KIA EV6 TEST: The Tesla Model Y killer?
Electric cars are beginning to proliferate everywhere on the market. Automotive brands are no longer content to release a model but to develop a whole range. The Hyundai/Kia group has been ahead in the field since the 2014 launch of eSoul. With his expertise, he recently created the E-GMP platform which allows him to offer electric vehicles with high-end technology such as 800 V. The Kia EV6 is the first to have it for the Seoul brand.
Kia France invited us to try this novelty on the south coast of Spain in the seaside resort of Marbella. An ideal place to take advantage of its 22°C at the end of October. Let's leave aside the Iberian weather to focus on the car of the day. The Kia EV6 is therefore the brand's first car to be designed on the E-GMP platform. And for this new electric strategy, the brand has decided to put the small dishes in the big ones at the risk of shocking its admirers. Exit the tigernose, the stylistic signature of Kia since the arrival of Peter Schreyer in 2005. Luc Donckerwolke has turned all this upside down by creating a very striking style.
Electric technology makes it possible to redesign the front of cars, here it has become very plunging and short. It bothered me at first before finally finding dynamism in this style. The wheels being ejected at the four corners of the chassis, the cabin accommodates five adults without difficulty and in royal comfort. The absence of a central tunnel and the wheelbase of 2.9 m contribute a lot to this. All in fairly contained dimensions: 4.68 m long, 1.88 m wide and 1.55 m high. The habitability for passengers is particularly generous, close to that of a Touareg which is nevertheless 19 cm longer and 10 cm wider. As for the trunk, the capacity is 572 dm3, which is good but not great (as Les Nuls said).
You may have noticed that I forgot to tell you about the rear of the car because I find it rather coarse: this protuberance of the taillights in the style of an Aston Martin DBX spoiler shocks me. I hadn't had this feeling in the photo, whereas in real life...
However, you recognize this car at first glance because it imposes its own character. In an automotive market where all cars tend to look alike, we must admit that it's good to see renewal.
From Marbella airport, I get into the car of the day with my passenger and lifelong sidekick JB from the YouTube channel Le Billet Auto.
When you sit behind the wheel, you immediately feel at ease. The steering wheel and on-board instrumentation fall perfectly in hand. The driving position is a little high for me but it seems that is what is acclaimed by the public targeted by this car so...
The floating center console makes it easy to store a purse or camera in our case. The closed storage between the seats is deep enough to put my whole arm in.
In front, there are two screens of 12.3 inches each arranged in a curved way for more visibility.
Under the right hand, the by-wire rotary selector (without physical link) of the gearbox. And just above, the heated steering wheel control as well as the heated and ventilated seat (and this from the second level of the range). Very useful equipment on an electric vehicle because it consumes less energy than air conditioning.
The GT line version tested during these 24 hours is the most top-of-the-range on sale in France, pending the 575 hp GT version which will be available in mid-2022. Our version is therefore equipped as usual from Kia with a lot of on-board technologies. Safety includes autonomous emergency braking with detection of pedestrians and cyclists at intersections, recognition of speed limit signs and adaptive cruise control with Stop&Go function. Level 2 semi-autonomous driving is of a very good standard.
Other very rare comfort technology equipment is present on this EV6 such as the premium 360° 3D vision technology which allows you to turn around the car; an assistance system which displays in the instrument cluster the blind spot camera on the side where you have chosen to put your indicator, simple but devilishly effective; autonomous parking assistance from the outside via the vehicle key; and finally a technology that I have only seen today on the most technological car in the world, the S-Class: the augmented reality display in the head-up display. The car in front will (if you have the adaptive cruise control engaged) underline the car in front of you and follow its movements. It will also, if you have started GPS navigation, show you where to turn and which lane to take on the highway. Bluffing basic, but at this price it's crazy!
And if we add the Meridian sound system to all that, as in our test model, we then take advantage of another dimension for travel on board this EV6.
The first laps of the wheels are very pleasant. The car is very comfortable. The suspensions are calibrated to perfectly reduce the inconvenience of road defects. This comfort is accentuated by soft seats and very good soundproofing. This is very appreciable on an electric vehicle.
On the highway, the car drives very easily, especially if you have engaged semi-autonomous driving, which allows it to stay in its lane without difficulty. I would have perhaps liked a little more sensitivity of the steering wheel so that it understands when you hold it in your hand and the car stops beeping for nothing. Nothing dramatic, but in the long run it can become painful.
In town, the car behaves very well despite its almost 4.70 m length. The electric car's turning radius allows it to overcome urban difficulties.
Finally, on the secondary networks the car behaves like a comfortable car. The comfort type of the chassis does not allow it to pass flat in turns like a Taycan. If you increase the pace, the car will sag on its front end, while remaining very healthy. We will have to wait for the 575 hp GT version to have a really sporty chassis. I'm eager to ! Not you ?
In terms of consumption, the car inherits the efficiency of the group's electric cars. On the highway, I consumed an average of 19 kWh/100km at 120 km/h with the air conditioning. Which is very satisfactory for the weight of the vehicle. With a mix of city and secondary networks, you will arrive without paying attention to a consumption of 15 kWh/100 km. The more than 500 km of autonomy are perfectly achievable with these 77.4 kW of battery. The manufacturer announces 528 km of autonomy for the two-wheel drive version (508 km for the 4WD version).
Finally, the car is equipped with paddles on the steering wheel to manage the regeneration force of the electric motor when you release the accelerator pedal, in four levels: from the most total freewheel to an e-Pedal allowing driving on one foot. What you help to consume even less!
If we have to compare this car, it's above all with its group cousin, the Ioniq 5. We haven't yet been able to test it on the Blog, but we know that it has more or less the same technologies and above all an 800 V on-board network allowing theoretical recharges in 18 minutes from 10 to 80%, with a peak of 239 kWh on the Ionity terminals. Here, the comparison is mainly about the design of the car. And there, it must be said that we have two opposing choices. On the one hand, a very cubic and futuristic style for the Ioniq 5 while on the other, a vision of the future with a more sporty and aggressive approach for the EV6. Personally, I prefer the Ioniq 5. How about you?
The comparison also holds with the Volkswagen iD4, which has a 77 kW battery, an advertised range of 520 km and a 400 V on-board network limiting its charging speed to 125 kWh peak. It takes 31min to do the 10-80% with the latter. Recharging is paid per minute on the French Ionity network, so it will cost €12.09 compared to €7.02 with the KIA EV6. No comment.
The other car that sits head-on with the Kia EV6 is Tesla's Model Y. The latest arrival from the Californian manufacturer is undoubtedly the one that will sell the most. For what ? Thanks to its network of superchargers making it very easy to cover 1000 km in one day without wondering where to stop to recharge the car and especially whether the terminal will work well. But since Tuesday, November 2, Tesla has started experimenting with opening up its network to other electric vehicles. What make you fall for a Kia EV6 or an Ioniq 5?
To conclude, the Kia EV6 is full of good ideas and will undoubtedly be a hit with people who will like its rather specific design. Its very satisfactory autonomy, its comfort and its advanced on-board technology will make more than one crack. Even if deep down in me there will always be the lack of a combustion engine, it must be admitted that with such a vehicle we are reaching a certain maturity of the electric car and it is good to see.
Thanks to Kia France for the invitation, to JB Dessort for the infallible Co-Drive and to you for having come this far 🙂
Images: Kia Europe, Ugo Missana, Régis Krol, Hyundai France & You're here
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