KGM Torres facelift revealed with physical climate controls

Volkswagen isn’t the only automaker that’s seen the error going all in on touchscreens, with KGM adding physical controls to the interior of the facelifted Torres.

The changes are part of a facelift that was unveiled in South Korea over the past week, but external updates are pretty mild.

Up front, the centre section of the bumper has been revised, with the grille for the lower air intake now featuring horizontal slats instead of being virtually wide open.

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The inserts for the side air intakes are subtly revised, and the Torres name is no longer embossed below the upper grille. There are also redesigned bash plates at both ends of the car.

In South Korea, a blacked out styling pack is available on hybrid and petrol models. Some trim levels gain new turbine-style alloy wheels.

On the inside the biggest change is the new centre console, which does away with the floating island approach for a conventional two-layer design. A more traditional transmission shifter replaces the current car’s toggle switch, and two wireless smartphone charging pads are available.

The air conditioning system is no longer exclusively controlled via the infotainment touchscreen, because there’s a new climate control pod underneath the air vents.

This includes rubberised knobs to set temperature and fan speed, although many controls, including the seat heating and ventilation, on/off, recirculation and demisters, have capacitive buttons instead of physical ones.

Other interior changes include a classier two-spoke steering wheel with control knobs added under the spokes, and KGM’s new Athena 2.5 user interface for the infotainment system.

While there are no changes to the 125kW/300Nm 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, the current six-speed auto has been replaced by a new eight-speed unit from Aisin. All-wheel drive versions gain a terrain selector with three available options: snow/gravel, sand, and mud.

The 150kW hybrid drivetrain remains untouched, and continues to feature a 110kW/220Nm version of the 1.5-litre turbo paired with a 130kW/300Nm electric motor and a 1.8kWh battery pack. Hybrid models remain front-wheel drive only.

It’s unknown at this stage when the facelifted Torres will arrive in Australia.

MORE: Explore the KGM Torres showroom