2022 Kia EV6 First Drive: A Mainstream EV With Style

Kia goes upmarket with its first dedicated-platform electric vehicle and the results are impressive.

The 2022 Kia EV6 will launch in the US as the most expensive vehicle in the brand’s entire lineup, as top-tier pricing eclipses both the Sorrento, a popular mid-size crossover SUV, as well as the Stinger, a high-performance hatchback.

Electric vehicle incentives will help to lower the cost of the EV6, but the question of whether or not enough customers will accept a $50,000+ vehicle with a Kia name badge remains to be seen. After all, Kia has made its reputation on selling reliable, well-built vehicles at affordable prices and is generally viewed as a value brand, and the EV6 moves the brand significantly upmarket.

An EV6 for all tastes

Kia is offering the EV6 in five different configurations, six if you count the 1,500 copies of the introductory First Edition ($59,715) which quickly sold out. Beyond that, customers have the choice of the entry-level EV6 Light RWD (232-mi EPA range rating) with a 58 kWh battery up to the top of the line EV6 GT-Line AWD ($57,215 & a 274-mi EPA range rating) with the 77.4 kWh pack. The EV6 Light RWD is the only version of the EV6 in which you can get the smaller battery (in the North American market) and the base MSRP is $42,115 including destination.

The longest driving range of the lineup is shared by two models, the RWD EV6 Wind and the RWD EV6 GT-Line, both of which boast an EPA-rated range of 310 miles per charge.

Additionally, Kia is going to offer a GT version of the EV6 at some point down the road, and they have already teased us with a video showing it drag race a lineup of supercars. In the video, the EV6 GT lines up against a Lamborghini Uris, a Mercedes AMG GT, a McLaren 570S, a Porsche 911 Targa 4, and a Ferrari California and comes in 2nd behind only the Mclaren 570S. Proving again just how incredibly fast electric vehicles can be – even those that are mainly designed to be daily drivers.

It’s also worth noting that EV6 pricing is slightly higher than comparable models of its sibling, the Hyundai Ioniq 5. 

Pricing:

Underpinnings

Along with the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the EV6 employs the new E-GMP (Electric Global Modular Platform) which will underpin a variety of future vehicles from both brands. The E-GMP platform uses a skateboard design with a compact and lightweight power electronics system. In all-wheel-drive models, the front motor has a disconnect actuator device, which decouples the front motor when appropriate. This is done automatically by the vehicle and Kia tells us that it adds 6% more range as compared to having the front motor connected and contributing all of the time.

The liquid-cooled battery packs (58.0 kWh and 77.4 kWh options) are positioned between the front and rear axles, with an integrated drive axle and an oil-cooled rear electric motor. On all-wheel-drive versions, an additional electric motor is used, powering the front wheels and creating an electric all-wheel-drive system that can switch on and off for maximum efficiency.

The rear-wheel-drive EV6 Light has 167 horsepower with 258 lb-ft of torque and can accelerate from 0 to 60 in 8 seconds. The rear-wheel-drive EV6 Wind and GT-Line have 225 hp and the same 258-lb-ft of torque and can dash to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds. 

All versions of the EV6 with all-wheel-drive have 320 horsepower and 446 lb-ft of torque, and, according to Kia, can accelerate from 0 to 60 in 5.1 seconds. In my time driving the all-wheel-drive EV6 GT-line, it felt like I was reaching 60-mph in slightly under 5 seconds, but that wasn’t using any instruments – just my gut. 

My takeaway was that the AWD EV6 is a competent performer, and one that would satisfy most people looking for a sporty compact crossover SUV to haul the family around and on occasion, have some fun tossing it around on weekends.

However, the RWD EV6 is much better suited for more commuting and family duties than it is raising the adrenaline level, so be sure to test drive both before buying. For my money, the $4,700 price difference isn’t enough savings to opt for the RWD. The AWD EV6 simply provides a much better all-around driving experience.

Power your home? Well, not exactly

Like the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the EV6 has vehicle to load (V2L) capabilities and can power small electrical devices through an adapter that plugs into the charge port. It’s not quite like the Ford F-150 Lightning, which can power your entire home during a power outage. But the EV6 can provide up to 1.9 kW (1,900 watts) of power, and that is enough to power anything that you would normally plug into a standard 120-volt household outlet. The adapter comes standard on all EV6, except the 58 kWh RWD Light base model. 

There’s also a 120-volt power outlet below the rear seats on all Wind, GT-Line, and Forst Edition models, but not on the EV6 Light. 

Kia does offer a heat pump system for the EV6, however, it’s not available on the 58 kWh RWD Light base model, it’s optional on the Wind and GT-Line, and standard equipment on First Edition models. There are nine color options: Glacier Off-White, Steel Gray, Interstellar Gray, Gravity Blue, Snow White Pearl, Aurora, Black Pearl, Runway Red, Yacht Blue, and Steel Matte Gray.

The EV6 also comes with a full suite of standard driver-assist features including lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot collision warning, driver attention warning with lead vehicle departure alert, and more. There’s even an augmented reality head-up display. Unfortunately, our limited time and the rural route didn’t allow us to use the systems much. We’ll offer a more thorough review of these features once we have more time with an EV6.

More Kia EV6 News

Brilliant or bust?

The EV6 is a very good electric vehicle. It has excellent charging capabilities (or so we’re told), a long driving range, and the all-wheel-drive version is a very good performer that’s fun to drive. The passenger compartment is spacious (102 cu-ft), the seats are very comfortable, the displays are bright and responsive and both Apple Carplay and Android Auto are compatible.

On the downside, the RWD versions seem a bit underpowered for an EV – maybe I’m just spoiled by how powerful most EVs are, and the cargo volume isn’t all that great compared to other EVs in its class (24 cu-ft behind the rear seats and 50.2 cu-ft with the rear seats folded down). The cost is also at the higher end of the price range of its primary competition.

There is a frunk, but it’s so small that it’s practically useless. You couldn’t even store a portable charging cord up there if one came with the EV6, which, unfortunately, it doesn’t. We think EV6 owners will not be happy about the vehicle not coming with portable charging equipment. Even if they never use it, EV owners (especially first-time EV owners) like the security of carrying around a portable charging cord, just in case.  

If Kia was able to bring the EV6 to dealerships priced about 10% lower than they currently are, I’d feel a lot better about its success. Will customers be willing to pay $50,000 to $60,000 for an electric Kia that, while it’s a very good EV, does have its flaws? We’ll soon find out because the EV6 will be showing up at dealerships in the US the second week of February. Kia is doing a simultaneous national rollout of the EV6, they aren’t just sending it to CARB states as Hyundai is initially doing with the Ioniq 5. 

Let us know your thoughts on the EV6 in the comment section below, and keep an eye out for our EV6 charging video review coming out next week. 

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