adjustment – for slide and recline, adjustable backrest angles, outboard seat heaters, side window blinds, tablet holders incorporated into the back of the front headrests, shallow pockets for smartphone storage set within the larger map pockets, huge door pockets that can hold a 1.5-litre bottle and a back-row speaker-mute function for weary rear-seat travellers needing peace.

When parked, there’s enough space with the backrests dropped for a 180cm person to sleep flat on their back, highlighting the 1440 litres of cargo capacity, or an impressive 668L with all five seats up.

The only note here is that there is no luggage cover to hide valuables (or snooze underneath). Lucky the glass is all heavily tinted. Beneath the floor is a space-saver spare wheel, thankfully.

Overall, then, the Actyon’s cabin is a cavernous, classy and well-equipped affair.

Why buy a wagon? Well, for a start, you’ll be getting generally much better boot space than a hatchback or a small SUV (with the handling appeal of a car), but I’m willing to bet if you’ve read this far, you already knew that.

The Levorg’s boot, for example, offers up 489-litres (VDA) with the second row up or 1413L with the seats down. For a bit of perspective, that’s a good 47-litres more (with the seats up) than a mid-size Mazda CX-5.

It’s a big, flat practical space, too with tie-down hooks, and under the boot floor, there is a space-saver spare wheel.

Moving to the second row, passengers will get decent, but not stellar rear legroom as well as good headroom, but where the Levorg shines is the sculpted rear outboard seats which are comfortable to sit in.

The door trims continue the soft-touch surfaces, and have a single 500ml-sized bottle holder on each side.

The middle passenger sadly loses out on legroom due to the large raised tunnel for AWD running gear underneath, and there are no vents, with rear passenger amenities limited to dual USB power outlets and a drop-down centre armrest.

Front occupants score 500ml bottle holders in each door card, a big glove box, a decently-sized centre console box, dual-cupholders in the transmission tunnel and a huge binnacle under the climate controls, where a 12-volt, dual USB and AUX ports exist.

Visibility out of the Levorg is excellent thanks to big rear vision mirrors, a deceptively tall windscreen and the naturally wide aperture of a wagon rear window.

Ergonomics are pretty good for front passengers too, with sporty, supportive seats and dial controls in all the right places (fan speed, temperature, volume, and tuning).

What you will miss out on over Subaru’s SUV range is the easy entry and exit that comes with a taller ride height. You’ll really need to drop yourself into the Levorg’s low-set seats.

The Levorg is expensive. This is not the kind of wagon you’ll be cross-shopping with your value-spec Impreza hatch for example.

We’re talking $52,440 for the top-spec car as tested here. You can get a seriously good mid-size SUV for that money.

A risk of building such a niche vehicle perhaps, and to be fair, it’s not one that Subaru is targeting volume with.

A sad state of affairs for the small wagon playing field, the list of Levorg competitors in this size bracket is seemingly limited to the Skoda Octavia RS 245 ($49,990), Mazda6 Atenza wagon ($51,190), or perhaps the Peugeot 308 Allure Touring ($27,990).

The Levorg’s natural advantage here is that it’s shares its underpinnings with the performance focused WRX (to go with the look), and so is unique among its wagon competitors.

Do you at least get good spec for your money? Well let’s see – you’ll get great kit from the base Levorg up, with our STI scoring 18-inch alloy wheels (with a WRX-esque design), full LED automatic and steering responsive front lighting, dual-zone climate control, an electric sunroof, a 7.0-inch multimedia touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, as well as built-in nav and DAB+ digital radio, leather interior trim with sports seats, heated front seats and an eight-way power adjustable driver’s seat with memory function, and keyless entry with push-start.

The STI differentiates itself from the 1.6-litre Premium variant by way of a body kit including stamped exhausts and highlight trims, as well as a re-tuned set of coil springs in the suspension.

It’s a lot of gear, and it’s all standard, taking the fight to competitors even without the fact that every Levorg also has all-wheel drive with torque vectoring and Subaru’s comprehensive 'EyeSight' safety suite which you can read more about in the safety section of this review.

So, the Levorg is pricey when stacked up against an SUV, sure, but when stacked up against wagon rivals, is actually impressively equipped.

A familiar unit if you’re an existing Korando or Torres driver, the Actyon uses a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, direct-injection, turbo-petrol engine.

Delivering 120kW of power at 5400rpm and 280Nm of torque between 1500-4000rpm, it drives the front wheels only at this stage via a six-speed torque-converter auto supplied by Toyota-owned Aisin.

