Direct rival for e-3008
The electric Kia EV5 was the first to be viewed exclusively on this site, followed by the first official images. Now there are more specifications, but not everything is known yet.
The Kia EV5 can be described as the little brother of the Kia EV9, with which it also shares many design elements. It is of course also below the equally well-known EV6, which with a length of 4.70 meters is about 8 centimeters longer. The big difference, however, seems to be in the character: the EV6 is a lower, more crossover-like and smoother-lined car, the EV5 is a chunky SUV modeled on the EV9 mentioned earlier. That is the path we can expect from Kia’s EV model range from now on, because the EV9 was emphatically presented as a blueprint for what is to come. The Kia EV5 is 4.62 meters long, 1.88 meters wide and 1.72 meters high and has a wheelbase of 2.75 meters. It can be seen as a rival to the Volkswagen ID4, Skoda Enyaq and the like, but that also applies to the EV6 to more or less the same extent. ‘The power of choice’, but with pure EVs!
Front-wheel drive
However, there is also an important difference between the EV5 and the EV6 underneath the skin. Although Kia also refers to the platform of the EV5 as ‘E-GMP’, the EV5 is basically front-wheel drive. For the standard range version and the Korean market, Kia is talking about a front-mounted electric motor with 218 hp, linked to a 58 kWh battery pack. There will also be a Long Range version with the same power, but linked to 81 kWh. The Long Range AWD offers the same battery pack and an extra electric motor on the rear axle, which at 95 hp is considerably less powerful than the front one. The total power then comes to 306 hp. We will have to wait a little longer for a driving range, because this varies considerably per market and per continent. In China, the EV5 can travel up to 650 kilometers, but that is according to the mild CLTC test method, and with a battery pack that, at 88 kWh, is larger than the 81 kWh of the Korean version.
With these specifications and that slightly higher, SUV-like shape, the Kia EV5 seems more of a competitor than the EV6 for the new electric SUVs from Stellantis. The new Peugeot e-3008 – we also expect an Opel – is approximately the same size, has roughly the same shape, also has front-wheel drive and delivers comparable performance.
Bed
Kia is now releasing more information, including about the interior. For example, we know that both dashboard screens are 12.3 inches, supplemented with a smaller 5-inch screen for the climate control. There are almost no physical buttons, although Kia does provide a series of fixed, but ‘touch-sensitive’ keys under the screen. Just like the EV6, its function can be changed at the touch of a button, so that, according to Kia, this compact row can take over the function of seventeen separate buttons. Very striking are the interconnected, sofa-like front seats, which give the impression that you can fit three passengers here with a reasonable amount of force. However, we are out of luck in Europe: this seat configuration is only available in China. The Kia EV5 is also built in China for the Chinese market, but the model will also ‘normally’ be produced in South Korea.
According to Kia, the rear seat can be completely folded down, creating a kind of bed. The EV5 is no stranger to these kinds of camper-like tricks elsewhere. For example, Kia talks about a parcel shelf that can serve as a table and a refrigerator or a ‘warming cupboard’ in the rear center console. What exactly that looks like and whether we can also experience it in Europe remains to be seen in the future.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl