Kia EV6

Expert Review by Maxabout

Overview

KIA has unveiled its first all-electric vehicle in India. The new EV6 crossover is a hybrid of a sedan and an SUV. Kia's foray into the world of built-up EVs piqued everyone's interest. It wasn't just because of how the EV6 looked, but also because of the technology hidden between the sleek bumpers. It promised sports car performance and luxury automobile features, and now we get to see for ourselves. It will, however, be a full import, which means it will be positioned in the luxury sector.

Kia EV6 Design and Style

Kia has taken a major step forward in design with its all-EV platform. 2023 EV6 is not a traditional hatchback, sedan, or SUV. It's a hybrid of the three, and when you consider the EV6's size and design elements, it's unlike anything we've seen on our roads.

The sloping hood, elegant grille, and big headlamps make the head stand out. When you move to the side, the large proportions of this vehicle become apparent. The attention to detail, though, jumps out. For lighting, the headlamps receive sophisticated DRLS and a full matrix LED arrangement. The upper DRL serves as a sequential turn sign as well.

2023 Kia EV6 is 4695mm long, 1890mm wide, 1550mm high, and has a 2900mm wheelbase. As a result, the EV6 is longer and nearly as wide as the Tata Safari, with a longer wheelbase than the Toyota Fortuner. This is because the EV platform pushes the EV's wheels to the corners. And, despite its size, the EV appears even more sporty because of its fastback design. Then there are the design features, including the 19-inch wheels, aero-specific ORVMs, and flush-fitting door handles, which help to keep this car looking pristine.

The finely detailed linked tail lamp and the 3D pattern on the turn indicators return the precision in design to the back. The spoiler is also appropriately athletic, and the reverse lights, which are inspired by a certain hypercar, are unmistakable once seen. Overall, the new Kia EV6 is an eye-catcher. It commands attention with its size and keeps it with the subtleties in the design. It may appear overdone in sections, but nothing else on the route looks like it.

Kia EV6 Engine and Gearbox

2023 KIA EV6 is a globally recognised product noted for its electric motor power and long-distance driving range. The KIA EV6 is available in India with a bigger 77.4 kWh battery pack. A permanent magnet synchronous motor coupled with an automatic transmission system produces 229 hp of peak power and 350 Nm of peak torque for the RWD variant and the AWD variant produces 325 hp of peak power and 605 Nm of peak torque.

Kia EV6 Suspension, Brakes and Tyres

KIA's ride quality has always been praised on a global scale. The well-tuned suspension easily shields the passengers from most of the undulations. The low-speed city ride is very composed, while the high-speed highway ride inspires confidence. To handle, the KIA EV6 has an ultra-light steering wheel that feels natural at city speeds. Because of its colossal size and lengthy wheelbase, parking and manoeuvring it through tight areas might be difficult. Over highways, the steering response becomes heavy, increasing the driver's confidence. The KIA EV6 can reach triple-digit highway speeds in seconds while remaining quiet inside.

The braking is as remarkable, and slowing down from maximum speed immediately before a corner is a breeze. The brakes bite forcefully and give you a lot of confidence. Then there's the handling, EV6 surprised us yet again in this department. The chassis, which is based on the E-GMP platform, is extremely rigid. McPherson struts handle the suspension in the front and a multi-link in the rear. The suspension system is not novel, but it's the results that count.

Interior and Instrument Console of Kia EV6

In terms of inside size, the new KIA EV6 is identical to the Hyundai Ioniq 5. For the price of the KIA EV6, the discreet use of top-quality soft-touch material and dual-tone scheme looks and feels pleasant. The instrument cluster is entirely digital and displays all driver-related information. The floating touchscreen also enables Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. KIA has endowed the EV6 with features like a large sunroof, leather seats, ventilated seats, several driving modes, and so on to improve the cabin experience. KIA has also outfitted the new EV6 with technologies such as an air purifier, brake energy regeneration, smartwatch integration, and so on. The rear seat headroom is a little restricted for taller people because of the coupe-like roof style.

Two curved 12.3-inch displays for the driver and infotainment are mounted on the dashboard. Display clarity and software smoothness are superb, comfortably competing with Mercedes-Benz systems. The driver receives a variety of layouts that alter with flowing animations, and the infotainment system also receives plain yet useful graphics. They partnered the infotainment system with a lovely 14-speaker Meridian sound system that features 3D acoustic sound, just as in luxury cars.

Key Features of Kia EV6

Key features of new EV6 include an augmented reality HUD, sunroof, wireless charging, suede seats with vegan leather, adaptive driving beam, powered tailgate, a vehicle-to-load feature where you can power other things with the car’s battery, dual-curved display, heated and ventilated seats, 14-speaker meridian sound system and Kia connect with 60+ features along with a 360 display.

KIA is well-known for producing some of the world's safest automobiles. The KIA EV6 is no exception. With a 5-star Asian NCAP crash test rating, the KIA EV6 is one of the safest vehicles in its class. ADAS, Adaptive cruise control, hill-hold assist, ISOFIX seats, projector headlights, rear fog lights, rear defogger, rear parking assist and camera, eight airbags along with ABS, EBD, ESP, 360-degree parking assist camera, front parking sensors, and electronic parking brake are also included. These features combine to make the KIA EV6 one of the best-equipped vehicles in its class. Forward collision avoidance, lane-keep assist, blind-spot collision avoidance, rear traffic avoidance, smart cruise control, and other features are included in the ADAS suite.

Top Speed and Range of Kia EV6

2023 KIA EV6 has a WLTP cycle claimed driving range of 528 kilometres on a single charge. In addition, the KIA EV6 charges from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes. The top speed of the Kia EV6 is 192 km/h, and the rear-wheel-drive model takes 7.3 seconds to reach 100 km/h, while the all-wheel-drive model takes only 5.2 seconds.

Kia EV6 Colour Options

Kia offers the new EV6 in 5 different colour options: Aurora Black Pearl, Moonscape, Runway Red, Yacht Blue, and Snow White Pearl.

Kia EV6 Competitors

Hyundai Ioniq 5, Hyundai Kona, MG ZS EV, BMW iX, and Audi e-Tron are some of the cars that rival the Kia EV6.

Conclusion

2023 EV6 appears to be an exceptionally excellent vehicle from Kia Motors, with the potential to be a halo EV product. Sure, the interior could use fewer plastics, but it more than makes up for it in terms of spaciousness, design, and equipment. It also looks terrific and performs like a bat out of hell, providing actual sports car performance as well as what we believe to be a reasonably useable range. All of this, however, will come at a cost, and being a CBU means we will be paying nearly double the actual cost. Kia's very minor aim of 100 units should be easily met, but what's more important to note is that the EV6 is a fantastic starter package and a sign of good things to come from Kia.