We pit Kia’s electric SUV against a petrol Proceed and throw ourselves at the mercy of the UK’s charging network

It’s a balmy Monday morning on Brighton’s pebbly seafront. The walkers, cyclists and desperado electric scooterists are out in force, soaking up some unexpected February vitamin D. The cafe proprietors are sweeping floors, laying tables and getting ready for a brisk lunchtime trade. The weather is ideal – except if you were hoping for the sort of cold, wet, foreboding environment to set a tough challenge for an electric car on a long drive.

Thankfully, where we’re heading, we’re almost guaranteed some wintry smirr. It’s somewhere between 450 and 500 miles north from here to Glasgow, depending which way you go – and today we’re going in a Kia EV6, mostly just to find out how long it takes to cover that kind of distance on the UK road network in an EV in 2022.

Read more: Autocar

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It’s a Kia, but not as you know it

THINGS are moving quickly in the world of electric cars and Kia is elbowing its way to the front of the pack. The EV6 is the Korean brand’s new flagship electric car that sits above the e-Niro and Soul EV — and it introduces a new era of design for the company.

The EV6 uses similar electric hardware to the Hyundai Ioniq 5 although the battery supplier is different and in terms of design, the two cars couldn’t look more different.

Within the floor is a 77.4kWh battery that can provide up to 328 miles on a single charge. There is the choice of rear- or all-wheel drive with two power outputs and two specification grades. In time there will also be a high-performance version with 577bhp.

Kia is touting near-supercar levels of accelerative performance for that GT range-topper, but the regular models are no slouches either. The all-wheel-drive EV6, for example, will reach 62mph from a standing start in 5.2 seconds — how much more performance do you need from an electric crossover?

Exterior design and rivals
Having spent so many years making the ‘Tiger nose’ grille such a mainstay of the Kia range, the designers must have felt a little deflated when the engineers told them it wasn’t a requirement for the electric EV6.

That didn’t stop them pumping up the Kia’s wheel arches to add to its presence and surprisingly, one of the cars that influenced the Kia’s design was a 1970s rally superstar, the Lancia Stratos. That sounds far-fetched until you start to look closely at the styling around the rear.

A light bar comes up from the hind quarters and wraps around the bulging boot to double up as a small rear spoiler. This feature is one of the most distinctive aspects of the Kia’s design.

Measuring almost the same length as Kia’s seven-seat Sorento SUV, the EV6 is no city car, and it rides on 19in wheels as standard, though most are expected be sold with 20in rims.

It has a long wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear axles) that pushes those wheels out to either end of the car, to the benefit of passenger space.

Without a big, tall combustion engine in the front the Kia has a neat clamshell bonnet design that slides down around the triangular LED headlights. This short front and the raked windscreen have a hint of Jaguar I-Pace about them. Kia is also one of a growing number of manufacturers to fit door handles that sit flush with the bodywork when the car is locked, as it helps reduce drag through the air.

How the air flows over the EV6’s bodywork is further influenced by items such as the mini winglets that protrude from the rear spoiler. Look around the rear of the car and you’ll also spot the lack of a rear wiper. Instead, air is funnelled through the roof spoiler and over the rear glass to clear water away at speed, though we’ll have to wait to see how well it works during a damp British winter.

The Kia EV6 is far from conventional looking, with a futuristic sense to its styling and it’s more positively striking that other EV rivals such as the Volkswagen ID.4 and even our 2021 Car of the Year, the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

Interior and practicality
Space is one thing of which the EV6 isn’t short, but it also has a real wow factor that hits you the first time you sit in the driver’s seat. Were it not for the large new Kia typeface set into the two-spoke multifunction steering wheel, guessing who produced this cabin might not be so easy.

A monolithic digital instrument screen gently curves its way across the dashboard. Comprising two 12.3in displays, it presents everything you’ll ever need while in the car in a straightforward way — and the infotainment system is one of the easier ones on the market to navigate.

To keep button count to a minimum on what is already a slender fascia, the climate controls and menu shortcut tabs are all on a touch-sensitive bar that presents different functions according to mode, much like a TouchBar on a new Apple MacBook.

The centre console juts forward from between the front seats but doesn’t meet up with the dash. This unit houses the start button that is cleverly angled towards the driver, making it one of the first things they see when climbing in, and it appears to be blanketed by a metallic cover.

Read more: ://driving.co.uk/car-reviews/first-drive/kia-ev6-review-2021/” target=”_blank”>DRIVING – THE SUNDAY TIMES

The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is our reigning car of the year, so can the closely related Kia EV6 live up to expectation?

Verdict
The Kia EV6 stakes a strong claim as a sportier electric crossover. The ride may just be a little too firm for some, but it is liveable, and the trade-off is a slightly more engaging drive. All-wheel-drive versions have very strong performance, while the claimed range and charging tech make the EV6 a very versatile machine, but it doesn’t come cheap.

