The KIA EV6 is one of the more attractive electric vehicles emerging at the moment, although scarce supply means that can’t compete with Tesla on sales charts.
Designed from the ground up as an EV, the 4.7-metre Kia offers flashy design, good range and excellent driving performance at a fairly reasonable price point.
While the GT-Line category attracts attention and a heavyweight GT will debut in 2023 as the performance halo, here we look at the entry EV6 air which offers the longest claimed range in the lineup at 528 km.
How much does Kia EV6 Air cost?
Base Kia EV6 variant price $72,590 before road coststhe equivalent of a tick under $78,600 driving away by Melbourne postcode.
As a result, the EV6 Air almost perfectly fits the base Tesla Model Y with a pre-on-road retail price of $72,300, which equates to $78,134 driving away in Melbourne.
Interestingly, the base EV6 is virtually identical to its own Kia Niro EV GT-Series ($72,100), offers some more luxury but is a smaller vehicle with less squeal and range, based on an internal combustion engine.
Price of Kia EV6 2023:
- Kia EV6 Air: $72,590
- Kia EV6 GT-Line RWD: $79,590
- Kia EV6 GT-Line AWD: $87,590
Price before cost on the road
THAN: What electric car buyer incentives are on offer across Australia?
What’s inside the Kia EV6 Air?
The EV6’s interior design is modern and minimalist, although the slightly flimsy manual exhaust door handles without the proximity key cause a bit of a letdown in terms of operation, if not design.
The two-spoke steering wheel looks unique and features simple buttons on each spoke and a small drive mode selector mounted on the left-hand side.
Behind this is a large digital cluster that changes according to the driving modes and allows you to view driving data, driver assistance menus, remaining mileage, etc.
The rest of this section in a continuous shell is a 12.3-inch horizontal touchscreen with satellite navigation, wired smartphone mirroring, and a reversing camera. It offers sharp graphics and fast processing.
It is very simple to use, with simple tiles on the menu screen and useful aspects such as a pop-up widget that notifies you when you skip a track, and a clock that is extremely simple to adjust.
Running along the dash and below the screen is a piece of gray fabric that elevates the color palette and compensates for some rather cheap and dull plastic parts that make us feel like they belong in a car. cheaper.
Below this and the slim vents is a touchscreen that changes from an air conditioning or ventilation menu into a shortcut toolbar to take you to navigation, audio or general settings. It’s smart, elegant and space-saving.
There are also physical buttons and dials for features like volume, track skip, parking sensor control, pulling up the reverse camera, and Auto Hold anti-climb mode.
The center console is quite spacious, in front is a rubber cup holder and wireless charging dock, along with a prominent knob for the gear lever and start button.
The flat floor and no front-to-rear drive shaft mean there’s space for a large storage bin that’s partially hidden below the center tunnel, making it extremely practical. There are many USB ports.
Rear seat occupants have face-level vents in each B-pillar, USB ports on the back of the seat, cup holders and 3-prong 250V and 16A power outlets below the bench.
The legroom is ample for adults and the floor is perfectly flat, although the legroom is modest and headroom is limited. only enough for my 194cm frame. In higher classes with a sunroof (not available in the EV6 Air), this area can be more damaged.
The trunk has a lever to turn the rear seats down from afar, taking storage space from 490 liters arrive 1270L – there is also a 52L frunk archive.
What’s under the bonnet?
The EV6 is a new development from the start and shares most of its hardware with Hyundai ioniq 5 and Genesis GV60.
The EV6 Air is a rear-wheel drive system that uses a rear-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor to generate 168kW power and 350Nm torque, enough for a statement 7.3 seconds acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h.
All Kia EV6 variants are powered by an energy reserve in one 77.4kWh Lithium-ion battery pack with a capacity of 697V, with a weight announced by the manufacturer is 477kg.
The driving range declared by the manufacturer is long 528km WLTP, although based on my driving as I will detail in a minute, I estimate it to be more like 470km. This compares to 504 km for the EV6 GT-Line RWD and 484 km for the twin-engine GT-Line AWD.
The Type 2 and CCS charging ports are located next to the right-hand taillight.
Kia says the recharge time on an 11kW AC unit is 7 hours 20 minutes (10-100%), meaning owners with indoor wall boxes should have no problem charging overnight.
On the DC side, the 800V charging infrastructure theoretically allows 10-80 percent charging on an ultrafast 350kW charger in 18 minutes, or 73 minutes on the more common (currently) 50kW charger.
I used the Chargefox super-fast charger and added 56.53kWh in 25 minutes, with a maximum charge rate (shown on Kia devices) of 202kW. That equates to a 73% more charge in 25 minutes.
| Kia EV6 Air | |
|---|---|
| Engine and drive position | Rear, RWD |
| Power and torque | 168kW and 350Nm |
| 0-100km/h | 7.3 seconds |
| Battery | Li-ion, 77.4 kWh |
| system voltage | 400V and 800V (no adapter needed) |
| AC charger | 10.5kW |
| AC charging time 10-100% | 7 hours 20 minutes |
| Watched DC charging peak | 202kW |
| 10-80% DC charging time | ~18 minutes on 350kW . charger ~73 minutes on a 50kW . charger |
| Required driving range | 528km DLTP |
| Energy usage requirements | 16.5 kWh per 100 km |
How does the Kia EV6 Air drive?
