Kia’s latest flagship takes a new form. Part SUV, part hatchback, but all-electric and all about performance
- Dedicated EV platform
- Serious performance and useful range
- Quality interior execution and ergonomics
- Ride is fidgety over poor surfaces
- State of the art charging not currently matched by the grid
- Price still not finalised for Australia
Kia certainly hasn’t wasted any time in adopting electrification.
Kia was relatively early to the plug-in hybrid ranks with the petrol-electric Niro. Then it upped the ante with the pure electric e-Niro (sold as the Niro Electric in Australia), which has proven quite popular in many markets where it is sold.
The Korean car maker isn’t stopping there, though. The Kia EV6 driven here, in near to production-ready prototype form, represents a further advance.
Based on the same skateboard style platform as the recently launched Hyundai Ioniq 5 – the E-GMP structure as it is known, it is the first dedicated electric car from Kia.
As such, it shares little or nothing with any existing Kia model.
| Key details | 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line |
| Price (MSRP) | Not confirmed. $65,000-$90,000 est |
| Colour of test car | Aurora Black Pearl |
| Rivals | Tesla Model 3 | Hyundai Ioniq 5 | Volvo XC40 Recharge |
The emphasis here is on sportiness – as clearly reflected in the EV6’s exterior design, which is much more distinctive than that of the Niro. The new Kia is described as a mixture between hatchback, crossover and rally car. We’re not buying that last analogy, but its dynamic lines do endow it with a great deal of presence up close in the metal.
Kia design boss, Luc Donckerwolke, says the extroverted lineage was inspired by the Lancia Stratos, which goes some way to explaining the rally car reference. It is certainly sleek with a front end incorporating a so-called ‘Tiger Face’ with large angular headlamps incorporating rather exuberant looking LED graphics and a thin grille aperture.
Further back, there are flush door handles, unadorned sides for maximum aerodynamic efficiency and a prominent spoiler integrated within the high set boot lip housing what is possibly the most flamboyant set of tail lamps ever featured on a modern-day production car.
The profile, similar in many aspects to that of the Jaguar I-Pace, clearly suggests this is an electric car; without the need to accommodate a traditional petrol engine up front, Kia has provided the EV6 with a short bonnet and unusually long cabin. Typical crossover touches come in the form of large wheelhouses that accommodate wheels up to 21-inch in diametre and a moderately raised ride height.
| 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line | |
| Seats | Five |
| Boot volume | 520L / 1300L / 20L (front) |
| Length | 4695mm |
| Width | 1890mm |
| Height | 1550mm |
| Wheelbase | 2900mm |
At 4695mm in length, 1890mm in width and 1550mm in height, it is quite a bit larger than the e-Niro. By comparison, the Ioniq 5 measures 4635mm in length, the same 1890mm in width and 1550mm in height.
A lengthy 2900mm wheelbase also enables the EV6 to accommodate either a 58kWh or 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery wholly within its floorpan.
Kia is not officially divulging where it plans to position its latest electric car price wise, though suggestions are the EV6 will line up more against the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Polestar 2 than the Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq iV at around $65,000 in base form.
The new Kia will be produced with both 125kW and 168kW single as well as 173kW and 239kW dual-motor drivetrains with rear- and four-wheel drive respectively.
The larger battery is claimed to provide the 168kW single motor rear-wheel drive model with a range of up to 510km on the WLTP test cycle. A range figure for the more powerful 239kW dual motor four-wheel drive model driven here is yet to be made official, though Kia says we can expect something in the region of 450km.
The real fireworks, however, will come in 2022 when Kia plans to unleash its most powerful electric car to date – a dual motor four-wheel drive Porsche Taycan S challenging EV6 GT with, wait for it, 430kW.
It certainly sounds tempting. Still, the milder GT-Line version we drove didn’t exactly feel it was lacking for power in any great way. With a front motor doling out power to the front wheels and a rear motor driving the rear wheels, the mid-range EV6 proves engagingly rapid when you want it to be in the most sporting of its three driving modes.
A combined 605Nm of torque is deployed the moment you nudge the accelerator, ensuring urgent step off qualities away from the traffic lights and rapid acceleration under load out on the open road despite a generous 2105kg kerb weight.
With drive going to all four wheels through a single-speed gearbox, traction remains strong at all times in the dry. There is no scrambling of tyres upon bitumen as you unleash the combined reserves of the electric motors with a concerted nudge of your right foot, just pleasingly smooth and silent progress.