With a power-to-weight ratio of nearly 73kW per tonne, it falls behind the larger-capacity 2.5-litre non-turbo alternatives as found in the Mazda CX-5, but matches rival 2.0-litre non-turbo units as used in the Sportage and Tucson.

A trio of driving modes are offered – 'Normal', 'Sport' and 'Winter' (to control traction in slippery conditions) – while a handy pair of paddle shifters allow for some manual-ratio manipulation, though it will still change up automatically rather than bounce on the rev-limiter.

The KGM also follows class convention in its double wishbone front and multi-link independent rear-suspension set-up, though it boasts higher-than-usual ground clearances for a front-drive medium-SUV that’s resolutely not an off-roader.

Towing capacity is rated at 1500kg with a braked trailer and 750kg unbraked.

This section starts out sounding actually very good. Powering the two most expensive Levorg spec levels is a 2.0-litre turbo boxer engine, producing a strong-sounding 197kW/350Nm, power outputs that once would have been in V6 territory.

Where the enthusiast audience is let down though is the rather pedestrian continuously variable transmission (CVT) auto which the engine is mated to.

There’s no option of a manual here, nor is there a more performance-oriented dual-clutch, even in our top-spec car.

All Levorgs use Subaru’s own all-wheel drive system which includes torque vectoring on 2.0-litre variants.

Without even mild-hybrid-style electrification to help improve efficiency, how does the Actyon perform when it comes to fuel economy?

The official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) average consumption figure is 7.6L/100km with a CO2 emissions rating of 174g/km.

Which might not seem too bad, but remember this one likes to sip from the 95 RON premium petrol bowser. Filling the 50-litre tank should result in about 655km of range, on average.

So much for the theory. During our time with the Actyon, we recorded a disappointing 10.3L/100km – though it’s worth keeping in mind this included performance testing which tends to drain the tank a bit harder.

An unfortunate side-effect of the Levorg’s slightly older 2.0-litre engine architecture is a minimum fuel requirement of mid-grade 95 RON unleaded to fill its 60-litre tank.

The Levorg STI’s claimed/combined fuel figure comes in at a not-low 8.7L/100km, against which we scored 9.6L/100km blasting around back-country roads in the Kosciuszko National Park for several days.

It’s a high fuel use figure, but at least a semi-realistic one given the type of driving we were doing. Again, with a more enthusiast audience, a few extra litres here and there won’t shake potential buyers, but there is better to be had elsewhere from lower-capacity engines.

Okay, this the best-driving KGM ever. No shocks there, as this is the first model under the company’s new stewardship.

But it’s also the best SsangYong ever. Faint praise maybe, considering how off-road-biased and workhorse-like so many models were/still are, yet the Actyon can hold its head up high in more-sophisticated circles.

Not that pressing the starter button reveals that straight away.

With a dinky capacity and hefty, circa-1650kg mass to overcome, the 120kW/280Nm 1.5-litre turbo four needs plenty of revs to get going, meaning there’s a moment of initial lag before the speed starts piling on. Not great if you’re in a hurry. And it's pretty vocal to boot.

Essentially, the Actyon regularly has to work harder than larger-engined alternatives to achieve the same result. A quick power-to-weight calculation tells the story: 72.8kW/tonne versus 85.6kW/tonne for the 1578kg, 135kW/245Nm 2.5-litre Nissan X-Trail.

But, once on the move, there is a decent wad of torque for spirited acceleration as well as smooth throttle responses, and enough in reserve for sufficiently quick highway overtaking. We clocked 9.7 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint.

Three driving modes are offered – Normal, Sport and Winter. Sport holds on to the ratios for a big longer, and is best suited for open-road driving.

More torque wouldn’t go astray, though, especially when the car is fully laden.

And the six-speed auto transmission, whilst smooth, can also be slow to react to downshift requests. The abrupt and clumsy stop/start system doesn’t help when moving off the line again, either.

Things improve when on the move, aided by a handy set of paddle-shifters when you’re in the mood for some manual-mode ratio manipulation, though the software does upshift if you forget.

In the wet the KGM also feels planted. And though it does not take a lot to spin the sticky Michelin-shod front wheels, it remains composed. An AWD option would probably be a welcome addition to the range. 

You’d never call the Actyon a sports SUV, but there is a keenness to the chassis tune, reflected in the strong braking and positive steering – the latter being an absolute first for a SsangYong product.

Light enough around town to be easily manoeuvrable (with help from deep windows and surround-view cameras), it weights up nicely and consistently at speed without ever feeling too heavy, and provides just enough road grip and feedback so you can confidently push on knowing what the front wheels are doing. That’s all you can ask for in a family SUV.

