Ssangyong Torres vs Tesla Model Y

What's the difference?

The KGM SsangYong Torres Adventure feels fresh-faced and offers competitive pricing and ongoing costs. Some of the technology could use a little tweaking but the cabin is practical and you get a fair amount of luxury features for its price tag. Value is assured and this is one to consider.

Tesla promised wholesale improvements to the Model Y, and this Juniper update delivers where it counts. But with increased, and sometimes cheaper, competition arriving every day, the pressure remains on Tesla to keep the Model Y ahead of the pack.

Despite sharing similar underpinnings to the Korando, the Torres is its own model when it comes to design.

It seems to borrow from a few different sources and there are some Kia Sportage and Land Rover Defender elements that are easy to see once you start looking closely.

It's refreshing to see such a bold and personality-rich design in this segment but there is a tendency to favour form over function.

There are handles on the bonnet which serve no purpose, a fake ‘wheel cover’ design on the rear (which is annoyingly off-centre) and a bunch of fake vents scattered across the car.

It looks like an SUV you would take off road but if this was a movie, it would be the actor instead of the stunt double.

Head inside and you'll find a gorgeous cabin with copper accent panels, thick soft-touchpoints and black synthetic leather trims.

The dashboard features contrasting stitching in copper and is headlined by a massive display panel that houses the dual 12.3-inch technology panels that look awesome.

Despite still featuring a few notes of harder plastics, the cabin still feels high-end and well-built. Although it has the largest steering wheel I’ve seen in the segment.

We’re not talking massive changes here – more a modernising of the Model Y offering that doesn’t really change the shape or dimensions. 

The most noticeable changes outside are the front and rear light bars, spanning the width of both the bonnet and the boot. They’re a nice touch, and seriously soften what many (including me) consider the worst angles of the Model Y. There are also new headlights, a refreshed front bumper and a new look for the alloy wheels.

Inside, it is the absolute definition of pared-back minimalism. In fact, some could argue it’s gone a little bit too far.

There are no physical buttons anywhere but on the steering wheel, and there's just the one stalk, which has the sole function of operating the indicators. Everything else - mirrors, windscreen wipers, headlights etc - are accessed either through the steering wheel, or through the central screen.

And that includes the gear selector, which is now a swipe-down-for-reverse, swipe-up-for-drive function on the central screen. You might love that, but I don't. I'm sure I'd get more used to it, but initially it did nothing but slow down how quickly I could get the car moving.

Helpfully, the central screen is big and very easy use, and logging into Spotify and Apple CarPlay does largely negate the missing phone mirroring – though if the function exists, I couldn't get it to read my incoming texts to me.

Our test car's cabin was black but highlighted with quality-feeling fabric panels in the doors and on the dash, which are then framed by a metallic-feeling mesh, helping the Model Y's cabin feel definitely elevated from the vehicles that came before it.

The cabin of the Torres almost defies its mid-size tag because there is oodles of space for taller occupants. Both rows feature excellent access with the 195mm ground clearance and wide door apertures. My eight-year-old son loved his view this week and didn’t have any issue climbing in and out.

Despite lacking lumbar support, seat comfort is best in the front and fatigue doesn't set in too quickly on longer journeys. The rear row offers plenty of under-bum padding but the backs are decidedly flat, expect a bit of movement from passengers in corners.

There are lots of storage options with a glovebox that can house a manual, mid-sized middle console, shelf underneath the centre console, six drink bottle holders, four cup holders and a phone tray.

The boot has a great luggage capacity of up to 703L when all seats are in use and the rear row has a 60/40 split to open up storage options if you need to.

The touchscreen multimedia system is a bit too simple in terms of its information and customisation. It's responsive but functionality isn't always the best. Music playing over Bluetooth hardly ever connects automatically, you have to select the Bluetooth function which is annoying while on the go. The radio is pretty crappy as it rarely picks up any stations and when it does there is a lot of static.

You do get wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with the CarPlay easy enough to connect to.

Charging options are good with four USB-C ports and two 12-volt sockets, one of which is located in the boot. But you do miss out on a wireless charging pad in this grade.

The rear row features enough amenities to keep occupants happy, like the charging options, directional air vents, armrest and map pockets but my son said it was hard to position the air vents to blow air directly on to him.

The new Model Y stretches 4792mm long, 1982mm wide and 1624mm tall, and the practicality perks of the outgoing model still shine strongly in this new version.

Climb into the backseat and you’ll find a seriously spacious area, and one that feels even bigger and lighter thanks to the completely flat floor and the glass roof.

Even sitting behind my own 175cm driving position, there was ample knee and headroom, and the addition of the 8.0-inch rear screen, which supports two headphone connections, is a clever touch. Gone are the mind-numbing days of staring out the window on long family road trips. Now, kids get access to YouTube, Netflix and a heap of games.

There are also two USB charge points, and a pull-down divider that separates the comfortable rear seats. The door pockets front and rear are sizeable, and cabin storage abounds, including a hugely deep storage bin that separates the front seats.

Open the boot, and remove the shade, and you'll find another fairly massive storage area, including a deep hidden area under the boot floor. But you won't find a spare tyre – instead Tesla offers a 24-hour call-out service for the life of the warranty, where someone will come and repair or replace your tyre, should you have an issue.