Kia puts the 0-100km/h time at 5.2sec. A more telling pointer to the overall performance and flexible nature of the power delivery, though, is the official 60-100km/h split, which is taken care of in just 2.7sec. Top speed is limited to 185km/h.
Not quick enough? The upcoming EV6 GT, which packs an additional 135Nm of torque at 740Nm, is claimed to reach 100km/h in a supercar challenging 3.5sec and achieve a top speed of 260km/h.
As with the Niro Electric, the latest electric-powered Kia provides the driver with the ability to alter the amount of energy recuperation via steering wheel paddles. The most efficient mode, called i-pedal allows so-called one-pedal driving with sufficient braking effect when you step off the accelerator to pull you up smartly. You can access this mode at any time by holding the left-hand steering wheel paddle towards you for more than one second.
The mid-range EV6’s strong performance is backed up by accomplished handling. The steering boasts a 14.3:1 ratio, giving it a nice responsive feel in combination with a reasonable amount of weighting in Sport mode. It also delivers a surprising amount of feedback.
| At a glance | 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line |
| Warranty | Seven years / unlimited km (standard Kia) |
| Service intervals | TBC |
| Servicing costs | TBC |
| Energy cons. (claimed) | 19.6kWk/100km |
| Charge type | Type 2 – 11kW AC, 350kW DC |
| Battery size | 82.5kWh total / 77.4kWh usable |
The new Kia corners with neutral qualities thanks to an intelligent apportioning of power from the four-wheel drive system. Its level of agility is really quite impressive given the weight at play. There is plenty of grip from the 225/45 R20 Michelin Pilot Sport SUV tyres worn by our test car. Body roll is also kept well in check by firmly tuned damping, as is pitch and dive under sudden acceleration and hard braking.
The ride is altogether less resolved. The EV6 fidgets over high-frequency bumps, with quite a lot of vertical movement as the suspension, a combination of MacPherson struts up front and multi-links at the rear, fights for control. It also lacks compliance over larger potholes, often proving quite jarring at speed. Kia is yet to settle on the final tuning, though, suggesting there will be changes to the adaptive dampers before the new model reaches showrooms.
In a move that promises rapid charging times, the E-GMP platform uses an 800-volt electric architecture, allowing 350kW DC charging. Kia claims the 77kWh battery can be charged from 10-to-80 per cent in just 18 minutes on such a system. On a more conventional 11kW AC wall box a similar top up in energy reserves takes a much longer seven hours and 20 minutes.
The interior represents a big step for Kia, introducing a new design and combination of materials that Donckerwolke suggests we’ll see on other new models in the not-to-distant future.
| Key details | 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line |
| Motor | Dual motor |
| Power | 239kW |
| Torque | 650Nm |
| Drive type | All-wheel drive |
| Transmission | Single-speed torque automatic |
| Weight | 2105kg (tare) |
| Tow rating | 1600kg braked |
The dashboard is dominated by a single curved digital panel that accommodates two displays, one for the instruments and another for the infotainment functions. It is not entirely devoid of buttons and controls, but it is more simplistic than we’re used to seeing from Kia with an almost Scandinavian like minimalism, which is also reflected in the new two-spoke steering wheel. Key among the options is an impressive new head-up display unit incorporating augmented reality functions.
The packaging advantages of the EV6’s dedicated electric car platform are fully reflected in its generous amount of space, both up front and in the rear. The supportive seats are upholstered in a synthetic fabric made from recycled water bottles. With 520-litres of luggage space with the rear seats in place, it also boasts 69-litres more boot capacity than the e-Niro.
Our first impressions of the EV6 are very positive. Its sporting ambitions are well underpinned in the four-wheel drive mid-range model driven here by strong performance and engaging handling traits. The firm and sometimes unsettled ride clearly needs some development work, though Kia seems to be on top of this and is promising the production car will offer more comfortable qualities before it sees sale in Australia next year.
It is a very versatile car with an impressive new interior design and lots of space. Its state-of-the-art 800-volt charging function also ensures short charging times as long as you have access to suitably rapid charging facilities. Local pricing is yet to be announced, though if other countries are any guide, the new Kia won’t be cheap.
The post 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Prototype: International first drive appeared first on Drive.