Kia can certainly stake a claim to being a market leader in all things electric cars. It cottoned on to the hybrid trend early with cars like the Niro, adding a fully electric e-Niro model that had the class sewn up until relatively recently.

But the Korean firm hasn’t rested on its laurels, and now it’s aiming to push a level further with this: the EV6. It’s Kia’s first purpose made electric car, based on the E-GMP architecture developed in conjunction with sister brands Hyundai and Genesis. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the only other car we’ve driven on this platform up to now, and as our reigning car of the year expectations are high for E-GMP’s second outing under the EV6.

Kia is aiming for something a little sportier and more dynamic with the EV6, and straight away the styling sets the tone, with a swoopier, curvier coupe look to its profile than the boxier, more angular Ioniq 5 crossover.

Like the Ioniq 5, it’s bigger in the metal than it looks in pictures. It’s just under 4.7 metres long, with a 2.9-metre-long wheelbase. Sandwiched in the floor between the axles is a 77.4kWh battery – the only option the UK market will get, although a 58kWh version is offered elsewhere.

The battery gives a claimed range of 314 miles in this AWD dual-motor car. It feeds a pair of motors for a total of 321bhp and 605Nm of torque, which is enough for a 5.2-second 0-62mph time.

It feels rapid too, with strong punch up to motorway speeds, and enough instant power for easy, even relaxing overtakes on country roads. If it still isn’t enough for you then there’s a high performance 577bhp GT version coming soon.

With no combustion engine to drown out other noises the car’s refinement is laid bare, but it’s fundamentally sound in the EV6; there’s not much wind noise at high speed on the motorway, while tyre noise is also kept at bay well.

The ride has a slightly firm, busy edge to it, only over jarring bumps that would upset other cars, but this slightly more sporting profile to its dynamic repertoire is in keeping with the Kia’s positioning – especially relative to its Hyundai Ioniq 5 sibling.

The EV6 feels slightly sharper to turn, while clever frequency selective suspension dampers mean that at lower speed when there’s less energy going through the suspension (either over bumps or as you turn in and the car rolls) the damping forces are lower, so the ride is softer.

It firms up as the energy fired back at the dampers increases – usually with speed or how aggressively you work the steering. It’s a subtle alteration in character, but a perceptible one nonetheless that means the EV6 is as comfortable as it can be when you want it. It’s especially strong on the motorway, where it flows nicely, but you can seek out that little bit more support and firmness in corners when desired.

Read more: AutoExpress

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The electric vehicle revolution is proving to be a hugely disruptive moment in automotive manufacturing. Everyone talks about how Tesla has shifted the market, and increasingly about the new Chinese or reborn European brands coming out of China. But there is another player that appears to see EVs as a clear opportunity grab a bigger chunk of the vehicular sales pie – South Korea.

I have already discussed how Hyundai is clearly seeing a big opportunity in EVs, but Hyundai has developed the E-GMP electric platform for its Ioniq 5 in partnership with the other major South Korean car brand: Kia. The Ioniq 5 looks great, but Kia’s EV6 looks equally good or, in my opinion, even better. It is extremely easy to fall into the trap of calling every new EV a “Tesla beater” or “Tesla challenger”, but the EV6 could well have new car buyers thinking twice about their Model 3 or Y purchase.

First, let’s get the headline specifications out the way. The EV6 sits in the popular “crossover utility vehicle” (CUV) segment – which basically falls between SUVs and regular cars, riding a bit higher than the latter but with no off-roading 4×4 pretentions (in most cases). However, as CUVs go, the looks are far closer to a regular car. Where the Ioniq 5 had a vague air of the AMC Pacer about it, the EV6 is much sleeker and has even been likened to the Jaguar I-Pace, one of the best-looking EVs yet.

The most telling specifications are the performance and range. Kia is offering a plethora of powertrain configurations – rear motors with two different power levels, and three different all-wheel-drive power levels. There are 58kWh and 77.4kWh battery options. These are apportioned between three different trim levels, including the basic EV6, an EV6 GT-Line, and the top-of-the-range EV6 GT. The latter is the headline act because it will boast 430kW (577hp) dual motors and the bigger battery, which Kia claims will give it “over 510km” (319 miles) of range.

The performance figures are mouth-watering, too, with a 0-62mph sprint of 3.5 seconds and a top speed estimated to be 260km/h (163mph). A Tesla Model 3 performance is slightly quicker, but the more direct competitor will be the Tesla Model Y, which is slightly slower. The range looks even better than the Model Y Performance, too. Kia is also promising 800V charging capable of delivering 10 to 80% battery capacity in just 18 minutes, or 100km (62 miles) in less than 4.5 minutes.

