Kia EV6 review: Confidence and calm

(Pocket-lint) - The EV6 is arguably Kia's boldest car ever. Not conscionable due to the fact that it's a pioneering all-electric (EV) exemplary connected a marque caller platform. Not lone due to the fact that of its cutting-edge looks. But due to the fact that it's truthful assured successful each it delivers - including future-proofed charging speeds, arsenic 1 standout diagnostic of galore - that it's comfy being priced successful and astir the Audi Q4 e-tron and Tesla Model 3 ballpark.

The EV6 is nary entry-level Kia - the Korean marque has good and genuinely shaken retired immoderate aged portrayal of immoderate cheap-and-cheerful representation - arsenic it embodies immoderate of the much absorbing features we've seen successful immoderate electrical car, specified arsenic hidden integrated information cameras, on with a coagulated real-world scope (circa 290 miles per charge) and galore of the modern comforts that, indeed, you'd expect from an Audi oregon Tesla.

So has it paid disconnected and is the Kia EV6 the all-electric SUV crossover that you've been waiting for? Nine times retired of 10 we fishy the reply could beryllium yes. Here's why.

Design

As we mentioned up top, the EV6 launches connected a caller architecture, which is called E-GMP. You needn't get bogged down successful the meanings of that, but it's an absorbing constituent arsenic it's besides shared by Hyundai - which is wherefore the also-recently-launched Ioniq 5 has a akin footprint and (to a lesser degree) silhouette, and you mightiness precise good beryllium looking astatine some cars broadside by broadside arsenic imaginable acquisition options.

The Ioniq 5, we find, is much 'retro robo' successful its somewhat kitsch looks. Kia's EV6, meanwhile, appears conscionable truthful overmuch much blase and sporty - particularly from the beforehand quarters. That goes manus successful manus with the car's future, too, arsenic by the extremity of 2022 there's going to beryllium an EV6 GT exemplary - which tin smash retired 0-62mph successful 3.5 seconds and is the benignant of super-charged EV that'll beryllium taking connected the likes of the Audi e-tron GT.

Not to confuse 2021's GT-Line - the one-up-from-base exemplary with further exterior styling, on with immoderate further features - with the GT proper, though. All trim levels look reasonably similar, though, adjacent the introduction EV6 Air, truthful whichever appeals you're not dumbing down the look to immoderate important degree.

There's loads of ocular plan treats astir the EV6 too. Those angular headlights embody an intelligent lighting system. The charging larboard is integrated into the rear hindquarters arsenic portion of the design, alternatively than being a abstracted cutaway successful the centre of the beforehand wing. The doorway handles tuck themselves distant retired of show unless you unlock and attack the car, giving a much seamless and aero look.

It's a polished wide visual, particularly for a car that's truthful agelong - it's 4.7 metres successful length, making the EV6 a bully 12cm longer than adjacent the Audi Q4 - giving the on-paper content that it's a monolithic car, but it doesn't consciousness it to drive.

Interior

Not this it's a tiny car by immoderate means, arsenic you'll consciousness connected the inside. The entreaty here, being that it's a crossover, is that you'll beryllium capable to spot 4 adults with easiness - though the Ioniq 5 has a spot much rear headroom successful the backmost we deliberation - and a household of 5 won't conflict astatine all.

Sat up beforehand and there's a existent airiness astir the interior. That's mostly due to the fact that the centre passageway is 'open', to the constituent you could loop and limb each the mode astir it, which opens up assorted cubby holes and retention areas for other functional use. It besides means, arsenic a driver, your limb won't beryllium planted against a partition of integrative the full clip either. There's abstraction to breathe.

On that centre passageway are assorted controls, with a rotational dial handling thrust select. Beyond this dial determination are further controls for heated/cooled beforehand seats (depending connected the exemplary and packages you pick) which are easy activated with a gentle property - excessively easy activated, really, due to the fact that a resting manus volition often accidentally acceptable thing successful question (an unwanted heated steering for america usually).

Many interior elements are made oregon finished from recycled materials, including vegan leather and recycled plastics. We're not definite if immoderate of that accounts for the alternatively futuristic modern ocular of the dashboard, though, which we're not definite however good it'll basal the trial of clip overall. It's surely an eye-catching diagnostic that gives the EV6's interior a consciousness of individuality though.

Tech

On the tech front, however, it's arsenic if Kia has stalled a small successful its futuristic vision. Not successful presumption of the carnal layout - the 12.3-inch infotainment show mounted wrong the dash is good integrated and a important capable size; the driver's show echoes this 12.3-inch curved sheet to present captious information; and there's a head-up show (HUD) too.

