2022 Kia EV6 | Review & Road Test

a while back i reviewed the hyundai ioniq 5 electric car and i really liked it now imagine the same basic car but it looks like this voila you've got the kia ev6 this is kia's first vehicle on a dedicated electric platform and i'm not afraid to say i'm a fan besides the hyundai ioniq 5 with which it shares mechanical underpinnings the eb6 competes with the tesla model y ford mustang mach e volkswagen id4 and depending on when you're watching this the nissan aria to ease you into a better understanding of the ev6 let me bombard you with information bombarding bombarding bombarding there are four trims light wind gt line and gt if you rolled your eyes just a little bit when i said light and wind i understand starting with the base light trim the ev6 features a 58 kilowatt hour battery pack a 168 horsepower electric motor driving the rear wheels 0-60 sprints around 8 seconds according to kia and an epa estimated range of 232 miles with the wind and gt line trims battery capacity expands to 77.4 kilowatt hours the rear motor's output jumps to 225 horsepower and range climbs to 310 miles the wind and gt line also offer all-wheel drive as an option doing so adds a second motor to drive the front tires giving the ev6 all-weather traction a healthy bump in power and a slight reduction in driving range that is a lot of detail to absorb so let's take a pause from the information assault and just gawk at the ev6's sweet style i don't know about you guys but i dig the ev6's dynamic futurism all right are you ready to dive back into the info deep breath here we go i mentioned earlier that there were four ev6 trims well the fourth one is a doozy the gt trim not to be confused with the mellower gt line trim is an absolute powerhouse it's not available as of when we made this video but if all-wheel drive 576 horsepower and 0 to 60 runs under 3.5 seconds seems cool the ev6 gt could be the sporting electric car of your dreams rounding out the technical overload i have to mention that kia utilizes an 800 volt architecture with the ev6's battery packs allowing for fast recharge times how fast kia says a 10 to 80 charge should only take 18 minutes provided you've got access to a 350 kilowatt dc fast charger which might not use a more common 50 kilowatt charger and that charge time rises to more than an hour and with a level two home charger you can expect a full 77.4 kilowatt hour battery in about seven hours [Music] now that i've worn out your ability to absorb data how about we see how the ev6 drives the gt line trim i'm driving has a sporting demeanor that aligns with the ev6's stylistic statement the steering has a precise feel with natural levels of electric assist at rollicking speeds the ev6 is a joy to turn providing ample grip for a good time for proof look at my face this is my having fun face during standard commutes the suspension delivers a comfortable ride that acknowledges the road without being overpowered by it meanwhile visibility is hindered by thick pillars but not so egregiously that an owner wouldn't get used to it i do have to lodge one quick complaint though uh right now the sun is coming from this direction and i'm getting so many reflections from the interior especially the drive selector here one of my favorite parts of the ev6 driving experience though is the brakes in many electric cars the brake pedal has a spongy unpredictable feel that drives me mad but not in the ev6 it is so easy to break smoothly in this thing a point i'm making now by braking very smoothly that could have been smoother actually i'm going to blame myself that's not the car's fault being an electric vehicle the eb6 also offers four regenerative braking intensities including a one pedal drive mode that comes to a stop just as smoothly as i can oh that was a hard sentence to speak heads up with a fully charged battery and nowhere to store the reclaimed electrons the regenerative braking function is temporarily disabled and i suppose it wouldn't be a proper review without some flat out acceleration from a standstill three two one believe me when i say electric cars can be fun straight lines aside feeling that immediate electric push as you exit a corner is grand another grand feeling is when you don't crash your car fun helping make that possible is a range of standard active driver assist features like lane keeping assist automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection blind spot warning and full speed dynamic cruise control as for the interior it's sleek and contemporary without looking needlessly weird more importantly the ev6's skateboard like platform and long wheelbase enables a spacious cabin at five feet ten inches tall i am the quintessential average american male how do i fit like this in the front seat so seed comfort is really quite good if i had one little nitpick it would be that i kind of wish the steering wheel came down a little bit further but it does telescope a reasonable distance and yeah this is a very comfortable spot for me to be let's go to the back seat and see how averageness sits behind averageness okay by the way the reason why i'm doing this is not because i'm ever going to really sit behind myself i'm just a very average person so this gives you a sense of what the average person would experience in the back seat so look how much leg room i have a ton of leg room the seat could maybe fit up a little bit further so i have a little bit more foot room but overall just a lot of space here and then you have this flat floor so the middle position there's no hump because this is an electric car and it kind of rides on a skateboard platform good head room and then i want to point out that my good friend mike danger was sitting in the front seat here and even behind my dangerous seating position still plenty of knee room headroom totally clears and look you have some uh recline flexibility that's an okay recline yeah this is a very comfortable cabin nicely done key yeah at 24.4 cubic feet the ev6's trunk offers workable space though the hyundai ioniq 5 bw id4 and mustang machi all offer more cargo room up front there is a frunk but it's cozy now i'm sure you're wondering about price excluding any wacky dealer of charges the base ev6 light trim has an msrp just shy of 41 grand that doesn't include 1215 in destination charges nor the 7 500 federal tax incentive the ev6 is eligible for or any potential state incentives in base form the ev6 comes with heated front seats wireless phone charging smart key access and dual 12.3 inch screens handling gauge cluster and infotainment duties i wish the system offered wireless apple carplay and android auto but i cannot knock its layout it's very intuitive very snappy reactions too uh wait no i somehow screwed it up uh oh boy uh it's gone off the rails oh here we go look how snappy that is just moves right back and forth it's almost idiot proof i mean you know one area of potential controversy worth mentioning is the dual function audio climate interface personally i didn't have any issue switching functions but you may feel differently try before you buy the wind trim adds leatherette seating premium audio ventilated front seats a smart lift gate that opens after three seconds when you've got the fob in your pocket and vehicle to load abilities meaning you can use the ev6 to power items using a 120 volt accessory outlet further up the trim lineup the gt line indulges with auto pop out door handles a sunroof a blind spot camera displayed in the gauge cluster an incredibly cool 360 degree camera to ease your parking lows and highway driving assist too which automatically maintains the ev6's speed and traffic keeps it in the middle of its lane and performs lane changes on the driver's behalf at long last the electric vehicle marketplace is filling with interesting choices evs are no longer just compliance vehicles to me the ev6 proves we've turned a corner [Music] not only is the ev6 a real car but it has the performance range style and speedy recharge abilities to be a truly desirable car it is very difficult to predict the future but i suspect it'll look something like this [Music] you

Channel: Kelley Blue Book

Views: 264,606

Keywords: 2022 Kia ev6, kia ev6 review, kia ev6 road test, kia ev6 range, kia ev6 battery life, kia ev6 interior, ev6 price, kia ev6 cost, kia ev6 cargo space, kia ev6 0-60, kia ev6 trim levels, kia ev6, kelley blue book, kbb.com, kbb, micah muzio, best electric suv, best ev crossover, best electric car

Id: 5bea6OBb8SQ

Length: 10min 7sec (607 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 18 2022