Still the name change from SsangYong to KGM remains difficult: For even though the Korean brand never achieved the big breakthrough in Europe, the name with the double S at the beginning was characteristic of it. The Musso belongs to the "classics" in the lineup – although KGM as a pickup has always been offered, in terms of sales it was still more niche than its siblings.
And now we allow ourselves a short excursion into history: In the early 1990s, Korean ambitions and Swabian engineering clashed when SsangYong collaborated with Daimler-Benz. From this cooperation arose an angular SUV named Musso, equipped with petrol- and diesel engines developed by Mercedes. The name was the program: "Musso" derives from the Korean "무쏘" – Rhino. And that fits quite well: robust, stubborn, but not beautiful at any price. Initially as an SUV, later as a pickup and today as an electric vehicle under the new brand name KGM. The attribute "not beautiful at any price" we would now strike from the record: The latest KGM models found their own, discreetly elegant style and still stand out.
Now our test car, in its golden paint, is more geared toward the promenade than to forests. Moreover it only comes with front-wheel drive, but that is purely electric – and in this segment there isn’t much competition besides Maxus.
Power and strength? More like "right-sized" with 152 kW or 207 hp from an inner-rotor permanent-magnet synchronous motor (IPM), in which the permanent magnets are arranged inside the rotor. This construction is suited, among other things, for high speeds and heavy loads – thus tailor-made for an electric workhorse. The all-wheel drive doubles to 304 kW and 414
hp and already provides a bit more punch.
The batteries come from BYD
Technically the 5.16-meter pickup is built on the EV architecture of the Torres EVX, which is recognizable from the closed grille with distinctive LED daytime running lights. The LFP blade battery (cell-to-pack) comes from BYD. Times change: formerly it was the star from Untertürkheim, today it is blade cells from Shenzhen with a total capacity of 80.6 kWh. This brings the Musso EV to a WLTP range of up to 420 kilometers, with in the worst case rather around 300 kilometers remaining. At a DC charging station the “Rhino” can take around 36 minutes to fill its batteries from 10 to 80 percent. Not outstanding. The same also applies to the charging power of 120 kW. There must be more by 2025. On the wallbox it is 11 kW, which is fine and brings the 0–100 percent charging time to 10.3 hours.
Mixed picture on the road
On the road the electric pickup shows a similarly mixed picture. With 152 kW / 207 hp and a torque of 339 Newton-meters you won’t yank trees out, but you’re moving along quickly enough. The 4WD would here bring 678 Newton-meters torque. From a standstill it takes 9.2 seconds to reach highway speed, and at 162 km/h the electronics apply the brakes on the E-Rhino. Thus the suspension, consisting of a McPherson front axle and multi-link rear axle, is also quite taxed. With a strong takeoff, the driven front wheels struggle for traction. On uneven ground the suspension sometimes responds somewhat ungraciously. Typical pickup, but that should change with loading. Also to be expected: The steering is not a paragon of precision
and feedback. There is still room for improvement for the next Musso EV, which arrives in 2027.
Payload and tow load remain rather modest
The payload remains rather modest: Up to 500 kilograms fit on the bed, and at the tow hitch up to 1,800 kilograms. For comparison: those who use pickups as real workhorses often load up to around a ton and then tow another 3.5 tons behind them. Which means the Musso as a tow vehicle for small (Gala-)construction machines already falls out of consideration.
That such an angular character cannot really be economical is already shown by the data sheet: On our test drive, according to the display, we achieved an average consumption of 25.1 kWh/100 km – gross it’s about 27 kWh/100 km. That’s 2.1, respectively 4.1 kWh/100 km more than stated in the data sheet, which for a vehicle with a curb weight of 2,165 kilograms and the cW value of a cupboard is just about acceptable.
The price is hot
The price is very reasonable: 41,900 euros for the base is "quite reasonable." The Chinese Maxus T90 EV is over 20,000 euros more expensive and offers no all-wheel drive either. Even in the base "Core" there are a two-zone climate control, a rear-view camera with front and rear parking sensors as standard. We were in the top version "Lux" for 48,990 euros. For that you get, among other things, front seat ventilation, a heated steering wheel, a 360-degree surround view, ambient lighting and a heat pump. Battery preconditioning before charging must be triggered manually. The build quality is solid, and the materials feel premium. However, given the piano-lacquer finish, you should stash a microfiber cloth in
the glove compartment.
The infotainment system uses two 12.3-inch displays. However, you have to navigate through several menus to find the desired function. It’s worth it. Especially if you want to switch off the constantly beeping assist systems. If you want the familiar smartphone environment, connect your device via Apple CarPlay or Android Auto.
5.16 meter length makes parking harder – but it’s a pickup standard size
The space remains. For a 5.16-meter-long car with a 3.15-meter wheelbase that’s hardly a problem, but for the pickup it is, especially in the rear seat. Yet the Musso EV offers enough space here as well. You notice you’re in a pickup at the latest when you have to wind the rear windows up and down. But a bit of nostalgia is allowed. Especially with the KGM Musso, which we will need to get used to the brand name as well.
What does that mean?
Above all, the price for this electric pickup is hot! KGM offers the Musso EV for well under 50,000 euros and even with the 2WD makes an offer for all who mostly drive on level ground. For towing, though, it’s not really suitable.
The Musso EV was driven for us by Wolfgang Gomoll, press-inform
Data sheet KGM Musso EV 2WD
Motor: Permanent-Synchronous motor
Power in kW (HP) at rpm: 152 (207)
Max. torque (Nm) at rpm: 339
Top speed (km/h): 162
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (sec.): 9.2
Transmission: Automatic
Drive: Front-wheel
Battery capacity: 80.6 kWh
EU consumption mix (kWh/100 km): 23.0 – 26.0
CO2 emissions (g/km): 0
Weight, manufacturer’s specification (kg): from 2,165
Max payload (kg): 500
Dimensions (L/W/H): 5,160 x 1,920 x 1,740 mm
Price of base model (Euro gross):
