Kia EV6 Review: Will Kia’s First Electric Car Explode In India

The automotive industry in India has always been dynamic and change has always been constant. This is the reason that has made India one of the global automotive powerhouses. In recent times, however, the automotive industry has seen much more than a few changes.

With the aggressive entry of electric vehicles, the entire landscape of the Indian automotive industry has changed in a big way. India seems to be the only market in the whole world which is full of affordable EVs and expensive EVs. Electric vehicles that are very practical and accessible exist in the market, as well as EVs, which are not very accessible on a financial scale.

However, these expensive electric vehicles are bringing a revolution of their own in India. They are super stylish, boast high-performance levels, the range is very high and they really make you want to own one of them. The perfect example of this is the Kia EV6 electric vehicle.

Kia India is targeting the premium electric vehicle segment with its latest offering and we were curious to know what the new offering is all about. What makes Kia so confident about the Kia EV6 and its success? How’s it like to drive? Is this something that will suit the Indian market? With these questions, we reached out to Buddh International Circuit to find out what the Kia EV6 is all about.

Design And Style

The Kia EV6, without a doubt, is the most futuristic vehicle ever developed by Kia and this becomes evident through its design and styling. Some reports suggest that Kia has drawn inspiration from the Lancia Stratos for the design of the EV6. The Stratos is one of the most iconic cars in the world of Rallying and a petrolhead favorite.

LED headlamps with unique LED DRLs, muscular lines on the sweeping bonnet, signature grille, and bumpers with black elements all make up a unique car that we haven’t seen before in India.

However, the design highlighted on the side profile is the 19inch alloy wheels. These alloy wheels have been given a unique turbinelike design and they also look like the wheels used in sports cars. There’s an air channel of sorts on the underside of the doors, which adds styling as well as aids in aerodynamics.

However, things get a lot more complicated in terms of styling at the rear. First, you get the tail lamp, which extends beyond the body panel. It’s really hard to take your eyes off the back. This tail lamp is connected to this silver element which has a bumper below it. Blackout elements in the bumper along with a diffuser complete the super stylish rear end of the Kia EV6.

The Kia EV6 is a wild beast in its design and styling and this is something that we really like. Kia is trying to make a statement with this electric vehicle and has successfully done so with just the design. However, it is much more than just design.

Cockpit And Interior

To be honest, it would be a shame if the interiors and cockpit don’t match the fancy exteriors and Kia knows it. The EV6 is a global product and will compete with premium electric vehicles in several international markets. A look at the interiors will tell you that the Kia EV6 will stay with the existing premium EVs.

Buyers get to choose from three shades of black for the interior color. There aren’t many colors to choose from and the interior has a dark theme. The grips are also good for the driver’s thumb to hold the steering wheel. You also get steering-mounted controls.

The dashboard is quite futuristic, with the infotainment and instrumentation screens arranged in a floating manner. There is a glass slab just behind the steering wheel. We say glass slab because it looks like a single screen when two screens are closed. The instrumentation is taken care of by a 12.3inch full color TFT display.

As you can imagine, a lot of information is displayed on this screen. This includes information related to vital range, temperature, navigation, vehicle data, etc. There’s another 12.3inch screen on the same panel, but that’s for equipment and yes, it’s a touchscreen. You get tons of features, including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Sound is presented through a 14speaker Meridian audio system and sounds great. We can’t wait to spend more time listening to music on these speakers. The driver also gets an augmented reality heads-up display and this is a great feature. The driver’s eyes don’t really need to be taken off the road.

Feature

However, there is one more feature that takes the driver’s eye off the road. Below the infotainment screen is a piano black stripe and below this strip is a small control panel. Like all things with the Kia EV6, this control panel is also futuristic, or maybe a little too futuristic for some.

It seems completely normal at first. However, things get weird from there. There is a button and on touching this button, the icons of the touch panel change to the infotainment button.

This simply means that you can have either the climate control settings or the infotainment controls, and not both at the same time. Now, if you want to make your cars extremely fancy and futuristic, this feature will enthrall you. However, for someone who values ​​convenience over the ability to show off, this can be a turn off.

Next comes the center console. It is also futuristic, with various buttons for vehicle control. The most important of them is of course the drive model selector which is in rotary form. Apart from this, Kia calls the EV6 relaxation seats for the driver and passenger. These seats have characteristic air flow and 10way energy adjustment.

