Recently, I spent 1,600 kilometres driving the all-new, all-electric Kia EV6 crossover in sub-zero conditions typical of late winter in Northern Ontario. While filming and shooting my way through several assignments with plenty of highway, winter and backroads driving, I’ve collected some real-world impressions that should prove useful for perspective shoppers in northern climates, considering this model for their next EV.
Key among these impressions? Through all of that time in a Long Range GT-Line AWD, the Kia EV6 is a heck of a thing to drive in the snow. But more on that in a bit — for now, let’s get you up to speed.
Kia calls the EV6 a crossover, though the dimensions are almost wagon-like: there’s a low and nearly coupe-like roofline for a slick silhouette, and with a wheelbase as long as the three-row Kia Telluride, the EV6 is a long machine with short overhangs and its wheels stretched to the edges. The EV6’s heaviest component, its battery, lives in its floor, which translates to improved interior space, comfort, and handling balance. The GT-Line’s sport-enhanced visuals work with the EV6’s energetic design for a look that’s decidedly athletic and car-like, a refreshing new face in the crossover scene.
Drivers take it in from a cabin that looks great, but does leave some improvements to be desired.
On the plus side, the EV6’s interior is unique, nicely finished and detailed, and features a layout with minimized control surfaces and a clean, minimal at-a-glance look. Fewer buttons and controls mean more space for the dashboard styling to shine, with more space for materials, patterns, textures, and colours to mingle and flow, stack and layer. This gives the driver something rewarding to look at across the entire forward cabin.
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
There’s no missing the giant instrument and infotainment display. Both the Mustang Mach-E and Volkswagen ID.4 use instrument clusters scarcely larger than a big smartphone, but in the EV6, wide-screen digital instruments with great graphics flow into the central infotainment display. This looks less minimal and more high-end: not far off from what you’d find in a big-dollar Cadillac Escalade or Mercedes E-Class. Hop from a Mach-E or ID.4 into an EV6, and the added presence of high-quality display surfaces ahead of the driver adds substantially to the look and richness of the cabin.
Beneath the central infotainment touch-screen is the EV6’s central control surface. A two-in-one deal, drivers click a button to adjust climate controls, and click again to adjust stereo controls. The backlit buttons and dials change context depending on the currently-selected mode, allowing one control surface to control two separate systems. It’s a super techy touch that the most tech-savvy drivers will likely appreciate, though the added step of toggling the menu context may not be a hit with all drivers. It’s just a touch more complicated than necessary.
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
Further complication comes from the controls for the heated and cooled seats, and the heated steering wheel. These live on the forward edge of the floating centre console, where drivers will almost certainly knock them every time they work the slightly fiddly two-way control surface just ahead of them.
Plugging into a USB port is more complicated than need be as well. Though available in abundance, all forward connection and charging ports are located near the vehicle’s floor, requiring a good reach down to connect your gear. Thankfully, there’s a slick wireless charging pad on the centre console near the arm-rest, and I was happy to have the extra storage bin beneath the floating centre console, itself designed to give the EV6’s interior a convincingly unique look and some welcomed storage provisions.
Ultimately, the EV6’s cabin isn’t lacking for interesting touches or nice stuff to look at inside, but several important controls and functions are slightly more difficult to use than they need to be.
Fortunately, there’s nothing difficult about getting the EV6 to make you smile on a snowy backroad.
My tester offered a delicious recipe that the winter driving enthusiast will love: proper winter rubber from Michelin, 320 horsepower to the ground with all-wheel drive, and the on-demand snap of 446 lb-ft of torque that’s never more than a few millimetres of accelerator input from striking distance. If you’ve never driven a sporty EV in the snow, I can’t stress enough the positive difference this level of on-demand torque and throttle response can make in the hands of an enthusiast driver. Forget shifting down, spooling up, and waiting for the engine to hit its power curve. Farewell also to thinking a step ahead of the car to compensate for the typical lag between a throttle input, and an increase in forward thrust. As an EV, the only things between the EV6’s motors and the road are its wheels.
Pick SPORT mode from the button on the steering wheel, and the first thing you notice is the throttle response. The EV6 gets rolling with the tiniest press on the pedal. Press harder, and power output swells up immediately, and in direct relation to your throttle position. A deep shove on the throttle sends snow into the air, and sends torsos into seatbacks with nearly startling immediacy.
Sure there’s no transmission to shift and no meaningful soundtrack to the experience, but as someone who loves shifting and soundtracks, I promise that the EV6’s on-demand torque and dialled-in AWD system more than covers the loss. Don’t forget either that the cost to drive 100 kilometres is something like two bucks, if you charge at home off of peak hours.
