Kia believes it has exactly the right answer to the powerful electric wave from Volkswagen’s ID family. The expectations of the Kia EV6, which will go on sale at the end of the year, are particularly high. In a first driving test, the Korean shows what he can do.
Technically, the 4.70 meter long Kia EV6 is closely related to the Hyundai Ioniq 5, with which it shares far more than the new E-GMP electrical platform. But first of all, its design is a real show, because the flat front, the decidedly long wheelbase and the attractive rear with the elegant LED light strip should be very popular with many customers. With its two twelve-inch screens and head-up display, the interior is more modern than futuristic and, despite its mid-range dimensions, is reasonably sized thanks to the 2.90-meter-long wheelbase. The wide center console separates the driver and co-pilot with shelves and control units. Due to the battery pack in the underbody, the seating position is a little higher than it would otherwise be. In the case of an SUV, however, this can be concealed comparatively easily. The load space has a capacity of 480 liters, which can be expanded to up to 1,300 liters by folding down the rear seats. A small storage compartment (20 to 52 liters) is located at the front under the front hood and can easily accommodate smaller items that shouldn’t get dirty, for example, once the cargo space is full.
The Kia EV6 is offered in two versions with two battery packs of 58 and 77.4 kWh. While the basic version with 125 kW / 170 PS or 168 kW / 229 PS is driven by the rear axle alone, the EV6 is also available with an all-wheel drive, which has either 173 kW / 235 PS or 239 kW / 325 PS / 605 Nm. If that’s not enough for you, you can look forward to the top model of the Kia EV6 GT at the end of 2022, with two electric motors delivering a lush 430 kW / 584 PS and 740 Nm maximum torque. The subsequently delivered sports cannon manages the image spurt from 0 to 100 km / h in 3.5 seconds and attacks higher vehicle classes and manufacturers with an impressive top speed of 260 km / h. But for many interested parties, the temporary top version with 325 hp should be the right choice; It also positions itself against the GTX models of the VW ID family.
With a weight of 2.1 tons, the all-wheel drive is anything but lightweight, but the 74 kW / 100 PS electric motor on the front axle and the 165 kW / 225 PS on the rear axle push the all-wheel drive on the country road impressively and more than dynamically on. As with many electric models, the steering is purely a matter of feeling – you have to get used to it. But the feedback is good; only the restoring forces are different than one would have expected from an all-wheel drive in the 300 hp league from the combustion engine world. This also applies to the suspension, because the always sporty Kia EV6 is not uncomfortably tuned – but always tight and regardless of the selected drive program. The image spurt from 0 to 100 in 5.2 seconds is of no interest in everyday life, but the EV6 is a real show at the intermediate spurt. When behind a truck on the country road there is just a bit of a slow twitch, all you need to do is press the right pedal and the electric crossover spurts from a speed of 60 to 100 km / h in a spectacular 2.7 seconds, despite its ample weight. Take a short drive onto the autobahn? 80 to 120 in 3.9 seconds – spectacularly pressed into the seat and always at sports car level. But the Kia EV6 is not really fast on the autobahn, even with its 325 hp, because at 185 km / h it is limited too quickly.
For many customers, the maximum range is likely to be more important anyway, and with the smaller 19-inch models it should be a good 500 kilometers. To fill the 77.4 kWh battery pack in the underbody from 10 to 80 percent, it takes 18 minutes on a 350 kilowatt fast charging station and 73 minutes on a 50 kW column. The Kia EV6, like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, can refuel at 400- and 800-volt charging stations. Refueling at home takes just under 7.5 hours, 80 percent of the time, and the remaining 20 percent of the battery capacity is tough, as is the case with all electric vehicles. In terms of price, the Kia EV6 starts in the fourth quarter at 44,900 euros for the basic version with rear-wheel drive and a small battery pack. With all-wheel drive and a large battery pack, the GT version of the Kia EV6 will cost around 66,000 euros. With that, Kia has a new top model, because currently, at least in Europe, the chic Kia Stinger ends at just under 58,000 euros.
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