Can it load more than fast?
The electric Kia EV6 looks quite revolutionary. In a sense it is, because it has a still relatively rare 800-volt battery pack. This provides various advantages, including being able to charge very quickly. On paper, the EV6 seems to be a rock-solid offer, partly thanks to this battery. How is that in practice? Owners share their experiences.
The 800 volt technology enables faster charging. In the case of the Kia EV6, this goes with a maximum of 240 kW, so that with the right charger you can gain about 300 kilometers of driving range in 15 minutes. For comparison: a Porsche Taycan ‘does’ with its 800 volts a maximum of 270 kW and a Lucid Air 300 kW. The latter cheats somewhat by displaying 900 volts.
The EV6 is available with two battery packs. The lightest has a capacity of 58 kWh and 394 km range (WLTP), for the large battery these are 77.4 kWh and 528 km respectively. Buyers can choose from four power variants. The entry-level version has 125 kW (170 hp) and always the compact battery pack, those who opt for the large battery get 168 kW (229 hp) with a rear-wheel drive and 239 kW (325 hp) with the four-wheel drive variant. Top model is the powerful EV6 GT with 430 kW (585 hp).
Space supply and seating comfort
At 4.68 meters, the Kia EV6 is no small boy. “The EV6 is big. Much bigger than you would think based on the photos,” says the user with a rear-wheel drive 77.4 kWh variant. “The EV platform also ensures that you have a lot of space inside. Three adults have plenty of space in the back and the trunk is certainly spacious enough.”
Although adults seem to be fine in the back, this is not always the case for the little ones. “Unfortunately, two booster seats and a child seat do not fit properly in the back seat. I have to click two belts under a seat, which is just annoying,” said an owner who uses the EV6 as a family car. What does he think of the trunk? “The suitcase is not very spacious and not very handy because it slopes so much.”
Opinions are divided about the seats and seating position. “A very comfortable car for long journeys. No hamstring cramps like in my BMW 3. It’s very personal, I realize that,” writes one, while another would prefer to see a little more support from the seat. Nevertheless, this user is also pleased with the furniture: “Chairs are generally very comfortable. I have already driven about 1,100 km in one day from Italy, but you also get out of the car on other longer journeys without fatigue.”
A point of attention for longer buyers: the panoramic roof that takes away space, also for driver and co-driver. “Unfortunately I don’t have the GT or GT line as I would like it,” writes the owner of an EV6 AWD Plus, “because the Dutch importer always delivers with a panoramic roof and I don’t feel comfortable with it. That roof is really too low for me.”
Handling Kia EV6
The Kia EV6 looks sportier than its Hyundai Ioniq 5 cousin, but how does it drive? “Driving the EV6 is a real pleasure,” said the driver of a 230 hp version. “The long wheelbase gives a lot of comfort and despite the fact that the car looks low, it effortlessly flies over all thresholds. Also taking the apex on the roundabout is no problem because of the low center of gravity. The car is like a log on the road and in sport mode it is wonderfully fast.”
“The car steers very pleasantly, the damping and suspension are very well balanced and it is wonderfully quiet in the car,” said the owner who previously drove an Audi RS 7 and TT RS. Or is it a crack nose? “It is striking: I actually often drive in eco mode, because the car drives very relaxed in today’s traffic. Overtaking is easier in ‘sport’, but that only takes two pushes of a button and is therefore a piece of cake.”
It is not the only driver who is used to more serious sports cars. “My first impression is that this EV6 is certainly not inferior to my previous car, the Mercedes-AMG C 63 s Coupé, of course I miss that wonderful exhaust note of the V8, but the performance of this EV6 GT does not lie.” Indeed, this 585 hp EV6 GT takes on the role of enthusiast and holiday car.
Infotainment and assistance systems
As befits a modern electric car, the Kia EV6 is well organized and, as fashion dictates, has a large central touch screen. “The graphics of all systems are beautiful and everything works intuitively,” says this owner. He explains: “If you want to change a safety option, you simply see a 3D picture of the car where you can click on all the options, which works a lot faster than working through countless menus.” He also praises the presence of physical buttons for audio control and climate control. “The downside is that I have to bend forward to operate the touch screen, it’s just too far away.” A complaint that we read more often.
