The Kia EV6 is likely one of the extra attractive electrical autos kicking round on the minute, although tight provide means it can’t compete with Tesla on the gross sales charts.
Designed from the ground-up as an EV, the 4.7-metre lengthy Kia affords flashy design, driving vary, and wonderful driving efficiency at a reasonably cheap value level.
Whereas the GT-Line grade will get the eye, and a hardcore GT will are available 2023 because the efficiency halo, right here we take a look at the entry EV6 Air which affords the longest claimed vary within the line-up at 528km.
How a lot does the Kia EV6 Air price?
The bottom Kia EV6 variant prices $72,590 earlier than on-road prices, equal to a tick beneath $78,600 drive-away utilizing a Melbourne postcode.
The EV6 Air due to this fact nearly completely matches a base Tesla Mannequin Y with a retail value earlier than on-road prices of $72,300, equal to $78,134 drive-away in Melbourne.
Apparently, the bottom EV6 is nearly line-ball with Kia’s personal Niro EV GT-Line ($72,100), which affords a number of extra luxuries however is a smaller car with much less grunt and vary, based mostly on a combustion-engined platform.
2023 Kia EV6 pricing:
Kia EV6 Air: $72,590Kia EV6 GT-Line RWD: $79,590 Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD: $87,590
Costs are earlier than on-road prices
MORE:Â What electrical automobile purchaser incentives are provided throughout Australia?
What’s the Kia EV6 Air like on the within?
The EV6’s inside design is fashionable and minimalist, though the marginally flimsy handbook flush door handles and not using a proximity key are a bit disappointing of their execution, if not design.
The 2-spoke steering wheel appears to be like distinctive and has easy buttons on every spoke, and a small drive-mode selector mounted on the left-hand facet.
Behind this sits a big digital cluster that adjustments with drive modes and allows you to view driving information, driver-assist menus, remaining vary, and extra.
Left of this inside a steady housing is a 12.3-inch horizontal touchscreen with sat-nav, wired smartphone mirroring, and a reversing digicam. It affords crisp graphics and fast processing.
It’s quite simple to make use of, with easy tiles on the menu display screen, and useful elements corresponding to a pop up widget that notifies you whenever you skip a monitor, and a clock that’s super-simple to tweak.
Operating alongside the sprint and beneath the display screen is a bit of gray material which elevates the color palette and offsets some pretty cheap-feeling and drab plastic sections that really feel like they belong in a less expensive automobile.
Under this part and the slim vents is a touchscreen show that adjustments from an air-conditioning or air flow menu to a shortcut toolbar to take you to navigation, audio, or normal settings. It’s intelligent, elegant and saves area.
There are additionally bodily dials and buttons for options corresponding to quantity, monitor skipping, parking sensor controls, pulling up the reversing digicam, and Auto Maintain anti-creeping mode.
The centre console is kind of capacious, and forward of it sit cupholders and a rubberised wi-fi charger pad, plus a rotary dial for the gear shifter and a distinguished begin button.
The flat flooring and lack of a driveshaft front-to-rear means there’s area for a big storage bin part-hidden beneath the centre tunnel, making it tremendous sensible. There are a number of USB ports.
Again seat occupants get vents at face degree in every B-pillar, seat-back USB ports, cupholders, and a 250V and 16A three-prong powerpoint beneath the seat bench.
Legroom is beneficiant for adults and the ground is completely flat, though toe room is modest and headroom was simply ample for my 194cm body. In larger grades with a sunroof (not within the EV6 Air) this space is more likely to be extra compromised.
The boot has levers to flip down the again seats remotely, taking stowage area from 490 litres to 1270L – plus there’s a 52L frunk storage part.
What’s beneath the bonnet?
The EV6 was a brand new improvement from the bottom up, and shares most of its {hardware} with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Genesis GV60.
The EV6 Air is rear-wheel drive utilizing a rear-mounted everlasting magnet synchronous motor producing 168kW of energy and 350Nm of torque, ample for a claimed 7.3-second 0-100km/h sprint.
All Kia EV6 variants are powered by the power saved in a 77.4kWh capability lithium-ion battery pack with a voltage of 697V, with a manufacturer-claimed weight of 477kg.
The manufacturer-claimed driving vary is a prolonged 528km WLTP, although based mostly on my driving as I’ll element in a minute I’d financial institution on it being extra like 470km. This compares to 504km for the EV6 GT-Line RWD and 484km for the dual-motor GT-Line AWD.
The Kind 2 and CCS charging port is subsequent to the right-hand facet tail-light.
Kia states the recharging time on an 11kW AC unit is 7 hours and 20 minutes (10-100 per cent), that means homeowners with a house wallbox may have no points charging in a single day.
On the DC facet the 800V charging infrastructure theoretically permits a 10-80 per cent cost on an ultra-rapid 350kW charging unit of 18 minutes, or 73 minutes on a extra widespread (for now) 50kW charger unit.
I popped by a Chargefox ultra-rapid charger and added 56.53kWh in 25 minutes, with a peak charging velocity (indicated on the Kia’s devices) of 202kW. That equates to including 73 per cent cost in 25min.
