The Kia EV6
The Kia EV6
Kia’s all-electric EV6 really looks the part.
It may appear to be a mid-sized hatchback from a photograph, but, actually, it’s a crossover and looks much bigger in the metal than you’d think.
Based on the same platform as Hyundai’s superb IONIQ 5, the EV6 should perform well – and it has the sporty boisterousness to match.
The front looks inspired by the Volkswagen Scirocco, with a curved bonnet and thinned-out grille area, while the sides have a notable side skirt and aerodynamic alloy wheels.
The rear has a spoiler made from the bodywork's sculpted shape, decorated by a long strip of LED lights.
Three trims are offered, with the entry level ‘Air’ getting 19-inch alloys, two 12.3-inch displays, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, vegan leather upholstery, smart cruise control with stop/go, heated front seats and steering wheel and keyless start/go.
GT-Line gets premium relaxation black and white suede front seats, exterior styling touches, a wireless phone charger, and LED headlights with an adaptive beam.
Top-of-the-range GT-Line S gets 20-inch alloys, a powered tailgate, head-up display, panoramic sunroof, a Meridan premium sound system, and remote smart park assist.
In terms of power, there's a choice of rear-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive in the GT-Line and GT-Line S trims, while 'Air' is available with rear-wheel drive only.
The rear-wheel drive versions have one electric motor producing 226PS, getting from 0-62mph in 7.3-seconds, compared with two motors in the all-wheel drive version, producing 321PS, reaching 62mph in 5.4-seconds.
The car tested for this review was the mid-range GT-Line trim with rear-wheel drive.
While it doesn’t have quite the same ferociousness as the four-wheel drive version, its sporty credentials are easy to see.
Overtaking is simple – and there’s even a Sports mode which improves the throttle response and weights up the steering nicely.
In the bends, the steering gives you the confidence to push on. And the reasonably stiff suspension limits the body lean nicely, although it is still a big car, so it lacks the nimbleness of a hot hatchback.
The ride is firmer than you’d find in its cousin, the IONIQ 5, and the ride comfort is also affected by the large alloys, but it’s never uncomfortable.
Inside, you'll find a minimalistic cabin which screams performance, with lovely black and white suede seats in my test car, an unusual two-spoke steering wheel and the infotainment and digital instrument screens popping out of the dash.
The infotainment screen is responsive, crisply clear and reasonably intuitive to use, although the haptic touch bar, which controls some functions, can be a bit fiddly. Thankfully, the air conditioning is still operated by physical dials and switches.
There is ample space inside, and even taller adults will find the rear legroom accommodating enough. The roofline slopes down at the back, though, which means some may find themselves brushing their hair against the ceiling.
Front visibility is okay, but it’s restricted out of the back, especially if you’re looking diagonally behind you. Why? Well, the rear pillars are enormous.
In terms of storage, the door bins are accommodating. In addition, there's a large glovebox, a good amount of space in the central cubby, and more room underneath the dashboard – and three cupholders.
Boot space is 490 litres, expanding to 1,300 litres with the rear seats down; these can be folded easily by pulling a lever. While this is less than you get on the IONIQ 5, you also get 52 litres of space under the bonnet as a bonus. However, you lose two thirds of this in the four-wheel drive versions.
The 77.4kWh battery is good for 328 miles of range according to Kia – though you’re likely to get under 300 miles in the real world depending on your style of driving, the road and weather conditions, plus the ambient temperatures.
A 10 to 80 per cent charge takes just 18 minutes, assuming you can find a 350kW charger, of which there are very few in the UK. But a full AC charge (11kW 230v/16A) from 10 to 100 per cent will take seven hours 20 minutes. Thanks to its zero emissions, company car users will be rejoicing, as it's in the lowest band, plus there's no road tax to pay.
The EV6 is too new to know how reliable it will be, but Kia has an outstanding reputation and offers a best-in-show seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty.
It also earned a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP, scoring 90 per cent for adults, 86 per cent for children and 87 per cent for safety assists.
Many safety features are standard on all models, including lane keep assist, lane follow assist, driver attention alert, brake assist system and intelligent speed limit assist. You also get tyre pressure monitoring, vehicle stability management, hill-start assist control, highway driving assist and multi-collision brake assist.
Thinking of making the switch to electric?
The GT-Line car gets safe exit assist, blind-spot collision avoidance assist with rear-cross traffic assist, while GT-Line S gets a 360-degree camera, blind spot monitor and junction crossing assist.
Overall, the EV6 is, quite literally, electrifying, handling better than most other electric cars of its size.
It also looks stunningly aggressive and has the performance to match the aesthetics, as well as respectable range and super quick charging speeds.
If you want something more leisurely, the IONIQ 5 is equally as impressive but more relaxed, whereas the EV6 is aimed at keener drivers.
It is superbly refined, practical, and generously equipped, with an attractive, futuristic interior adding to the sweetness. And now it has a five-star safety rating, too.
This may be a Kia, but even up against some serious rival contenders, there’s no doubt that the EV6 puts up a heck of a fight.
Speaking of which, if you’re a thrill-seeker with deep pockets, it may interest you to know that a superfast GT version with 576PS is on its way soon.
I can’t wait to drive it.
