Kia EV6 2021 Review – International

The 2021 Kia EV6 has already been confirmed for Australia, production for which will start in the fourth quarter of this year, so there’s a chance it could arrive by the end of 2021 but early 2022 is more likely.

Kia Australia is already heavily advertising the EV6, which is not really a surprise given it will be the Korean company’s first EV flagship.

It’s a 4.7-metre long crossover-style fastback that should live in a similar space to the Tesla Model 3 and upcoming Polestar 2 and Volkswagen ID.4.

There is speed aplenty in the E-GMP platform and the battery pack, so Kia teases that there will be two-door EVs on the way as well. Kia predicts 100,000 EV6 sales a year and about 900,000 EVs a year by 2030.

But for now it’s leading off with the EV6, which is expected to arrive with pricing from somewhere around $65,000. 

While there’s no confirmation on which EV6s Australia will see, there are three powertrains and three variants: EV6, EV6 GT-Line and the EV6 GT, which is tested here but won’t be available from launch.

The entry-level and mid-spec versions are rear- or all-wheel drive, so there will be either a single motor on the rear axle or one for each end.

The EV6 is a car full of contrasts, with the design borne of the Lancia Stratos and an interior that echoes Kia’s latest obsession with surface textures.

There’s a single pane of glass that houses the enormous horizontal curved displays, including a 12.0-inch instrument cluster and another one for infotainment, then there is a long band of button-free haptic controls for the climate.

There is augmented reality for the navigation and head-up displays, plus a 14-speaker sound system from Meridian. 

The EV6 uses a lot of recycled materials inside, including 111 plastic PET bottles woven into the seat and interior fabrics, along with vegan synthetic fleather.

The 2021 Kia EV6 will carry a full suite of safety hardware, including autonomous emergency braking – for both ends – adaptive Level 2 cruise control, active lane control, blind-spot monitoring and much more.

The real practical technology here is the ability to charge at up to 250kW. Given lithium-ion’s sometimes dangerous disinterest in being hustled to recharge, that’s where the technology AND the safety have been concentrated here.

There is both 400-volt charging and 800-volt fast-charging, and it will take just 18 minutes to charge from 10 to 80 per cent.

It’s not just that, but the Kia EV6 batteries are bi-directional, so it can supply energy at 3.6kW to recharge large power tools, appliances or even another EV. 

It’s not just the batteries, either. Kia claims it’s the first car in the world with an integrated drive axle, combining the driveshafts and the wheel bearings in the interest of ride and handling.

The five-seat crossover EV6 will be the first of seven Kia EVs built on the Hyundai IONIQ 5’s all-new E-GMP (electric-global modular platform) architecture, and a further four Kia EVs will come from other platforms. 

It’s shorter than the Hyundai sister car, too, with a 4680mm overall length compared to the IONIQ 5’s 4735mm.

That leaves it roughly the same size as the BMW X3, but its 2900mm wheelbase is closer to the one used by the BMW X5.

Kerb weight is... considerable, but all of these big EVs have the same issue. It is 2175kg, with a 2580kg gross vehicle mass, which only leaves it 405kg of payload.

The top-spec 2021 Kia EV6 GT is seriously quick when it wants to be, with 430kW/740Nm outputs capable of accelerating to 100km/h in just 3.4 seconds, whirring on to a top speed of 260km/h.

And there’s a three-second EV6 version to come...

The price the EV6 GT pays for the speed is a shrinking of the 410km claimed range, though the high-speed charging goes some way to making up for it.

The base rear-drive car has only 58kWh of battery capacity and still sneaks through to 100km/h in a respectable 6.2 seconds thanks to its 125kW/350Nm motor.

The same battery is also used with the combined 173kW/65Nm of the all-wheel drive version.

There’s a long-range 77.4kWh battery, which is standard in the UK, that joins a stronger 168kW/350Nm rear e-motor, or a combined 239kW/605Nm all-wheel drive version, giving it 5.2sec sprints.

Two motors is double the drain on the battery, so the single-motor takes the range honours with 510km between zaps.

Don’t get obsessed with the 0-100km/h sprint times of the Kia EV6 GT. While the car can do it in 3.4 seconds, and bang them out consistently, that’s not its forte.

Instead, the EV6 GT feels as though it has that capability in reserve while the real deal is its management of day-to-day life.

So it’s strong in its performance everywhere, all the time, and the sound isolation of the gear whine and the e-motor is top-shelf.

There’s a one-speed transmission, but the motors never sound overworked and they never lack for urgency. There’s punch at any speed, and it’s serious punch, but the key is more the refinement and the response.

The interior, too, mostly works. The wiiiiidddeee- screen curves gently around the driver and is easy to read, although the haptic buttons need some more attention but mostly work.

There is a jewelled controller for the go-stop-backwards system, and that’s easy to use as well. It’s an easy car to become immediately familiar with.

The only significant trouble comes when you try to turn your head to see out the back, and that enormous C-pillar just eats into the vision and creates an enormous blind spot.

Ride quality is almost there, too, and that’s the last few percent of the equation Kia admits it’s still fine-tuning with the fleet of pre-production cars we drove.

Handling dynamics are also more than competent, especially given the mass that’s being arrested at every turn.

There is a near-undetectable point where the braking regeneration stops and the mechanical brakes clamp, and the pedal remains high and strong despite hard work.

Its handling is just so easy and calm that it belies the mass and the speed potential underfoot, and it sort-of eases its way through corners, even when it carries a lot of speed. 

The 2021 Kia EV6 GT is a surprise in a lot of ways, almost all of them good. It’s a sign of Kia’s growing confidence in its presence in the EV world, and a growing maturity in EV engineering.

This, Kia insists, is the state of EV things to come and augers well for Kia itself in any electrified future.

The EV6 is strong, feels beautifully engineered, has a creative and interesting interior with plenty of space for adults in all five seats and handles with tremendous friendliness and reassurance.

This car will definitely prove to be a challenge for the Volkswagen ID.4 and Tesla Model Y to overcome.

How much does the 2021 Kia EV6 GT cost?
Price: $65,000 (estimated)
Available: Early 2022
Powertrain: Two synchronous electric motors
System output: 430kW/740Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 77.4kWh lithium-ion polymer (105.2kWh net)
Range: 410km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 19.6kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested 

Images: Stefan Anker