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
Each axle is powered by its own electric motor. There’s no AWD system, hardware, differentials, transfer case, or any of the conventional bits used in a combustion-powered AWD setup. Fewer parts, processes, and constraints are involved in maximizing traction versus a mechanical system. Using two completely independent motors to deliver all-wheel drive requires in-depth testing and calibration to get the feel and performance just right, and that’s where I think the EV6 feels most on the ball.
There’s no fuss, no drama, and no wasteful wheelspin detectable from within the cabin. It’s programming, not hardware and clutch-packs that control the power delivery between and across the axles. Among other things, this means there’s no driveline-related squirming or slipping beneath you as power is shuffled around. The result, from the driver’s seat, is an incredible surge of both power and grip that build and swell the harder you accelerate.
It’s so precise that full throttle on icy snow rarely even trips the traction control into action. In fact, SPORT mode sees the opposite: enthusiastic drivers can expect to feel the EV6 squirming and wiggling beneath them as it attacks the snow and ice beneath, all four tires lit up if you like.
Add in quick steering, fairly lenient stability control and the laser-precise throttle response (both on and off), and the feel is on par with any of my favourite winter-eating sports sedans, but smoother, quieter, and much more responsive.
Elsewhere, it’s a comfortable and smooth highway drive with a bit of sporty tautness dialled into the ride. If highway comfort is a priority for you, I’d point you towards a test-drive of the Mustang Mach-E as well. It’s one of my favourite highway cruisers, and offers an even more dense and dialled-in highway drive than a comparable EV6.
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
The Kia’s ride quality does its best work on the highway, though it’s a mixed bag on rougher around-town roads, and especially, the crumbling, crater-laden backroads common in and around Sudbury Ontario. On one hand, the EV6’s long wheelbase makes for a comfy and stable ride over more smoothly undulating surfaces. Still, rough and broken pavement, potholes and craters still punch noise and harshness up a fair bit, which will make pothole season a less pleasant experience than some will like. Often, I thought my sporty tester rode more softly and comfortably than its looks led on, though ride comfort and noise levels are highly at the mercy of the surface you’re driving on.
Late winter temperatures in Northern Ontario mean lots of icy backroads for a spirited drive, but they also mean less driving per charge, and slower charging.
I’ll offer some observations based on the specific testing conditions I experienced on my test-drive, but remember that your results will likely vary.
The battery in my Long-Range tester is good for about 440 kilometres of driving in ideal conditions at room temperature. Between 0 and -5 degrees Celsius, cut that to about 300 to 315 kilometres to a full charge. Based on past experience, I’d expect this 440 kilometre battery to give me something like 250 kilometres of driving at 25 below with the heat cranked — still plenty for most Canadians, who drive an average of less than 50 kilometres per day.
Level 1 charging, using the 120 volt outlet that powers your pressure washer and Christmas lights, will usually refill an EV like the EV6 at a rate of about 3 to 4 kilometres per hour. At sub-zero temperatures, I saw about 1 kilometre per hour instead. Level 1 charging is slow in the cold, but should be much faster if you’re able to charge in a heated garage overnight.
2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line Photo by Justin Pritchard
On my Level 2 charger, I expect about 40 kilometres per hour of charging at room temperature — about 10 times faster than Level 1. At ten below, I saw that drop to around 30 kilometres of recharging per hour. That’s sufficient for an overnight recharge from near-empty, and level 2 charging makes it much easier to ensure you’ve always got a topped-off battery when you need it, even in the cold.
Level 3 fast charging on the go usually takes about 10 minutes to add 100 kilometres, and in perfect conditions when plugged into the right Level 3 charger, Kia says the EV6 can go from a 20 percent to an 80 percent charge in less than 20 minutes. That’s perfect for fast charging while you’re parked for a road-trip lunch break. At the freezing mark, my usual 100-kilometre recharge took fifteen minutes instead of ten.
Other notables? The after-dark drive inspires confidence with a powerful lighting system, and the EV6’s long wheelbase provides surprisingly good rear-seat legroom, though headroom will prove tight for taller occupants. At 5’10 in my comfortable driving position, headroom was sufficient but not generous, and I was able to sit behind myself in the back seat with heaps of legroom to spare, with that flat rear floor added to the sense of space. I’d advise test-driving shoppers to check out the cargo load floor height as well. It’s a touch higher than I expect on a vehicle with this sort of low-slung styling, and may require a bigger jump for the family dog to board and exit than you’re expecting.
Increasing numbers of Northern Ontarians currently run a gasoline truck or SUV for towing, camping and the like, and a second electric car for basically everything else. If your next primary or secondary car will be an EV and you’re digging the EV6, I’d strongly suggest giving this machine some serious attention — especially if you’re a winter driving enthusiast.
Keyword: EV Review: 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line