The EV6 should prove to be a dependable vehicle given that over the following few years, a variety of future all-electric Kia cars are expected to employ its E-GMP underpinnings. Reliability and operating costs were cited as two areas where Kia’s model ranges excelled by customers in our 2022 Driver Power poll, which placed the company in third place out of 29 brands.
Although the EV6 is too young to have been included in our list of the greatest vehicles to own, Kia had excellent success elsewhere, with the XCeed tiny crossover taking first place, followed by the Rio hatchback in third and the Sportage SUV in sixth (out of 75 cars).
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What is the Kia EV6’s range?
Two of the most sought-after EVs this year are the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6. And given that the Ioniq 5 is essentially unavailable in some areas of the nation this year, it would seem to some people who are obsessed on the Hyundai that they will have to make do with less.
After spending some time with both of these devices recently, I can say that while I favor the EV6, the Ioniq 5 has a slightly better design and more basic interface options.
Why? In almost every way, the Kia side of this powerful pair of EV cousins is better tuned. And that makes the entire automobile seem nicer and more appealing to me.
To that end, below are some detailed observations on each vehicle’s range, charging, and livability along with explanations on why I believe the EV6 to be the superior choice of the two at the moment and one of the best electric cars now on the market at a (relatively) reasonable price.
I have faith that no matter the circumstances, the 77.4-kwh battery pack will yield more than 200 miles of range in these Hyundai and Kia EVs, which have basically comparable engine systems. However, the 310-mile EPA range figure for our test car won’t be reached under less than ideal circumstances or in the majority of real-world driving.
I almost reached the 3.4 miles per kwh I saw in the fair weather on a very energetic maiden drive earlier this year while driving a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive EV6 for a week in the typical difficult Pacific Northwest spring weather, cool with regular showers.
I drove the EV6 149 miles from Portland to Shelton, Washington, averaging 3.1 miles per kilowatt hour while maintaining a quick speed that occasionally exceeded 70 mph and averaged almost 65 mph, to get a sense of its less-than-ideal highway range. The whole time, there were intermittent showers and a chilly 50 degrees. I then averaged 3.4 mi/kwh on an additional 74 miles of easy 4055 mph two-laneers while running errands and traveling back and forth to an event. Finally, utilizing the adaptive cruise control, I maintained a speed of under 70 mph for the most of the 123-mile Interstate trip back to Portland. Surprisingly, I averaged the same 3.1 mi/kwh across a distance of 123 miles as my much faster outward trip.
The distinction? It poured during the return drive, so I spent a significant portion of the time using the defog setting on the temperature control.
In contrast, my coworker Brian Wong in Los Angeles averaged 4.3 mi/kwh over 174.3 miles of mixed driving, losing an average of 5.2 mi/kwh over 54.7 miles of LA streets and gaining an average of 3.7 mi/kwh over 54.6 miles of freeway.
It emphasizes that rain and somewhat cooler temperatures may have a big influence.
Ironically, the rear-wheel-drive model I was driving did not have an energy-saving heat pump, despite the fact that my wet highway driving profile and these temperatures would have been ideal for it.
There’s no need to look for 350-kw DC fast-charging, as I recently stressed in a review update of the 2022 Hyundai Ioniq 5, because the actual time it takes to restore the majority of a charge will be remarkably close in real-world settings. When attaining their max charge rate of 235 kw or slightly more, the Ioniq 5 and EV6 are picky, and if you see that or even more than 200 kwit, it’s probably going to be extremely fleeting.
In this humid, cool weather (49 degrees), when I connected 350 kw hardware to the EV6, it took 31 minutes to get me from 7 percent to 80 percent, including sub-100 kw rates at first. Then, there was a burst to 202 kw, briefly at 35 percent, and power settled to just above 150 kw for the remainder of the charge. The Ioniq 5 charged more quickly recently using 150-kw equipment and warmer temperatures.
My advise will change once Kia and Hyundai make battery preconditioning for fast-charging available as a button, a component of route planning, or, hopefully, both. However, it is not worthwhile to look for the 350s right now.
I was able to put the EV6 through its paces in a manner I hadn’t been able to with the Ioniq 5 when I initially got to drive it back in January. In contrast to Hyundai’s Ioniq 5’s sinuous, smooth, and well-banked Southern California route, Kia had us driving on difficult Northern California roads with unusual banking and poor surfaces. I began to doubt whether what I saw to be an overall firmer tune for the EV6 would be comfortable enough for daily drive.
After this additional trip, I’m confident that the EV6 is tuned significantly better than the Ioniq 5 for the majority of American road types. When pushed forcefully, it is firmer and considerably more predictable than the Hyundai or Kia Niro EV, which both exhibit greater tilting and wallowing. Surprisingly, the EV6 is more forgiving when you come across the worst sections of bad road; the reason for this is because there are fewer secondary motions. It’s simple to picture how this tune would sound when reeled in a little bit further in the upcoming 576-hp GT variant.
One important decision made with the EV6 still surprises me in its absence: Despite how completely numb the belt-driven electric power steering feels, I didn’t find that it bothered me while I was driving around town and on the interstate.
On the other hand, I left with an even greater understanding of how well this car brakes, accelerates, and offers a variety of regen options. Then, among the modes, Sport somewhat sharpens the responsiveness of the accelerator, but I liked the more linear feeling you get in Normal. The EV6 is a very relaxed car to drive in both Eco and Normal settings.
The EV6 looks genuinely edgy from the supercar snout to the sinuous Euro-hatch rear design. However, inside, the automobile is far more practical than those adventurous first impressions would have you believe.
While the Ioniq 5 and really most EVs in this class may have less noticeable road noise, I’m really impressed by the EV6’s silence at speeds of 70 mph and higher. If the smoother, more wraparound rear proves beneficial in the wind tunnel, I wouldn’t be shocked.
My happiness over the EV6 is subject to one exception. Tall? Avoid purchasing the top-tier EV6 GT-Line.
The more time I spend in these two electric hatchbacks, the more confused I become about how to operate the steering wheel. The general idea is that taller driverslike myself, at a long-legged 6-foot-6would feel far too close to the sunroof surround with the seat lowered as low as it will go. However, real H-point figures don’t imply anything in relation to the roofline. The solution? Skip the sunroof and choose the mid-level Wind instead. If you are taller, it will be worthwhile because you will feel more at home in the car. The advise given here would be different if the seats were lowered by another inch or two.
My test vehicle, a GT-Line with a single motor and rear-wheel drive (225 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque), cost $52,710 when it was delivered. With the GT-Line, you get upgraded trim, alloy pedals, ambient lighting, a great augmented reality head-up display system, remote parking, adaptive cruise control with active lane control, and several other active safety features like a blind-spot camera and an advanced fusion-sensor “plus version of forward collision-avoidance assistance. The automobile also included a $295 option for suede seats.
Dual 12.3-inch screens with gauges in the one immediately in front of the driver and a touchscreen to the right are standard on all EV6 variants. The touchscreen is swift and responsive, and its menu system is generally understandable. It also has a clever row of buttons that can be switched between hot buttons for the navigation system and the climate. The design is less attractive and well-coordinated than that of the Ioniq 5, but I was more comfortable with it because of the tall center console.
And after driving an EV6 for a week, I can honestly say that’s what makes it so great. Although it can initially appear to be something raunchy and picky, that is not the case. If you are eligible for the federal EV tax credit, it’s a simple car to drive, live with, and interact with that also happens to be incredibly efficient, looks fantastic, and adds up to a very great deal.
My choice is not definitive by any means. The Ioniq 5 will continue to woo consumers with its seductive blend of retro 1980s styling and what in my opinion is one of the most coherent design statements of the century. Both of these vehicles will probably handle significantly differently in their rear-wheel, base-battery configurations, where I anticipate dissecting some of the aspects of the Ioniq 5 that I find least appealing.
