A big, comfy car with room for everyone, yet with a sleek shape on the outside. Impressive – and, in this instance, improved – electric range, combined with strong performance, rear-wheel drive dynamics and quality levels that would shame BMW and Audi.
Stick a Ford Capri badge on that and you’d have the recipe for a reinvented modern classic. Alas, Ford instead chose to stick the hallowed Capri name on to a dowdy, dumpy, devoid-of-charm crossover and so left an open goal for Kia.
Of course, the Kia EV6 has been on sale for some time now, since long before the revived Capri was but a twinkle in a Ford product planner’s eye. The EV6 has been a crucial cog in Kia’s rolling reinvention, taking it from the bargain-bucket days of the original Rio and Carens, through the sophisticated age of the Ceed and Sportage, and now to the point where this once-humble Korean car maker can create, in the shape of the big EV9, a car that can genuinely look a Range Rover in the eye without flinching.
The EV6, all sexy styling and impressive electric performance, marked a big change in Kia’s image when it was launched three years ago. It was the brand’s first electric-only vehicle (the electric version of the Soul and Niro had preceded it, but those came with hybrid and petrol models too) and it was Kia’s first tilt at the premium car market, even if the EV6 has generally undercut premium-badged rivals when it comes to pricing.
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Now, it’s time for an update and Kia is clearly sticking to the maxim of not fixing what’s not broken. Aside from some funky new headlights, which stretch across the full width of that shovel-like nose in a slim LED line, there doesn’t seem to be much different on the outside of the EV6 at all. Well, when a car is this handsome ... You know Kia knows it’s handsome too, as one of the new functions added to this facelifted model is a little down-light in the rear spoiler, which when you plip the key (or get close enough for the EV6 to recognise the electronic key in your phone) shines a subtle glow on to the carefully curved rear haunch. Steady on, now ...
[ Ford’s new Capri is little more than a soulless crossoverOpens in new window ]
Inside, things are also very familiar. There’s a new steering wheel – a two-spoke affair for regular models, and a three-spoke version for the sportier GT-Line – and some software tweaks to the big screens. There’s also more in the way of recycled material, with an intriguing mesh-like fabric-come-plastic on the dashboard, that’s made from reused PET bottles. The space, comfort, and quality remain the same, as does the driving position which is just slightly too high-set, as if Kia couldn’t quite wean itself off its Sportage SUV-driven success when it came to designing the EV6.
Underneath, however, there’s a much more significant change. The big battery pack is the same size as it used to be and is, impressively if only slightly, 1kg lighter than before; but it contains more energy, thanks to cells that are more dense (a compliment, not an insult in the battery world) and more efficient. The net-usable stored energy of the battery climbs from 77.4kWh to 84kWh, extending the EV6′s one-charge range to an impressive 582km. Power, from the single electric motor mounted between the rear wheels, remains the same at 228hp, while there’s a useful 350Nm of torque too.
Can you actually squeeze knocking on for 600km out of the new EV6? Not quite, no, but the realistic usable range has gone up quite a bit, from around 450km before to more like 520km now. It’s a seriously long-legged car, and a lengthy drive through Portugal – along windy coastal roads, through snarled-up traffic, and along brisk motorway sections – yielded an average energy use of 17kWh/100km, just above the claimed 16.1kWh/100km official claim. Not bad at all.
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Not bad, especially when you consider that the EV6 is not some compact economy model, but a large, genuinely luxurious, and rather engaging to drive car. True, the combo of a big, heavy battery set low between firmly suspended wheels means that there’s a touch of skateboard-like feeling when tackling bumpy country roads. The EV6 could do with a little more compliance in its springs, which might make it feel more composed. In Eco or Normal mode, the steering is light but quick, although ultimately it doesn’t tell you much about the road beneath the front tyres.
There is a Sport mode, which firms up the steering and livens up the electric motor response (0-100km/h in 7.7 seconds isn’t too shabby) and it even allows a little bit of slip from the rear wheels, making quiet, damp roundabouts a bit more fun. The Capri allusions continue ...
However, the EV6 feels more in its comfort zone if you’re on broader, more sweeping roads where the electric motor’s torque can fling you effortlessly along, and the impressive on-board silence and refinement make a long journey melt away. Those long journeys are a little easier than before too, as the upgraded battery can accept higher DC fast-charging speeds – now up to 258kW if you can find a charging point capable of pumping that much current – which allows a 10-80 per cent charge in just 18 minutes, thanks to an improved charging curve that needs fewer pauses along the way to check the battery’s health. Better thermal management of the battery means that you can potentially add as much as 343km of extra range in as little as 15 minutes’ charging.
It’s not even that expensive a car. Prices for this updated version will be set closer to its Irish arrival in March, but inclusive of grants it will still be close to €50,000, which seems like a reasonable price compared to smaller, less practical alternatives from Polestar and BMW. Incidentally, between now and then Kia Ireland is going to knock a little off the price of the existing EV6, still a wonderfully capable car, so if you’re in the mood for an EV bargain ...
Would it be worth waiting for the new one? For those that have to have the ultimate and latest, yes – the extra range is certainly welcome, as is the improved charging. However, what this new Kia EV6 really underlines is just what a brilliant car it was when it first arrived in 2021. That hasn’t changed.