Although this is the base, non-performance EV6 variant, it is not slow when accelerating from 0 to 100 km / h consecutively in 7.4 seconds and 7.7 seconds.
Throttle response is also dramatically altered based on your set driving mode, which remains on restart – less responsive to save energy in Energy Saver mode, more powerful in Sport mode.
For one, the Air lacks the Active Sound Design symphony found in the EV6 GT-Line, so it’s all quiet here.
I covered 395.3km in a few days (10 hours and 15 minutes of driving accumulation) in temperatures around 20 degrees, consuming an impressive 15.2 kWh on average. This is far superior to the claim.
After 400 km of travel, I still have 18% battery left, which means my actual driving range based on my distance will drop to just 500 km.
You also get some form of brake energy recovery that manifests in more traction or deceleration as you lift the accelerator, all the way up to single-pedal steering.
Level 3 regenerative mode greatly reduces your need to use mechanical brakes, the system itself feels well weighted.
Unlike some electric cars, the EV6 feels quite dynamic, despite its tare of 2000kg.
It handles minor bumps nicely, isolates you from road noise, and changes direction fairly quickly with flat body control.
Driver-assistance features are also excellent, especially lane-keeping assist that helps the driver navigate through surprisingly tight turns – while your hands are gently resting on the steering wheel.
It is also rated for towing 1600kg, although this will greatly affect the scope. As always, factors such as payload, weather and driving style greatly affect range.
| Kia EV6 Air | |
|---|---|
| Front suspension | strut McPherson |
| Rear suspension | multi-link |
| front brake | Ventilated disc 325mm |
| Rear brake | Solid disc 325mm |
| regenerative brake | Level 0-3 via paddle shifters |
| Rotating circle | 11.6m |
| Tire | Kumho or Nexen 235/55s |
You get what?
Outside
- Portable trickle charging cable (three prongs)
- Flush door handle
- Reflective LED headlights
- LED daytime running lights
- LED tail lights
- 19-inch alloy wheels
- Tire pressure monitoring system
- Tire repair kit
- Electric and heated rearview mirror
internal
- Automatic anti-glare rearview mirror
- Fabric and trim in artificial leather
- Dual-zone climate control
- 12.3-inch instrument cluster
- 12.3-inch central touch screen
- Satellite navigation with map update
- 6-speaker audio
- AM/FM/DAB+
- Multiple Bluetooth connections
- Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- 4 x USB-C ports, 1 x USB-A and 2 x 12V
- V2L feature with three-spoke powerpoint in the back seat
- Wireless phone charger
The EV6 Air doesn’t have many of the features found in the GT-Line we reviewed here.
Additional EV6 GT-Line:
- 20 inch alloy wheels
- Soundproof front window glass
- Rear privacy glass
- Flat folding automatic door handle
- GT-Line exterior styling
- V2L converter with 3.6kW
- Faux leather/suede seat covers
- Stainless steel luggage area sill plate
- 64 colors ambient interior lights
- Active Sound Design (engine sound mode)
- Augmented reality display
- 14-speaker Meridian audio
- Electrically adjustable driver’s seat with 2 positions
- Premium recliner (front)
- Heated/ventilated front seats
- heated steering wheel
- Remote smart parking support
- Electric tailgate
- Blind spot monitor
- 3D CCTV camera system
All of this for $7000 seems too tempting, suggesting that the EV6 Air is either overpriced or should be better equipped.
Is Kia EV6 Air safe?
Kia EV6 earned one Five-star safety rating ANCAP based on testing conducted by Euro NCAP, dated 2022.
It scored 90% for adult passenger protection, 87% for child passenger protection, 64% for vulnerable pedestrian protection and 88% for safety assistance.
Standard safety features include:
- Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB)
- Pedestrian and cyclist detection
- fork support
- Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
- Lane assist (active focus)
- Lane keeping assist
- Blind spot monitoring
- Rear traffic warning
- Front center airbag
- Support smart speed limit
- Multi-collision brake
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Reverse camera
- Tire pressure monitoring
Additional EV6 GT-Line:
How much does Kia EV6 Air cost to run?
EV6 covered by Kia Australia Seven-year unlimited km . warrantywith high voltage components such as batteries, electronic motors and integrated chargers are warranted for 7 years or 150,000 km.
Kia offers three prepaid service packages. Priced three-year plan $5945 year plan will set you back $1089and 7 year plan $1584.
CarExpert tests Kia EV6 Air
The Kia EV6 is such a compelling electric crossover I would really consider buying one. And at a basic level as tested, it still feels enjoyable and capable enough to stack.
For my two cents, this is the hottest thing Tesla Model 3 Alternatives are available on the market and supply is expected to improve by 2023.
It’s hard to beat the GT-Line’s longer spec sheet, but the EV6 Air is still a really well-designed electric car, among the best in the industry.
See the link below for our three-way EV comparison between the EV6, pole star 2 and Tesla Model 3.
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THAN: Compare Kia EV6 v Polestar 2 v Tesla Model 3
THAN: Everything Kia EV6