Plus, the advanced driver-assist safety (ADAS) tech is pretty reigned in most times, only making itself unwelcome with occasional lane-keep assist wheel-tugging and drowsy-driver alert paranoia.

Thankfully, a quick swipe up on the multimedia screen will extinguish these and others quickly. 

Now, there’s a bit of body lean if you want to make your occupants car sick through tight corners, but a bigger problem is the Actyon’s busy/bouncy ride on anything other than smooth roads.

Blame the lack of suspension travel and standard 20-inch wheels, because they do not absorb enough of the bad stuff. 

It’s worse with one person, and the ride improves with more bodies on board, but a recalibration and perhaps smaller alloys or adaptive dampers need to be on KGM’s to-do list. It’s the only dynamic blot. Our advice is to try this on your regular commute route before you buy.

Speaking of blotting things out, the Michelin tyres’ noise-reduction abilities seem to work, and impressively at times, though adding the missing rear luggage cover might be a more-effective sound barrier over Australian coarse bitumen highways.

Still, the Actyon is neither dull nor tiring to drive. And for a new brand offering a value SUV challenger proposition, that’s better than most nowadays. 

The Levorg is great fun to drive, but it still falls short of that stenciled red ‘STI’ badge that lives on its front and rear.

I’ll explain. There’s plenty of power on offer here, it’s just how you’re able to use it. When you’re as close to the ground as you are in the Levorg it should be engaging, with maximum driver input and minimum interference.

The trouble is the CVT takes that idea of control out of your hands. It’s rubbery and unnatural, and a bit dull when you’re pushing the otherwise-tightly tuned chassis around corners.

It’s a shame because everything else is so close to excellent. The steering is superb, direct and with just the right amount of weight to it, and when you’re enjoying the Kosciuszko National Park’s best B-roads you can really feel all the grip delivered by the torque vectoring all-wheel drive system. It’s a blast and very reminiscent of the WRX.

Setting the drive computer to 'Sport Sharp' mode tightens up throttle response and keeps the CVT revving harder. This is best enjoyed using the paddle-shifters to bring the revs up in corners and hold them for longer in the straights, allowing the Levorg to behave as closely to a normal auto as possible.

It’s the best way to drive it, but demands the right road. It’s also a little less fun because there’s no penalty for getting it wrong. Rev too hard or drop the 'gear' too low and the computer will simply switch the transmission back to auto mode.

The suspension is a lot of fun on a back road, but decidedly less so around town. In the case of the STI with its extra firm springs, it’s best described as brutal, crashing low and hard over road imperfections. It also allows far more sound into the cabin than in other Subaru products, with tyre roar picking up at freeway speeds or on coarse bitumen.

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed the Levorg’s drive experience more than I had even expected to, but it’s not for everyone and won’t please the die-hard enthusiast either.

The Levorg beats out most competitors, and even most mid-sizers at this price with Subaru’s awesome EyeSight safety suite, which is genuinely different from the solutions put forward by other brands.

On the active safety front, this means that you score auto emergency braking (AEB) with brake light detection and forward collision warning (FCW), lane keep assist (LKAS) with lane departure warning (LDW), blind spot monitoring (BSM), rear cross traffic alert (RCTA), and active cruise control.

Unsurprisingly on the basis of that active suite which is still one of the most comprehensive in the price bracket, let alone the class, the Levorg has carried a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating since 2016.

Expected refinements also include stability controls (with the added benefit of torque vectoring). There are also three top-tether and two ISOFIX child-seat mounting points across the rear seats.

Owners also experience the peace of mind of a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, as well five years of roadside assistance, which is better than most rivals in 2025.

Service intervals are at every 12 months or 15,000km, with alternating capped pricing of $338 or $442 per annum for the duration of those seven years.

Clearly, with such a competitive aftersales program, KGM is gunning for a firmer foothold in the most fiercely fought family SUV segment in Australia.

Subaru offers a five-year/unlimited km warranty across its entire range, which is on-par with competitors, including the Octavia and Mazda6.

Like the Skoda, Subaru also offers the ability to buy service plans in three- or five-year packages at the time of purchase, doing so includes other benefits including a free service hire vehicle and three years of roadside assist.

The 2.0-litre Levorgs, including our STI cost between $319.54 and $671.85 per six-monthly 12,500km service interval for a total cost of $4,540.92 for the life of the five-year warranty.

That breaks down to an average cost of $908.18 which is actually very expensive considering the Octavia RS costs less than half that at $340 per year, and it’s a European car.