The Kia EV6’s top speed.
In this form, the EV6 has a top speed of 117 mph and can reach 60 mph in 5.1 seconds. The EV6 GT, which is expected to have 576 horsepower, AWD, and a 3.5-second sprint to 60 mph in its lineup, will be introduced by Kia in late 2022.
How are EV6 batteries made?
There has been a lot of anticipation about the range and battery specs of the capable Korean EV as its arrival draws closer. We attempt to unify the haze with thorough battery-related information in this article.
With its flagship electric vehicle, the EV6, Kia is ready to start its electric mobility journey in India. On June 2, the all-new Kia EV6 will be released in India as a halo product with a small production run. The Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), a pure-electric architecture for future EVs, is the foundation for Kia’s first-ever product.
The Kia EV6 will be offered in India in two variantsRWD and AWDin a single GT trim level. The rear-wheel-drive (RWD) model has a single motor configuration on the rear axle that produces a maximum of 229 horsepower and 350 nm of torque. The more potent all-wheel-drive (AWD) model, on the other hand, has two electric motors, one on each axle, with combined power and torque outputs of 325bhp and 605Nm, respectively.
The India-spec Kia EV6 will come in both of these variations, each with a 77.4 kWh battery pack as standard.
Both a 58 kWh and a 77.4 kWh Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese battery pack are available for the Kia EV6 globally. However, the GT trim level’s base battery pack with a long range of 77.4 kWh will be the only one available for the Indian market. According to the WLTP cycle, Kia estimates a maximum driving range of 528 km for this battery pack, translating to a real-world range of roughly 400425 km.
This 77.4 kWh Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese battery pack can sustain a rating up to 800V DC rapid charging, unlike the lithium-ion batteries found in smaller and more compact mass-market electric vehicles. This battery pack can be charged from 080% in just 18 minutes using a 350 kW fast charger that can deliver 800V of electricity. In addition, Kia provides a 50 kW rapid charging option, which can charge the same battery from 10% to 80% in 73 minutes.
This quick charging alternative is more practical and simpler to locate throughout India. The Kia EV6 will be sold in India with an 11 kW charger that is compatible with level 2 charging and can charge the battery from zero to one hundred percent in about seven hours in addition to these optional fast charging options.
The Kia EV6’s battery pack is unique because to its vehicle-to-load (V2L) capabilities, which enables users to run heavy appliances like a refrigerator and camping gear as well as charge a variety of devices and appliances like laptops.
In this functional state, the EV6’s 77.4 kWh battery pack serves as the source of power for the charging control unit (CCU) built into the car. This CCU provides 1900W of power output, which is reachable through a socket-shaped 100V power outlet that is situated at the front of the base of the second row of seats.
One can continually draw power from this 100V power outlet for at least 36 hours if the battery pack is fully charged. Using the vehicle-to-vehicle mode and a modest charging rate of 1.1 kW, this V2L functionality can be utilized to charge other vehicles in addition to devices and appliances.
How does the Kia EV6 compare?
The 2022 Kia EV6 and the third wave of safety test results for 2022 were both released by Euro NCAP.
The South Korean vehicle meets expectations and, in line with the Hyundai Ioniq 5, has earned a 5-star overall safety certification.
The Kia EV6 has a 90 percent Adult Occupant rating (compared to 88 percent in the Ioniq 5, based on the same E-GMP platform). The outcome in the category for child occupants is the same: an 86 percent
The Kia EV6 noted 64 percent in the area of Vulnerable Road Users (vs. 63 percent in the Ioniq 5). Lack of an active hood is mostly to blame for the Vulnerable Road Users result in the 6x percent range (it could boost the result to a level of 80 percent ).
The Kia EV6 scored an 87 percent in the safety assist area, only behind the Hyundai Ioniq 5’s 88 percent.
In addition to its other benefits like range, performance, and fast charging, the Kia EV6 may be one of the safest new vehicles on the market.