2022 Kia EV6 review: Australian launch

Kia’s hotly-anticipated EV6 electric car has landed in Australia. We drove all three variants at launch to find out if reality matches the hype.

What we love

Sleek and contemporary styling

Excellent real-world range

Driving dynamics and terrific local suspension tune

What we don’t

Sold out until 2025

Its 800-volt charging capability not matched by local infrastructure

No ANCAP safety rating… yet

Introduction

Move over Stinger. Kia has a new halo car in its range. And it’s an electric car.

By Kia’s own admission, the 2022 Kia EV6 – the brand’s first electric car built on a dedicated platform – has inherited the mantle of top dog in the Korean brand’s line-up, a mantle previously held by the Kia Stinger.

But, in something of an analogy for the changing automotive landscape we find ourselves in, a traditional petrol-powered car is moving aside for a battery-powered electric vehicle.

It’s all part of Kia’s push towards electrification, reflecting a growing move around the world towards zero emissions motoring. Australia too, is not inured against this seismic shift, if sales of electric vehicles are anything to go by.

In 2021, Australians bought more electric cars than ever before, the end-of-year tally settling at 17,234 according to official date supplied by the Federal Chamber of Auto motive Industries. That number represented an increase of 230 per cent compared with the previous year where around 5200 electric cars drove silently out of dealerships.

As sales increase, so too do available makes and models as manufacturers expand their portfolios and begin the transition to a zero emissions future.

This year alone will see 30 new battery electric vehicle models launched onto the Australian market, and one of the first cabs off the rank is the all-new Kia EV6. The first in all-electric onslaught that will see the Korean brand launch a swathe of dedicated electric cars globally over the next three to four years.

While it remains unclear whether Australia will become home to every Kia electric car – dubbed imaginatively EV1 through to EV9 – the Korean carmaker has entered the fray in a triumphant fashion.

That’s the take-home following the Australian launch of the 2022 Kia EV6, which not only inherits the mantle of Kia’s ‘hero’ car but does so with ease.

Underneath, the ostensibly ‘large SUV’ (according to VFCACTS, although Kia has other ideas), sits on the brand’s E-GMP architecture, a skateboard platform with a sole remit to underpin all of Kia’s (and Hyundai’s) electric cars.

It’s big too, measuring in at 4695mm in length, 1890,mm wide and 1550mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2900mm. By comparison, the recently released Hyundai Ioniq 5 which shares the same E-GMP platform is just 60mm shorter (4635mm) while sharing the same width and height as its Kia sibling.

Thanks to its large footprint, the EV6 is considered a large SUV although in reality, it’s more of a crossover hatchback, and a handsome one at that.

Designer Luc Donckerwolke, he of Volkswagen Group fame where his pen crafted icons such as Lamborghinis Murcielago and Gallardo, has crafted another winner, certainly in this reviewer’s eyes. Its not inconsiderable length is offset by its relatively low height, lending the EV6 a sleek profile.

Around the front, angular headlights are integrated into a slim nose devoid of a traditional grille all leading into a short bonnet. Kia calls it its ‘Digital Tiger Face’, an interpretation of the more conventional ‘Tiger Nose Grille’ found on its internal combustion vehicles.

The sides are devoid of aero-starving extruding door handles which sit flush inside the doors while out back, a neatly integrated roof-mounted spoiler is said to chancel air to a lower spoiler that sits atop the EV6’s outrageously-styled tail-light assembly. Those tail-lights are likely to polarise opinion, but for what it’s worth, we like them.

The Kia EV6 range in Australia comprises three variants – Air, GT-Line RWD, and GT-Line AWD. Pricing starts at $67,990 for the entry-level Air, jumps to $74,990 for the rear-wheel driven GT-Line and tops out at $82,990 for the range-topping GT-Line with all-wheel drive.

Standard across the EV6 range include dual 12.3-inch screens, 19-inch wheels (20s on GT-Line variants), LED headlights and tail-lights, dual-zone climate control, wireless phone charging, and parking sensors.

A full suite of Kia’s active safety technology comes fitted standard across the range including autonomous emergency braking with intersection support, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane following assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and traffic sign recognition, plus a centre airbag between the front occupants.

GT-Line variants add niceties such as heated and ventilated seats, power adjustable driver’s seat, power tailgate, and leather seat trim with sueded inserts.

There’s also a 360-degree camera, 14-speaker sound system, head-up display, heated steering wheel and Blind-Spot View Monitor which projects a camera feed from the side mirrors into the instrument cluster when the indicators are activated. There’s also the slightly gimmicky Remote Smart Park Assist, which allows the EV6 to be driven in and out of a parking space from the key fob, with the owner standing alongside the car. The GT-Line in all-wheel drive trim is alone in offering a sunroof.

The EV6’s most obvious rival is Hyundai’s Ioniq 5, priced at $71,900 for the rear-wheel drive model and $75,900 for all-wheel drive. Tesla’s Model 3 is another obvious rival. The range starts with the rear-wheel drive Standard priced from $59,900 and tops out at $84,900 all-wheel drive Performance model.

