The EV6 is Kia’s first dedicated electric vehicle, which might seem strange given that they have been selling EVs for years but those previous designs were based on cars originally powered by internal combustion engines – petrol or diesel. The EV6 was designed from the ground up to be electric only.
That means that the battery, up to 77.4kWh, is housed under the floor which benefits the car by lowering the centre of gravity, helping handling in particular.
Interestingly, given the clean slate design, power goes to the rear wheels. I’ve always felt that rear wheel drive is superior and it seems that when there’s a free choice, car designers agree with me. There’s also an EV6 GT with twin motors and consequently 4WD but there’s no word of that version reaching our shores yet.
What we get are two models, Earth and GT Line, both with the larger battery offering a claimed range of up to 528km. Fast 800V charging is on offer which will give a charge from 10 to 80% in just 18 minutes, although you’ll need a full fat 250kW charger to achieve that.
The car also comes with an interesting V2L function which allows the charged battery to power other devices for camping or other purposes or even to charge another EV in an emergency.
EV6 buyers will get free 12 months access to Ionity chargers at a reduced price with other charging options on the way in the new year.
Because of its conception as an EV only model, there’s lots of space inside, a 2,900mm wheelbase liberating plenty of legroom, particularly in the rear. There’s still room to incorporate a 520 litre boot, which expands to 1,300 litres with the rear seats folded down. This storage space is augmented by a further boot under the front bonnet.
Both models come with a 229PS electric motor driving the rear wheels and standard equipment across the range includes a heat pump, for the most energy efficient cabin heating, 19” alloys, dual 12.3” curved driver display screens, vegan leather upholstery, LED headlights and smart powered tailgate.
GT Line spec adds 20” alloys, suede/vegan leather seats with fronts ventilated, blind spot view monitors, head up display with augmented reality and a panoramic sunroof.
There are selectable driving modes: Eco, Normal, Sport or Snow, which adjust torque mapping, steering, stability control and various systems in the car to tune its behaviour to the driver’s requirements. Six levels of brake energy regeneration are also provided, controlled by steering wheel paddles.
The EV6 is an intriguing electric crossover that appears to offer it all, with space, style and a decent range coupled with excellent charging capability. Already, 200 orders have been taken even before the car set a wheel on Irish roads and you can see why people are getting excited about it.
Prices start from €55,000 or €50,000 after the SEAI grant for the Earth model with GT Line coming in at €58,345 (€54,345).