Cargo space will be good as well, with 520 litres as standard and 1,300 litres with the rear seats down. This is quite a bit less than a Tesla Model Y, but quite a bit more than the Model 3. There is a small frunk at the front of the car too, and the EV6 will be rated to tow up to 1,600kg. Perhaps the most innovative practicality feature, however, is that, like the Ioniq 5, the Kia EV6 will have an external power output capable of delivering up to 3.6kW. This will mean you could easily power appliances when camping.

So in terms of specification, the EV6 looks like a contender, although the less powerful models won’t be anywhere near as quick as the GT. No US pricing has been announced yet, but UK pricing is available and very promising. The basic EV6 is £40,895 ($56,500), the GT-Line is £43,895 ($60,650), and the GT £58,295 ($80,500). These prices start at £2,595 ($3,600) cheaper than the Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus, and even the GT is £1,695 ($2300) cheaper than the Tesla Model 3 Performance.

If you look at Tesla pricing in the UK compared to the US, it is highly likely that the EV6 will be relatively cheaper than our US dollar conversions the other side of the Atlantic. The Tesla Model Y, which is perhaps the closer competitor, is $5,000 more expensive than the Model 3, too. Although we are yet to know the full specification other than engine power and battery capacities for the models below the Kia EV6 GT, the Kia EV6 is likely to be extremely competitive on range and performance with Tesla’s Model 3 and Y.

Read more: Forbes

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Flagship performance-focussed crossover will be faster than a Porsche Taycan 4S; priced from £58,295

Kia says it is taking “electric performance to another level” with the GT-badged hot version of its new EV6 electric flagship, which will top out a range comprising two- and four-wheel-drive variants with a choice of different battery sizes.

The dual-motor EV6 GT sends 577bhp and 546lb ft to both axles, and is expected to get from 0-62mph in just 3.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 162mph, making it not only the quickest Kia yet built, but also more powerful and faster than the Porsche Taycan 4S.

Lower down the range, the EV6 is available in either rear-wheel-drive form with a 77.4kWh battery giving 316 miles of range, or with four-wheel-drive and a smaller 58.0kWh power pack, which will likely give a range of around 250 miles. The two-wheel-drive version uses a 226bhp motor on the rear axle and is capable of 0-62mph in 6.2 seconds, while the non-GT four-wheel-drive version ups power to 321bhp and packs 446lb ft for a 0-62mph time of 5.2 seconds.

The EV6’s powertrain line-up can be expected to be adopted by the closely related Hyundai Ioniq 6, which will arrive later this year as a performance-focused electric saloon to rival the Mercedes-Benz EQS and Audi E-tron GT.

The EV6’s E-GMP platform, which it shares with the recently revealed Hyundai Ioniq 5, is equipped with 800V charging architecture. This will allow charging from 0-80% capacity in as little as 18 minutes, depending on battery size, and can take on 62 miles of range in less than four and a half minutes. The EV6 is also equipped with a ‘vehicle-to-load’ function which can supply up to 3.6kW of power to external devices – including other EVs – and, with more than 35% charge, has a towing capacity of 1600kg.

Range-maximising features include an innovative heat pump which “scavenges waste heat from the car’s coolant system” to ensure that, at temperatures of -7degC, the EV6 offers 80% of the range it would at 25degC. Adjustable regenerative braking is fitted across the range, too, with paddle shifters behind the steering wheel allowing drivers to choose from six different modes.

Kia has also given new details of the EV6’s headline tech features, including an augmented reality head-up display which shows ADAS alerts, speed data and turn-by-turn navigation instructions. The latest iteration of Kia’s connectivity package features, too, with inbuilt EV-specific functions, as does a raft of advanced driver safety aids.

The South Korean-built EV6 will be available in the UK from October 2021, with prices starting at £40,895 for the EV6. The EV6 GT-Line starts at £43,895, while the top-of-the-line GT will come with a significant premium, of £58,295. A pre-reservation process opens from today.

As Kia’s first bespoke production electric car, the EV6 pairs a radical new design with unprecedented levels of performance for the brand. It will also spearhead a wave of new-era electric cars from Kia.

Each will be badged EV followed by a number corresponding to its size. So the EV6 crossover is a mid-sized car, which leaves room below for compact SUVs, hatchbacks and saloons, and for larger SUVs at the top of the range. Kia will launch a further six bespoke EVs by 2026, with the model nomenclature ranging from EV1 to EV9.

The new model’s design pioneers a new ‘Opposites United’ styling ethos that leans on “contrasting combinations of sharp stylistic elements and sculptural shapes”. Future models will take similarly dramatic design cues, with key tenets of the new philosophy including ‘daring’ colour schemes, simple lines and “bold, everchanging surfaces”.

The influence of Kia’s 2019 Imagine concept is clear. Although the overall silhouette has evolved to give a lower, less overtly SUV-oriented stance, there’s a new interpretation of Kia’s trademark ‘tiger nose’ grille and an obvious emphasis on aerodynamic optimisation.

Read more: AUTOCAR

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