It pays to be different. Take the Kia EV6 for example. The flagship electric SUV heads into a bold direction in the EV space, as a high-end luxury EV that stands out with its styling, interior ambience, potent yet efficient powertrain and a long list of safety features. The EV6 ticks so many boxes that it even has electric vehicles from luxury marques looking over their shoulders.
A good first impression is very important especially for an electric vehicle and the Kia EV6, being developed from the ground up, leaves a distinct impression thanks to its ‘Opposite United’ design philosophy. It has a long and low-slung stance with Kia’s trademark Tiger Nose grille being replaced by the carmaker’s new ‘Digital Tiger Nose’ that looks sleeker and smoothly blends into the slim LED headlamps. Move over to the sides and it certainly lives up to the carmaker’s bold new design philosophy with sharp and clean lines. In fact, the EV6 is one of the slickest cars out there with a drag coefficient of just 0.28.
What really makes the EV6 stand out is its rear profile, especially the sloping roofline and the cool-looking jewel-like elements in the tail lamp strip that extends across the tailgate. This is complemented by a haunch above the rear wheels that helps the EV6 give off a bold and sporty vibe.
The bold design cues aren’t just limited to the exterior, as the cabin looks futuristic while also offering a luxurious ambience thanks to the use of premium materials, excellent fit and finish levels as well as the dual 12.3-inch displays for driver instrumentation and touchscreen infotainment duties. Rounding it off is the ambient lighting that offers a soothing ambience in the dark.
Being an EV, we have to talk about the EV6’s range first, right? Sure, it is a sporty luxury EV, but it ensures you won’t experience the range anxiety that comes with EVs. The Kia EV6 boasts an ARAI-claimed range of 708km on a single charge. This is thanks to a 77.4kWh battery pack and impressive energy management, courtesy of Kia’s smart regenerative braking system. This system recovers kinetic energy via braking to extend range and efficiency. This is also helped by four regenerative braking levels including the ‘i-PEDAL’ driving mode. It allows for single pedal driving as the EV harvests the maximum amount of energy without you needing to use the brake pedal.
What’s a sporty EV without a bit of fun? The EV6 also ticks that box thanks to its AWD setup and an electronic powertrain package that delivers a combined 325PS and 605Nm. It is quick off the line with a 0-100kmph sprint in just 5.4 seconds, with an electronically limited top speed of 192kmph. Besides exciting performance, the EV6’s low centre of gravity coupled with AWD grip helps it offer sporty and confident driving dynamics while also delivering on excitement.
As far as charging capabilities go, the Kia EV6 benefits from its 800-volt ultra-fast charging architecture, which means a 0-80 percent charge can be achieved in just 18 minutes using a high power, 350kW DC charger. A 50kW charger does the same in 73 minutes. That’s not the only party trick as the EV6 features V2L or vehicle to load. It means you can use the EV6 as a power source for other devices or even run home appliances. Its V2V or vehicle to vehicle feature also lets you charge another EV from the EV6’s battery pack.
The Kia EV6 impresses on the safety front as well with a host of features such as eight airbags, all-wheel disc brakes, ABS, ESC, hill-start assist, brake assist, VSM, front and rear parking sensors as well as ISOFIX child seat anchorage. The EV6 is one of the safest EVs in the country thanks to its range of ADAS driving assists. They include forward collision avoidance assist, lane keep assist, blind spot detection and monitoring, rear-cross traffic avoidance assist, blind-spot safe exit assist, lane follow assist, driver attention warning and smart cruise control with stop and go functionality.
With prices starting from Rs 60.95 lakh ex-showroom, the Kia EV6 is an all-rounder when it comes to being a flagship luxury EV. It stands out from a visual standpoint and scores highly on the premium and luxury front. It is sporty to drive with the ability to fall back on a vast safety net should things turn south. All these factors come together to make the Kia EV6 a worthy alternative to mainstream luxury EVs on sale in the country.