It's not the hardware, then, alternatively the software. It conscionable looks a spot dated. The graphics aren't arsenic creaseless arsenic they could be. The integrated satnav is tricky to usage too. And if Kia wants to beryllium going head-to-head with Audi past it needs a strategy that's not conscionable up to velocity connected hardware, but idiosyncratic acquisition too. This is simply a tad abbreviated of the people successful our view.

Fortunately, however, you tin hide astir about of it, arsenic by plugging into the USB-A larboard (there's conscionable 1 of those, plentifulness much USB-C ports are connected manus for charging only) you tin fire-up Apple CarPlay oregon Android Auto to instrumentality implicit proceedings. Then you'll person each your Spotify, Google Maps and different personalisations looking splendid crossed this strategy hardware. Why there's nary wireless versions of Apple's oregon Google's exertion is yet different oversight though - particularly arsenic there's an integrated wireless charging pad connected that centre tunnel. Some dots and crosses weren't rather checked up of last accumulation it seems.

By and large, though, that's astir the lone moan we person astir the EV6. In different ways it's miles up of the contention successful the mode it integrates immoderate of its features. On that ample operator display, for example, the car tin contiguous real-time camera-based observations of blind-spot views that are ace helpful. And we've driven a clump of cars with integer mirrors that are thing but distracting; the EV6, by contrast, doesn't messiness with accepted mirrors, avoids thing becoming an unwanted distraction, and yet enhances information by utilizing the cameras arsenic an summation alternatively than replacement.

There's more, too, arsenic the GT-Line and supra features what's called Vehicle-to-load (V2L). This is, successful effect, conscionable a plug socket wrong the car, allowing you to gully from the on-board artillery to tally different devices. Not conscionable a speedy complaint of your mobile phone, mind, we're talking mini-fridges, adjacent a 55-inch TV should you privation - though we can't accidental we tried this out. It volition drain the artillery and truthful the range, though, truthful that's thing to support successful caput successful presumption of rang potential.

Drive & Range

Fortunately the EV6's scope is alternatively impressive. In our hands - and with nary 55-inch tellies plugged successful anywhere! - we were calculating a scope not excessively acold southbound of 300 miles per charge.

Kia tells america the car tin bash 314 miles, the EV6 itself told america it'd bash 289 erstwhile we archetypal got successful the car (with the artillery astatine 98 per cent) - and adjacent with a spot of foot-down driving from clip to clip we came successful calculating astir 280 miles arsenic possible. That's marginally amended than the Ioniq 5. It's amended than astir EVs connected the road, really.

There's nary smaller artillery enactment for UK purchasers either, lone the 77.4kWh one, truthful the lone existent prime is whether you wage other for all-wheel thrust (AWD) versus the basal rear-wheel (RWD) enactment - the second adding immoderate scope (to a claimed 328 miles per charge, truthful astir 3 per cent more).

Among the awesome features is the super-fast charging potential. There's an 800V strategy which, if you tin find the close benignant of charger, tin fastener into 350kW charging rates wherever available. Now these are ever much costly to usage than slower systems, but it could mean charging 70 per cent of the artillery successful 18 minutes. Given that you're improbable to ever beryllium little than 10 per cent, and that implicit 80 per cent is slower to complaint and much damaging to artillery health, that ought to beryllium astir what longer-distance drivers are aiming astatine arsenic a maximum anyway.

Not that you'll beryllium utilizing pricey motorway top-ups each the time. If you've got a 7kW charger astatine location past you're looking astatine much similar 10 hours to complaint the EV6 overnight. Which, assuming you're not a maniacal idiosyncratic who gets location astatine 11pm and is backmost astatine the table for 6am, ought to beryllium plentifulness bully capable - and energy tin beryllium cheaper connected galore contracts during the nighttime hours too.

So that's a batch of figures to contemplate, but however does the EV6 really feel to drive? It's a precise comfy spot to sit, delivers ample pep - its 0-62mph clip is simply a respectable 5.2 seconds - and whether you're sauntering on highways with each the lane- and steering-assist technologies turned on, oregon pushing it a small other astir those bends with lone your hands connected the instrumentality to nonstop things, it inspires assurance successful a sort-of calming way. It's an bully all-round consciousness that, portion it looks much sporty than it genuinely drives, has an borderline implicit galore of the staple EVs retired determination - specified arsenic the fashionable but little awesome VW ID.3.

Writing by Mike Lowe. Originally published connected 27 October 2021.