Kia EV6: Premium Cousin of the Hyundai IONIQ 5

In the first half of 2022, Kia Motors launched its first electric vehicle (EV) in India, the EV6. This vehicle was launched before its sibling, the Hyundai IONIQ 5. 

And unlike the Hyundai IONIQ 5, Kia is struggling to sell EV6 in good numbers, and I believe there is a solid reason behind it.

But first, let’s take a look at all the features that this EV has to offer:

Exterior

The Kia EV6 is built on the E-GMP (Electric Global Modular Platform) architecture which also underpins the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6. 

This platform allows Kia to provide 2900mm of wheelbase, which translates to adequate legroom, while the overall length of the vehicle remains at 4695mm, whereas the width is 1890mm and the height is 1570mm.

The EV6 gets LED headlamps with adaptive high-beam assist, which means the car’s sensor will automatically switch to low- and high-beams, as and when required. The headlamps are surrounded by LED DRLs which also work as sequential indicators. The EV6 runs on 19” alloy wheels which look decent and are designed aerodynamically for better efficiency. The connected LED tail lamps with sequential indicators are present at the back, which enhances the look of the EV6.

Interior

The interior of this car looks sporty with a driver-centric dashboard with twin 12.3’’ displays, one for the instrument cluster and the other for infotainment. It also gets a sunroof but I feel Kia should have offered a panoramic sunroof instead of the single-pane sunroof.

Both the front seats are 10-way power-adjustable and have a ventilation system. The infotainment screen supports Kia-connect with over 60 connected car features such as remote climate control, remote charging control, surround view monitoring, etc.

The materials used in upholstery and elsewhere in the interior are made up of recycled materials. Just like the Hyundai IONIQ 5’s interior, this too is very eco-friendly. 

The all-wheel drive (top) variant gets a 14-speaker Meridian surround sound system, whereas the rear-wheel drive (base) variant gets a basic 4 speakers and 2 tweeters sound system. But, given the price, Kia should have kept the Meridian-sourced system standard. 

Motor, Battery & Charging

The EV 6 has 2 variants: All-wheel drive and Rear-wheel drive. The rear-wheel drive variant has a single motor, producing 229HP power and 350Nm torque. The all-wheel drive variant has a dual motor setup with 325 hp and 605Nm torque.

Both variants get a 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack with a claimed range of 528kms for the all-wheel drive model and 708kms for the rear-wheel drive variant.

Charging time with a 350KW DC fast charger is just 18 minutes, whereas 73 minutes with a 50KW charger. If you buy the Kia EV, they’ll install an 11KW AC charger at your home and it comes with a 15-Ampere portable charger as well.

Safety

The EV6 gets 8 airbags, front and rear parking sensors, all-wheel disc brakes, ABS, ESC, and many more safety features along with the support of ADAS. The EV has scored full score in the EURO-NCAP crash test. More on safety, this EV gets more than 10 ADAS features such as Rear Cross-Traffic Avoidance Assist, Safe Exit Assist, Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist, etc. 

Colours, Variants, and Pricing

The Kia EV6 is available in these colours: Moonscape, Snow White Pearl, Runaway Red, Aurora Black Pearl, and Yacht Blue. The black colour interior remains standard.

The GT-Line rear-wheel drive variant costs 60.95 lakh (ex-showroom) and the GT-Line all-wheel drive variant costs 65.95 lakh (ex-showroom). 

Noteworthy features 

A 360-degree camera, 64-colour mood ambient lightning, wireless phone charger, Augmented-Reality Head UP Display, and Automatic body-coloured flush door handles are some of Kia EV 6’s noteworthy features. 

The Kia EV 6 also gets a 3.6 KW Vehicle-to-Load feature, and ultra-fast charging thanks to the 800-volt architecture. It also has three driving modes(Eco, Normal, and Sport) and three levels of regenerative braking. It also offers 20 litres in the AWD variant and 52 litres in the RWD variant, as far as the frunk storage is concerned. However, you get a 540-litre of boot space in both variants, which can be increased to 1300 litres (approx) by folding the rear seats.

Conclusion

Currently, the Kia EV6 follows the CBU route in India. The Indian government charges high import duties on CBU products, making this vehicle command an exorbitant premium, thereby making the sales unimpressive. 

As I already mentioned above Hyundai Ioniq 5 is selling in good numbers, and that’s because Hyundai assembles the IONIQ 5 in its Tamilnadu Plant and gets tax benefits from the government. 

Kia should start following the CKD route, which will help them get good numbers, as far as sales are concerned.