How does the Kia EV6 Air drive?
Whereas that is the bottom, non-performance EV6 variant, it’s not sluggish given successive zero to 100km/h runs of seven.4 seconds and seven.7 seconds.
The throttle response can be modified considerably based mostly in your set driving mode which stays on at restart – much less responsive to save lots of power in Eco, punchier in Sport.
One level, the Air lacks the Lively Sound Design sound symposer discovered within the EV6 GT-Line grade, so it’s all silent wafting right here.
I lined 395.3km over a number of days (cumulatively 10 hours and quarter-hour of driving) at temperatures round 20-degrees, averaging a powerful 15.2kWh of consumption. That is superior to the declare.
After 400km travelled I retained 18 per cent battery cost, that means the actual driving vary based mostly on my commuting would have fallen simply in need of 500km.
You additionally get a number of types of brake-energy recuperation that manifest in additional drag or slowing down whenever you raise off the accelerator, by to one-pedal driving.
Degree 3 regen mode massively reduces your want to make use of the mechanical brakes, which themselves felt well-weighted.
In contrast to some electrical automobiles, the EV6 feels fairly dynamically succesful, regardless of its 2000kg tare weight.
It rounds-off small sharp bumps properly, isolates you from highway noises, and has fairly fast directional adjustments with flat physique management.
The driving force-assist options are additionally wonderful, significantly the lane-keeping help which steers the car by surprisingly tight curves – whereas your hand gently rests on the wheel.
It’s additionally rated to tow 1600kg, though this may influence vary tremendously. As ever, variables corresponding to payload, climate and driving model massively have an effect on vary.
What do you get?
Exterior
Moveable trickle charger cable (three-prong)Flush door handles LED reflector headlights LED daytime operating lightsLED tail lights19-inch alloy wheelsTyre-pressure monitoring systemTyre restore equipment Energy-folding and heated facet mirrors
Inside
Auto-dimming rear-view mirrorCloth and synthetic leather-based trimDual-zone local weather management 12.3-inch instrument cluster12.3-inch centre touchscreenSatellite navigation with map updates 6-speaker audio AM/FM/DAB+ A number of Bluetooth connections Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto 4 x USB-C ports, 1 x USB-A, and a pair of x 12VV2L characteristic with three-prong powerpoint in again seatWireless telephone charger
The EV6 Air goes with out lots of the niceties discovered within the GT-Line, which we’ve reviewed right here.
EV6 GT-Line provides:
20-inch alloy wheelsAcoustic entrance window glassRear privateness glassAuto-folding flush door handlesGT-Line exterior stylingA V2L adaptor with 3.6kWLeatherette/suede seat upholsteryStainless metal baggage space sill plate64-colour ambient inside lightingActive Sound Design (engine sound modes)Augmented actuality head-up display14-speaker Meridian audioPower driver seat with 2-position memoryPremium Leisure Seats (entrance)Heated/ventilated entrance seatsHeated steering wheelRemote Sensible Park AssistPower tailgateBlind Spot View Monitor3D surround-view digicam system
All this for $7000 appears too tempting, suggesting the EV6 Air both prices an excessive amount of or must be better-equipped.
Is the Kia EV6 Air secure?
The Kia EV6 earned a five-star ANCAP security ranking based mostly on testing performed by Euro NCAP, with a 2022 date stamp.
It scored 90 per cent for grownup occupant safety, 87 per cent for baby occupant safety, 64 per cent for weak highway person safety, and 88 per cent for security help.
Commonplace security options embrace:
Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)Pedestrian, Bicycle owner detectionJunction assistAdaptive cruise management with cease/goLane Following Help (lively centring)Lane preserve assistBlind-spot monitoringRear cross-traffic alertFront-centre airbagIntelligent velocity restrict assistMulti Collision BrakingFront and rear parking sensorsReversing cameraTyre strain monitoring
EV6 GT-Line provides:
Blind Spot View Monitor3D surround-view camerasPower baby locks
How a lot does the Kia EV6 Air price to run?
The EV6 is roofed by Kia Australia’s seven-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee, with high-voltage parts such because the battery, e-motors and on-board charger warrantied for seven years or 150,000 kilometres.
Kia affords three pre-paid service plans. The three-year plan is priced at $594, the five-year plan will set you again $1089, and the seven-year plan $1584.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Kia EV6 Air
The Kia EV6 is such a compelling electrical crossover, I might genuinely contemplate shopping for one. And at base degree as examined it nonetheless feels thrilling and succesful sufficient to stack up.
For my two-cents, that is essentially the most alluring Tesla Mannequin 3 different at the moment available in the market, and provide is projected to enhance in 2023 as well.
It will be exhausting to go previous the GT-Line’s longer spec sheet, but the EV6 Air stays a genuinely well-engineered electrical automobile that’s among the many greatest within the enterprise.
See the hyperlink beneath for our three-way EV comparability between the EV6, Polestar 2 and Tesla Mannequin 3.
Click on the photographs for the total gallery
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