KGM Torres vs Subaru Forester

What's the difference?

Sales figures show Australian buyers are moving away from pure internal combustion engine power for their family cars. Instead they’re looking for hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric models.

While a number of brands - mostly newer manufacturers from China - are going down the plug-in hybrid route, others are focusing on regular or 'plugless' hybrids. Think models like the GWM Haval H6, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, MG HS and Toyota RAV4.

KGM (formerly SsangYong) is also headed down this path and the first hybrid model from the Korean carmaker is the Torres.

The Torres is a mid-sized five-seat SUV with unusual, rugged looks, but it hasn’t had an impact on the sales charts as yet. This hybrid version could change that. It’s affordable, spacious and offers a serious point of difference from its compatriots, as well as rivals from China and Japan.

But is it as good as those popular rivals?

The sixth-generation of Subaru’s Forester has landed and while the new hybrid versions constitute the biggest news of this batch, the petrol-only variants should not be ignored.

The five-seat mid-size SUV has a 2.5-litre four-cylinder 'boxer' engine, Subaru’s well-regarded 'symmetrical all-wheel drive' system and some new changes inside and out.

So, does the top-spec Touring offer the best value-for-money in the petrol Forester line-up?

Read on.