Swedish brand Polestar, the electric car arm of Volvo, also enters EV fray with its Polestar 2 range. It gets underway at $59,900 for the Single Motor Standard Range and reaches its peak with the Dual Motor Long Range priced from $69,900.

Inside

Kia’s new interior design language, first seen in the Sorento and subsequently Sportage, has taken on another dimension in the EV6. It’s at once sleek and modern with interesting design features – such as the centre console – demanding attention.

The dash is dominated by Kia’s new twin-screen set-up and, as it is in other new Kia models, curves gently towards the driver. One houses the EV6’s infotainment functions, the other a digital driver display that can be configured to taste.

The entry-level Air model scores cloth trim throughout with leather-accented highlights while GT-Line variants are finished in leather with suede inserts. Those GT-Line seats can be almost fully reclined when parked, allowing driver and passenger to relax in comfort during mid-trip charge stops.

Sustainability is key for Kia as it pushes into a new zero emission paradigm. To that end, swathes of the EV6 interior are finished in recycled plastics equivalent to, according to Kia, 107 500ml water bottles.

The cabin certainly looks fresh and inviting, with a minimalism that is hard to ignore. Certainly, the use of materials and the finish is excellent, and arguably the best we’ve seen in any Kia model.

Storage is abundant, with a large central bin and door pockets that can hold bottles while a wireless charging tray easily accommodates smartphones.

Thanks to the EV6’s battery-friendly architecture, second row comfort is excellent with plenty of room in all key areas. Kia says there’s 990mm of legroom in the second row and while we didn’t get the tape measure out to test the manufacturer’s claim, it certainly feels roomy. The ambience too remains light and airy, with decent visibility from the second row from the comfortable seats.

Boot space measures in at a claimed 490 litres with the second row in use for the Air variant and 480 litres for GT-Line models, the higher grades losing 10 litres thanks to the inclusion of a subwoofer with the premium Meridian audio system.

An additional storage cubby under the bonnet adds 52 litres of cargo capacity for rear-wheel drive models, shrinking to 20 litres in all-wheel drive models.

Infotainment and Connectivity

The entire EV6 range comes fitted with Kia’s new curved twin-screen set-up. Installed as a single screen, curved ever so slightly towards the driver, the dual 12.3-inch screens offer sharp graphics and an easy-to-use interface.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard as is satellite navigation and DAB+ radio. GT-Line models score a premium Meridian sound system with subwoofer.

GT-Line models score a 360-degee camera while the Air variant makes do with a regular rear-view camera. Both iterations provide clear images, with crisp resolution making it easy to navigate tight parking spaces.

A wireless charging pad keeps devices juiced up while two USB-C points up front are complemented by another two USB-C plugs for the second row. There’s also a 12V plug up front.

GT-Line models score a detailed and crisp head-up display which, as well as displaying critical driving functions such as speed, also provides an array of safety features, such as indicating when another vehicle is in the EV6’s blind-spot.

That technology is complemented by the excellent digital driver display which can be configured to taste. Additionally, the driver display changes subtly depending on drive mode selected.

GT-Line models also score Kia’s excellent Blind-Spot View Monitor which projects a camera feed from the side mirrors into the instrument cluster when indicators are active. It’s clever technology that reduces risk further.

While at first glance the EV6 seems devoid of physical buttons, it’s worth noting that underneath the large dual-screen set into the dash, is a slimline screen that houses digital buttons for the car’s functions. Cleverly, it can be toggled through either climate control functions – such as temperature or fan speed – or with the touch of a single digital button, transforms into the digital nerve centre of the EV6’s infotainment system with an array of shortcut buttons for audio, sat-nav and the like. Clever.

Safety & Technology

At the time of writing, the Kia EV6 remains untested by Australia’s safety body ANCAP.

The range is equipped with a full suite of safety technology including autonomous emergency braking with car, pedestrian and cyclist detection along with intersection assist. Other standard-fit technologies include adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, lane following assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and traffic sign recognition.

A suite of airbags including the relatively new centre airbag designed to mitigate head clashes between front occupants in the event of an accident.

For kidlets, the outboard rear seats come equipped with ISOFIX child seat mounting points while all three seatbacks feature top-tether anchors.

Value for Money

The EV6’s pricing stacks up well against its major competitors, playing in the same ballpark figures as the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Tesla Model 3. And before anyone thinks $68,000-$83,000 for a Kia, make no mistake, the EV6 is unlike any Kia you’ve seen before. It’s beautifully designed with a premium interior and, if you swapped the badge on the front for a premium German, wouldn’t look out of place on the streets of Berlin or Munich.

Kia covers the EV6 with its standard seven-year warranty with ‘high-voltage parts’ limited to seven years or 150,000km.

Servicing can be prepaid at time of purchase and is available in three packages – three years at $594, five years for $1089 and seven years at $1584. That averages out to around $226 per annum on a seven year plan.