Driving assistants are also available, including adaptive cruise control. This does not get their hands together in all cases, mainly because the system keeps a lot of distance. “The gaps between your predecessor remain too large, even in the shortest position,” reports an owner. “You have to learn to deal with it,” writes another. “Although the interventions are not very abrupt, you do have to keep anticipating in heavy traffic, for example by sometimes accelerating. If you don’t do this, the EV6 is too slow for me to keep up with the traffic.”
There are also plus points, this driver mentions: “The safety beeps and corrections are certainly not disturbing. Crossing traffic when reversing is quickly spotted. Danger warning when getting out is also nice. Steering corrections when driving autonomously between the lane markings takes some getting used to at first, but after driving for a while it is no longer noticeable.” In addition, his EV6 has another comfortable feature. “Traffic jams in slow traffic with cruise control on is perfect. You no longer have to react yourself (as in the e-Niro) when your predecessor accelerates. The EV6 does that itself and without dropping a hole.”
Maintenance and irritations
As mentioned, the Kia EV6 has innovative technology, but this occasionally caused concerns for users from the very beginning. “Although the car is well equipped, I am unlucky to have one of the first batch, so a lot of things still don’t work,” writes the owner of such an early example. “Meanwhile, the inverter has been replaced and various ‘updates’ have already been installed. The parking heater still doesn’t work, the demisting is bad, but the battery heater for the winter, for example, doesn’t work either.” Fogging up windows is reported more often, although Kia has now come up with a solution for this. “In the meantime, an auto-defog mode is available in the settings. The air conditioning is switched on automatically as soon as moisture and misting of the windows are detected,” replies someone for whom this solution appears to be sufficient.
Even after that, the climate control is not without worries. With this driver, the heating stopped at -8 degrees outside temperature and the heating does not work properly with this EV6 either. “The heating doesn’t work for a meter, even after all the updates and checks. The next user also has a negative experience: “When it gets hot, the car’s consumption skyrockets, but worse: then the heating stops at random times and only cold air comes out for the rest of the ride.”
In addition, some users report that the car charges relatively slowly at low outside temperatures. With the EV6, this phenomenon is known as ‘Coldgate’, which of course has no link with a toothpaste brand. In addition to ‘coldgate’, there also appears to be a ‘zombie mode’, in which the car stops functioning after quickly switching between gears. Most users are not bothered by this, another experienced it three times.
Consumption and range Kia EV6
The Kia EV6 is available with large battery packs and the practical consumption appears to be relatively favorable – the recipe for a large range. Drivers report consuming between 17 and 21 kWh per 100 kilometers. “On the motorway, consumption averages 18-19 kWh/100 km. My greatest driving range was 585 km and on average I get 545 km,” writes the driver of a rear-wheel drive car with a 77.4 kWh battery. If you like to drive on, the range will of course decrease. “Consumption (speed often +10/15 km/h higher than permitted) is around 19-21 kWh/100km with 90-95% highway,” says a driver who prefers to hurry up. “I hope to get this down a bit in the summer and am very curious about the holiday trips. So far I can actually make all the rides easily, practical range is around 350-380 km.”
What about the smaller 58 kWh package? “My reference is highway with cruise control at 105 km/h,” writes the owner of such a car. “This is what I drive 90% of the time for commuting. With cold weather around freezing point and lower, I have about 290 km range with a consumption of 18.5 kWh/100 km. With warmer weather, 15+ degrees, the range is approximately 395 km and the consumption is 13.5 kWh/100 km.”
When it comes to space and driving characteristics, the large electric Kia does not disappoint. The long driving range and efficient powertrain also speak in favor of the EV6. However, the car, like the Volkswagen ID3, for example, had to contend with the necessary teething problems. Most of this has now been resolved, which gives hope for the future.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl