New Kia EV6 - impressions after the first contact. Unusual, bold and extraordinary car, "but" ... [video]

Kia EV6 - Kia electric combo/firing brakes. The Elektrowóz representative had the pleasure of getting to know the car as one of a dozen automotive editorial offices in Poland. That's the impression the car made on us during this static (and, unfortunately, only static) presentation. In short: the outside is electricity, the interior needs to be approached with common sense. Who needs direct competition from the Tesla Model 3 Performance will have to wait over a year for the Kia EV6 GT.

Kia EV6, prices and configurations:

segment: D (the manufacturer says "crossover"),

drive: All-wheel drive rear-wheel drive,

battery: 58 or 77,4 kWh,

charging power: 200+ kW thanks to 800 V installation,

reception: from 400 to 510 WLTP units depending on the version

wheelbase: 2,9 meters

length: 4,68 meters

Price: from PLN 179 for 900 kWh forward, from PLN 58 for 199 kWh forward, from PLN 900 for four-wheel drive

The entry below is a collection of hot impressions. We conveyed the emotions that we experienced in it. It is unlikely that this text will be supplemented with a review, as it is difficult for us to review a standing car model.

Kia EV6 - first impression

After the presentation, during which we were told some interesting details about EV6 - they will appear in the content - we split into two groups. Some of them got to know the car better, some had to wait at a distance. I watched the EV6 live and every moment became more and more convinced that such a bold experiment with Kia had not yet been. The manufacturer has calm and elegant models (like the Proceed, Stinger) as well as amazing cars (like the e-Soul), but the Kia EV6 is probably the most unique of them all:

Judging by the rims and wheel arches, we were introduced to the EV6 Plus variant that we liked a few weeks ago. This is the middle model in the hierarchy, while we momentarily forget about the high-performance (and unavailable) GT variant. It has optional adaptive headlights, optional sequential turn signals (already there), black paint on the wheel arches and sills, upholstery in imitation ("vegan") leather, interior elements in high-gloss black (piano black).

Everything important is standard: charging from 400 and 800 V chargers, on-board 3-f 11 kW charger, i-Pedal accelerator system, tinted rear windows, heated steering wheel and seats, an additional heat pump, 20-inch alloy wheels, etc. And so on.

Externally, the EV6 is a model from the “love it or leave it” category. Either fancy headlights will speak to you, or they will seem too whimsical to you. Either the rear lights will convince him, or he will find them ugly and unappetizing - after all, who has seen how expressive LEDs are combined with poorly visible indicators located under the silver stripe? We are fascinated by:

Kia EV6 will be the brand ambassador for future modelsBy 2026, the manufacturer will bring 6 new car models to the market - some will be on the E-GMP platform, some will probably use existing solutions.

Te on the E-GMP platform I will have Installation of 800 voltsfor charging over 200 kW in ultra-fast charging stations (HPC, 350 kW). All EV6s delivered before the end of 2022 will receive free annual Ionity Power subscription at a rate of PLN 1,35 / kWh... Cheaper than Tesla with superchargers, whose owners pay 1,4 PLN / kWh.

Not only will they watch you on the road, but also Ionity ultra-fast chargers will charge you cheaper and faster than Tesla... And the trunk you will have 490 liters (VDA) with easy access, albeit a fairly flat and high floor. 490 liters, 90 liters more than the Ford Mustang Mach-E (D-SUV), 53 liters less than the Volkswagen ID. Add to that a small trunk at the front (4 liters for RWD, 52 for AWD):

Do you want to go inside? We didn't care, we couldn't wait, we went in and ... well, let's not hit the bushes. We didn't like these two aspects in the car. That's why we announced a few days ago that the car is amazing on the outside and we didn't want to talk about the interior (due to the embargo). If you don't want to hear the complaint, skip to the video below.

First: while the cockpit displays were fine, the materials and their texture were intriguing, the center tunnel with car start button and direction switch was poor and cheap. The handle looked like the lid of a jar of jam that was accidentally put there - probably a flat, multi-directional button flush with the surface would have been better (this protruding lever is our telephone wand). On the other hand, the idea of ​​an inductive phone charger (ribbed surface with holes) right under the palm of your hand is perfect:

This light-chaos aesthetic can take some getting used to, with a bigger problem popping up in the back. Good, Secondly, the rear seat cushion is narrow and low set. I was very surprised by the numbers on my measuring cup. Here they are compared with the Skoda Enyaq iV:

• Dimensions - Skoda Enyaq iV - Kia EV6
• rear seat width (across the car) - 130 cm - 125 cm,
• middle seat width - 31,5 cm - 24 cm,
• seat depth (along the axis of the car, along the hips) - 48 cm - 47 cm,
• seat height from floor – 35 cm – 32 cm.

Note the bold dimensions: the rear seat is 5 centimeters narrower than the Skoda Enyaq iV, and this narrowing was achieved by the middle seat. In addition, the seat is 3 centimeters lower than on the Skoda Enyaq iV, and my shin is 48-49 cm. As a result on the back of the Kia EV6, an adult will sit on a bench with knees raised high... There will be a lot of room in these knees (the back of the chair is far away), but the feet will not press under the chair, because there is almost no room there. You can see this in the photo:

In 2D movie (second part):

And in 360-degree video (you can pause and inspect the cockpit; necessarily enable 4K resolution):

I explain it to myself like this: Kia wanted to create a car with a nice body with brakes, the roof was relatively low, so they had to lower the couch. Probably, the manufacturer had a study that models in this segment are most often bought by 2 + 2 families, with children in armchairs or teenagers up to 1,75 meters tall. In such a situation, the low-lying sofa does not bother you much. The problem will appear only when the back regularly and over long distances you will have to carry three tall people, although a completely flat floor (no nubs) can help here, which will allow you to cope a little with loose legs 🙂

You will not regret the seat in the front, it is comfortable, spacious, and readable.

Kia brags about coming to Kia EV6 Highway Assistant 2.0who can support Oraz change lanes (after confirmation by the direction indicator?). Mercedes EQC can do it, Tesla can do it, in the current Kia lane keeping works well, the car is not a mouse. The next generation can only get better. In addition, it must be present in the vehicle. mechanism for automatic entry / exit from the parking space with the ability to turn the wheels – In Tesla, this feature is called Summon.

As for the range of the vehicle, it's hard to say anything. The car, visible in the photo and video, was standing, it was turned on, it had an active air conditioner, energy was consumed, and the car did not move (except for a few meters to the stage). As a result, consumption represented by meters jumped to 65,6 kWh per 100 km and a range of 205 kilometers - these two numbers do not match.

The car will be equipped with a 6-speed energy recovery system, which is a slightly more extensive version than it is now. Of course it will be driving with only one accelerator pedal - something that has been in some cars for a long time, and in others (for example, cars on the MEB platform) we will not experience. Producer announces remote navigation and map updates, it doesn't talk about remote system update, so it won't.

The weakest version of the model (rear-wheel drive, 58 kWh) accelerates to 100 km / h in 8,5 seconds, like the Skoda Enyaq iV. The version provided by us (rear-wheel drive, 77,4 kWh) in 7,5 seconds. The 77,4 kWh all-wheel drive variant hits 100 km / h slightly faster than the Tesla Model 3 SR + in 5,4 seconds. The fastest should be the Kia EV6 GT (3,5 seconds), but this model will only appear in a year, so there is no point in dwelling on it, of course, except to take note of the plans.

Wnioski

The Kia EV6 is an avant-garde, distinctive street car. He is one of the few electricians in which people will look not at the green boards, but at the design - a surprise from all sides:

Inside, we were a little surprised by the materials and some stylistic solutions. The materials do not claim to be final, but company officials always talk about it when they see that something is not all right. At Kia, we weren't more concerned with the layout, but the materials: it was ergonomic and unaesthetic. Read: Looking inward, we must convince ourselves that everything will be okay.

The Kia EV6 is still our first electric car with the best value for money. It has a big battery, big trunk, good price. But as the father of a 2+3 family, I wouldn't buy this model today until I've tried on my kids in the back seat. That I can't put three seats in the back, that's for sure - I can live with it. However, I would not want one of the children or, God forbid, the Wife sitting too tightly squeezed inside.

Production of the car will begin in July, deliveries will begin at the turn of September and October.. The Polish branch wants to sell 2021 copies in 300. You can blindly order or wait for the EV6 to drop into showrooms. And when that happens, things will start to change - because Kia isn't kidding about electrification. The producer has already decided: this is the direction in which he wants to move.

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