Kia EV6 Review: Will Kia’s first electric car explode in India

Comfort, Practicality, And Boot Space

Being a futuristic vehicle, we didn’t expect the Kia EV6 to be very comfortable or practical. However, it surprised us and proved our views in this area wrong. The seats are luxurious and this helps the Kia EV6 to score high on the comfort charts.

Apart from this, features like ventilated seats and a powerful air conditioning system make life behind the steering of the Kia EV6 really comfortable. However, we should also mention that we have not tested the Kia EV6 on public roads. That will be the real test of its comfort on Indian roads, so stay tuned for our road test review to know more about the comfort level.

There are quite a few cube holes scattered throughout the EV. The door panels can take a lot more than just a bottle, the storage under the center armrest is also huge, and makes it very practical indeed.

In terms of boot space, the rear-wheel drive model claims a capacity of 490 liters, while the boot space of the AWD model gets reduced by 10litres. The rear seats can be folded down to make room for more luggage when this extra space is needed. In terms of space, the Kia EV6 has enough space for five people and the seating position of five people is not uncomfortable at all.

EV Powertrain Performance And Driving Impressions

The Kia EV6 is designed to be a futuristic electric-powered car with exceptional overall performance levels. It simply means that the battery has to be big and the motor has to be powerful. The Kia EV6 will be offered in rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive variants. We got the experience of the AWD variant and it is quite torquey.

As soon as you step on the silent pedal, you can feel the power of 605Nm of torque on all four wheels as it pushes you to the seat and accelerates.

According to Kia, the speed of 0100 km/h is completed in just 5.2 seconds. The Kia EV6 has three drive modes: Eco, Normal, and Sport. Each of these modes adjusts the way the throttle and steerage function. The sensitivity increases or decreases depending on the mode selected. In sports mode, the Kia EV6 has a top speed of 192km/h.

We took the Kia EV6 for a test ride at the Buddh International Circuit, with 4 people in the vehicle. Adding three others didn’t change the acceleration much. It still grows quite fast.

The Kia EV6 is powered by a 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack and drives motors that have a combined output of 320bhp. It is possible to charge these motors in an instant as it is compatible with both 50kW DC fast charging as well as 350kW DC fast charging. While the first charger takes 73 minutes to take the battery from 10 to 80 percent, the latter does it in just 18 minutes.

Kia claims that the Kia EV6 has a range of around 528 km and is measured using the WLTP cycle. Expect the real-world range in Indian driving conditions to be much less than that figure.

Kia EV6 Review: Will Kia’s first electric car explode in India

The Kia EV6 Features

regenerative braking and there are a total of five levels to use. Level 4 enables the highest amount of regeneration and driving the EV6 is possible with just one pedal. The regeneration is so strong that we saw a 3kilometer increase in range after one hotch lap of the track.

The steering feels perfectly balanced and weights well at high speeds. Although at low speeds, it is easy to maneuver and light. We spent a lot of time in the sports mode as the steering response in this drive mode is perfect to tackle the corners of the Buddh International Circuit.

A battery pack weighing around 500 kg is placed on the floor. As a result, the Kia EV6 handles superbly. Somebody roles are hard to find. Suspension and steering were tested only on track proper tarmac. We are yet to find out how it deals on the road.

To increase the grip level were Kumho Ecsta PS71 tires. These tires combined with disc brakes on all four wheels ensured that the braking is crisp and the brakes do not sag even after pushing to the limit on the BIC. Level 4 further enhances the Regeneration braking skill.

Overall, the Kia EV6 offered a great first-drive experience. It showcased its high-speed prowess at the BIC and we can’t wait to test it out in the real world through its speed as well. Stay tuned for that.

Safety And Key Features

With the Kia EV6, Kia has been quite vocal about safety and its importance. Then it would be safe to say that the Kia EV6 comes with both active and passive safety features.

Kia EV6 Safety Features:

• 8 airbags
• Advance ADAS
• Adaptive beam LED headlamps
• Lane Keep Assist
• Front Collision Avoidance
• Blindspot collision avoidance assist
• Smart cruise control with stop-and-go functionality
• Lane Follow Assist

Key Features of Kia EV6:

• Augmented Reality HUD
• 14speaker Meridian Audio
• 12.3inch touchscreen infotainment
• Kia Connect
• remote climate control
• Remote charging control
• Ventilated seats
• Vehicletovehicle charging

Kia EV6 Review: Will Kia’s first electric car explode in India