Kia EV6 hits Australian roads: Sneak peek of EV newcomer

The first examples of Kia’s all-new EV6 have arrived in Australia – and we’ve had a sneak peek.

The first Kia built on a dedicated electric vehicle architecture, the EV6 goes on sale early in 2022 complete with local suspension tuning and a three-model lineup that includes two specification levels and the choice between single motor rear-wheel drive and dual motor all-wheel drive configurations.

It will be a rare beast, at least initially, with Kia only scheduled to get 500 EV6s for Australia throughout 2022.

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The Kia EV6 shares its E-GMP architecture with the Ioniq 5 from sister brand Hyundai.

EV6 versus Ioniq 5

It’s impossible to ignore the similarities between the Ioniq 5 and EV6.

But despite the similarities beneath the skin there are big differences elsewhere.

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At 4695mm long the EV6is 60mm longer than the Ioniq 5 and it’s also 60mm lower. That gives it a sleeker look than the hatchback-esque silhouette of the Hyundai.

Yet the EV6’s wheelbase (the distance between front and rear wheels) is 100mm less than the Hyundai; at 2900mm, though, it’s still more than the wheelbase of a Toyota LandCruiser (2850mm).

There’s also a more formal look inside, at least with the GT-Line model we crawled over (more on the models later).

Ambient lighting is prolific inside and there are dual digital screens for the instrument cluster and infotainment.

EV6: Look closer

The EV6 has plenty of thoughtfulness in its design.

Plus and minus signs on the accelerator and brake pedals are a nod to the gamers who will not doubt be on the marketing hitlist for the EV6.

There’s a liberal application of LED lights front and rear, as well as under the bonnet storage area (the frunk) and even under the sides of the roof-mounted spoiler to illuminate the prominent rear wheel arches.

And the red reflectors that run from the rear wheels to the LED light cluster across the tail are reminiscent of those in the Kia Stinger performance car.

Powering up

The EV6 will be offered as a single motor rear-wheel drive or a dual-motor all-wheel drive.

Each drivetrain configuration will initially be offered with only the longer range battery that has a claimed capacity of 77.4kWh (4.8kWh more than the Hyundai Ioniq 5’s bigger battery).

That larger battery also supplies more power, so the single motor version makes 168kW and 350Nm for a 0-100km/h sprint in 7.3 seconds.

In dual motor guise it makes a combined 239kW and 605Nm, enough for a 0-100km/h sprint in 5.2 seconds.

Like the Ioniq 5 the EV6 has vehicle-to-load functionality, allowing up to 3.6kW to power external devices. It has the adapter that plugs into the charging point as well as a regular powerpoint in the rear.

Tweaked for Australia

The EV6 was given the same local suspension tuning program that other Kias sold here go through.

Conducted by chassis engineer Graeme Gambold during Covid lockdowns, it meant sending data to Korea to get changes made and validated.

Shock absorbers and spring rates were changed and the Australian tune sits somewhere between the softer Korean setup and the firmer European one.

“Kia Australia’s local tuning program is an important process for our product range and once again, despite the constraints thrown our way by COVID, our local product team and Graeme Gambold, along with our colleagues in Namyang, have worked together to customise a product to best suit Australian roads and driving styles,” says Kia Australia COO Damien Meredith.

Two trim levels, three EV6 models for 2022

There will initially be three EV6 models offered in Australia.

The entry-level EV6 will have a single motor, 19-inch wheels and materials and finishes focused on sustainability and recyclability. That means carpet and some dash and door plastics made of recycled PET plastic bottles. There’s also non-leather seat finishes claimed to be vegan.

That base car is still expected to be priced somewhere close to $80K.

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The other two models will both be badged as GT-Line, which in Kia marketing speak roughly means it looks fast and sporty but shares its engine (or motor/s) with non-sporty models.

The GT-Line models will have more features, including leather, 20-inch alloys, a sunroof (it’s not panoramic, like on the Ioniq 5) and a 14-speaker Meridian sound system with a sub-woofer under the boot floor.

The EV6 GT-Line will be available as a single motor RWD or dual motor AWD.

Where’s the EV6 GT?

Kia has already announced it will build a high-performance GT version of the EV6.

It’ll pick up more of the features and styling cues of the GT-Line but with 21-inch wheels and a heck of a lot more punch.

The EV6 GT makes a hefty 430kW and 740Nm and is claimed to top 100km/h in 3.5 seconds.

However, it’s been delayed for Australia.

A few EV6 GTs might sneak into the country late in 2022, but they’ll more likely hit the road in 2023.