The Kia EV6 range is capable of taking an 800V charging system, future-proofing it against developments in infrastructure. Using a 350kW charger, Kia claims the 77.4kWh battery can be replenished from 10-80 per cent in just 18 minutes. Even using the more widely available rapid charger 50kW charging stations will result in a 10-80 per cent top up in an 1h13m while a regular home-installed wallbox can fill up the battery from 10-100 per cent in around 11 hours.

Driving

The Kia EV6 is available in two trim levels – Air and GT-Line, the latter available in two variants: single motor rear-wheel drive or dual-motor all-wheel drive. We sampled all three variants at launch starting with the entry-level EV6 Air.

The Air serves as the entry point and its focus is on range. Equipped with a single motor with 168kW and 350Nm driving the rear wheels, the Air also enjoys the best range of the three with a claimed 528km available from the 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery array.

Straight off the bat, the Air proves a perfectly capable and enjoyable car to drive. Kia has by its own admission, prioritised range with the EV6 air and while it’s not exactly slow (a claimed 0-100km/h time of 7.3s is more than enough), neither does it feature the neck-snapping acceleration some electric cars have has their headline act.

And that’s okay, because the EV6 Air drives and feels like, well, a car. It’s quick enough when needed, relaxed at highway speeds and quiet inside, despite the lack of an engine resulting in increased road noise translating into the cabin. To mitigate, Kia has added extra sound deadening into the wheel arches, the result being that road noise levels are no worse than any number of petrol- or diesel-powered cars.

Thanks to the EV6’s battery array packed flat on to the floor of the E-GMP platform, the centre of gravity remains deliciously low. That means the EV6 remains nicely flat around corners, through roundabouts or even through some challenging twisting sections of road. It feels planted. It feels solid. It feels capable.

The Air’s claimed range of 528km and energy usage of 16.5kWh /100km seems on the money too, our testing loop at launch returning an indicated 17.4kWh, not too far off Kia’s claim with the caveat that our drive included some more adventurous acceleration runs. Expect to get even closer to Kia’s claim when driving under everyday conditions.

The single-motor EV6 GT-Line offers the same performance as the Air, unsurprising since it shares the same outputs as the entry-level EV6. However, its range is listed at 504km, the presence of bigger wheels (20-inch alloys against the Air’s 19s), and additional equipment over the entry-level model.

Its performance is not hampered however, the GT-Line proving as spritely, comfortable and agile as its more affordable stablemate.

And like the Air, the GT-Line returned a marginally higher energy consumption number (18.8kWh) compared against its claim (17.2kWh). Again, put that down to some spirited driving. Regular driving should see that number fall.

Those wanting the neck-snapping acceleration electric cars are becoming known for will plump for the dual-motor EV6 GT-Line. Two permanent magnet synchronous motors – one at the front axle and one at the rear – provide the motivation. Combined, those two motors are good for 239kW and 605Nm and a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.2 seconds. That’s not dual motor Tesla territory in terms of pure acceleration but it’s plenty quick enough.

All 605Nm are available the instant you step on the accelerator and that gives the GT-Line a sense of urgency when moving away from standstill or accelerating on the move.

Drive is sent to all four wheels through a single-speed transmission, although Kia’s Disconnector Actuator System (DAS) funnels power to either the rear wheels only or four wheels depending on driving style and conditions. The transition between the two is said to take 0.4s.

Three drive modes – Eco, Normal and Sport – can be selected via a steering-wheel mounted dial. The differences between the three modes are most glaringly felt in the dual-motor GT-Line, with Sport mode in particular providing lightning fast responses to throttle inputs.

The dual-motor GT-Line sacrifices range for performance, but the available 484km is still more than adequate. In terms of consumption, Kia reckons the GT-Line AWD will expend 18.0kWh/100km. Our test loop, which included plenty of rapid accelerating giggles, saw an indicated 17.9kWh, bang on the money against the manufacturer’s claim.

Regenerative braking, which harnesses the energy under deceleration, can be similarly toggled through different levels – from none to extreme – that allows for, in its most extreme setting, single pedal driving. Modes are selected via the steering wheel mounted paddle-shifters.

Kia has gone to great lengths to tailor the EV6’s suspension to Australian conditions. And straight off the bat, the local engineering team has done a stellar job.

The ride is supple and composed, the EV6 feeling every bit like a premium car, even on some decently sketchy rural back roads. Around town, the EV6’s compliant behaviour over typical suburban streets is excellent.

Conclusion

If Kia wanted to find a new halo car in the EV6, it has certainly gone about it the right way. There’s a solidity found in the EV6 that underscores that this isn’t just a good electric car, it’s a bloody good car, period.

Its sleek design married to thrilling driving dynamics and a solidity that belies its mainstream status as a brand, demonstrate just how far Kia has come as a manufacture.

The biggest downside to the EV6 is availability. With just 500 cars per annum allocated to Australia, Kia has filled its order books up until 2025. And that’s a shame, because the Kia EV6 is an affordable electric car with excellent range, sleek and stylish design, all the ingredients for a triumphant assault on the electric car market.

Keyword: 2022 Kia EV6 review: Australian launch