Tesla isn't good at detailing specifics about its vehicles, but says you can expect a total 2138 litres of storage space in the Model Y, presumably with the rear seats folded flat and measured to the ceiling.

So yes, this Model Y RWD is the cheapest way into the Model Y family, listing at $58,900 before on-road costs – exactly $10k cheaper than the Long Range All-Wheel Drive.

That’s a little more than some of its core Chinese rivals, like the XPeng G6 which kicks off at $54,800, and a lot more than vehicles like the Leapmotor C10 and Geely EX5. But you could argue that Tesla has more brand standing than them in Australia, given it has been around for so much longer. 

Tesla has also jacked up the included features for this update, with heating and cooling for the front seats, new 19-inch alloy wheel designs, adaptive LED headlights, and a very cool 8.0-inch rear screen that gives backseat riders access to games, YouTube and Netflix.

Tech up front is handled by a 15.4-inch central screen on which you can connect your Spotify or Apple accounts, but there’s no Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The system pairs with a nine-speaker stereo, and there’s still the best wireless charging pad in the business below the screen.

All Torres models share the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine but the Adventure model is a front-wheel drive, and the only grade that has an all-wheel drive is the Ultimate.

This is surprising as the Adventure moniker would suggest AWD capability ... so you could actually go adventuring.

The Torres offers up to 120kW of power and 280Nm of torque, and features a smooth six-speed auto transmission which is enough to ensure that it is is a pleasant open-roader.

Again, Tesla keeps its cards close to its chest on specific outputs, but data we've seen points to this Tesla's rear-mounted electric motor producing 255kW, a smallish increase from the 220kW of the outgoing model.

Tesla says that's enough to produce a sprint to 100km/h time of 5.9 seconds.

The official combined fuel cycle figure is 7.4L/100km and based on its 50L fuel tank, you should see a theoretical driving range of up to 676km. That’s not the best range we’ve seen in this segment but it’s still respectable for the odd longer road trip.

After doing a good mix of open-road and urban driving this week, I’ve managed a real world usage of  7.7L which is a great result overall.

Again, more cloak and dagger from Tesla here, but most reporting suggests a 75kWh battery is housed beneath the new Model Y.

We do know that our rear-drive Model Y will deliver a claimed 466km driving range on the WLTP cycle.

Charging is capped at a reported 220kW, with the brand suggesting 238km in driving range can be added in 15 minutes when using a 175kW Supercharger. Home AC charging is capped at 11kW.

When it comes to power and its delivery, the Torres is willing but never spritely. It’s a bit sluggish off the mark and the auto-stop/start feature doesn't help but there is a decent well of power to dip into once you get going, making this a solid open-roader.

The steering can feel a bit wishy-washy on a winding road but there’s surprisingly not that much roll. Suspension is good without feeling floaty and you’re not bothered by the bigger bumps.

Visibility is good most of the time but occasionally the passenger side A-pillar can hinder, at least from my driving position. The back window is a smidge too small for my liking, especially on an SUV of this size.

The Torres doesn’t feel too big to park and the reversing camera is clear and features dynamic guidelines but all SUVs should have a 360-degree system, considering their bulk.

Reviewing a Tesla Model Y at the moment is no mean feat. The company's very public figurehead is fighting for a front-row grid position in the battle for world's most unlikeable human at the moment.

But anyway, journalist hat on, personal views aside, Tesla has done a good job with the new Model Y. I actually didn't much like the outgoing model – the ride was too harsh, the steering too darty and the cabin too austere – but Tesla has comprehensively overhauled each of those drawbacks to create a car that is genuinely much better than it has ever been before.

Let's start with the cabin. It's still austere, but the quality feels higher and more premium, and while I'll die on a hill of the screen-controlled drive selector being a bad idea, it is otherwise now a nice place to spend time. The screen and the software powering it largely replace the perks of Apple CarPlay, and the addition of the rear screen is a very good one, too.

But the biggest improvements are in the way the Model Y drives. It's far more compliant on Sydney roads, while the steering sensitivity has been dialled back so it doesn't feel as though you're constantly making corrections.

I also like the power delivery in the RWD. It's not lightning fast, but the grunt is constant and feels really instantaneous and usable.

It's no sports car, though. Our test car took in some of the windiest roads in greater Sydney and beyond, and while the body roll and composure feels on point, the Model Y does struggle with really sharp cornering. The aggressive traction control was a constant passenger on the really challenging stuff.

Overall, the improvements are good, and very noticeable.

This Tesla Model Y wears the same five-star ANCAP safety rating as its predecessor, awarded back in 2022.

Everything you expect is present and accounted for, including seven airbags, auto emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning and assist (the latter being a little too panicky for my tastes) and cameras front and rear.

Special mention for the brand's semi-autonomous functionality, which – while not perfect – is among the best I've experienced. On the highway, it will stay in the centre of its lane, rather than the bumper-bowling-style swaying that some systems serve up, and change lanes for you when you indicate.

The Torres comes with a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty which is great for the class and a seven-year capped-price servicing program for $2678, at an average of $383 per service, which is very reasonable.

Intervals are good at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.

Underwhelming, I'm afraid. A four-year/80,000km warranty might be the worst offered by any mainstream brand in the country. For the record, five-year/unlimited km is now the minimum standard, with many brands far exceeding that.

Servicing intervals are a bit scattered, with the brand instead listing when things need to be done, rather than a traditional schedule.