Kia EV6: Electric Cars Never Looked So Alluring

The electric car space is an interesting one at the moment. There are two ends of one very broad spectrum: one is the affordable mass-market segment, which is effectively birthing the electric derivatives of existing ICE-powered vehicles, while the other is a segment of premium and luxury ground-up electric cars. The latter is something that most can’t and don’t want to pay the initial ownership premium for, but there is one car that bridges the gap between these two rather broad ends of the spectrum – the Kia EV6.

At Rs 65.95 lakh (top-spec, ex-showroom), the Kia EV6 is a premium electric EV that won’t break the bank, and yet offers a similar, if not exactly the same, experience as that of luxury EVs at twice the price. How, you ask? Let us tell you exactly how:

Spaceship On Wheels

It is safe to say that the Kia designers must have had a gala time designing the EV6, because it seems like the brief from the board of directors said “okay, we want something that’s like nothing else on the road. There aren’t any creative restrictions, the sky's the limit!” And they might have taken it too literally.

Is it a spaceship on wheels? Is it a crossover? Is it an SUV-crossover? Is it a hatchback? Call it what you may; love it or hate it; but you can’t ignore the Kia EV6. The sporty stance is apparent in the way it sits, in the way the 19-inch alloys fill up the wheel arches, in the way that front boasts the post-gym pump on its hood, and in the way that the jewel-like elements in the tail lamps light up – especially at night.

Kia’s ‘Opposite United’ design philosophy has been applied here on the EV6 and is apparent in the distinct characteristics of the front and rear of the car. In this case, opposites indeed do unite and attract!

RIP Range Anxiety

Range anxiety is synonymous with electric cars but not in the Kia EV6. With an ARAI-claimed range of 708 km, the EV6 takes any sort of range anxiety and smashes it with a Thor’s hammer and then some. Your daily commutes, or even intercity travels are no sweat on a single charge. 

While part of the EV6’s impressive range is courtesy its 77.4 kWh battery pack, the Kia also ekes out range on-the-go via its regenerative braking system. It gets four modes, offering varying levels of regenerative braking, with the maximum setting duplicating a one-pedal drive mode. 

Even long distance road trips of more than 500 km are doable in the EV6 thanks to its fast-charging capabilities, which uses an 800 V charging architecture. Using a 350 kW charger, it takes as little as 18 minutes to charge the EV6’s battery from 10 percent  to 80 percent Talk about warp charging!

Blistering quick

Not only is the EV6 quick to charge, but it’s also quick to propel you relentlessly into the horizon. You’ve got 325 PS and 605 Nm at your disposal, most of which is available almost instantly. This results in a savage 0-100 kmph time of just 5.4 seconds. To put it in context, this time is good enough to put some AMG, RS, and M models from German carmakers, costing nearly a crore, to shame. 

And its dynamic prowess isn’t just limited to straight-line bursts. The all-wheel-drive system makes sure there’s grip that sticks to the tarmac for ages, so that there aren’t any ‘spoil your pants’ moments. So the EV6 isn’t just a drag king but also a corner-carver.

Snug and loaded

Moving past the ‘back from the future’ looks and the electrifying powertrain, the cabin is another strong suite of the EV6. Because this is an EV conceptualised from the ground up, the EV6’ cabin offers unholy amounts of space, literally. This allows for the front seats to be put in a ‘zero gravity’ like position – basically a full recline of the back support along with a slight angle up for the base – so that you can rest leisurely, while the car is itself being recharged. Comes in handy more often than you’d think!

The seats aren’t the only premium creature comfort inside, as the list also includes dual 12.3-inch screens for the infotainment and the passenger, ventilated front seats, dual zone climate control, 10-way powered front seats with memory function (driver only), vehicle-to-load (V2L), and a 360-degree camera. 

The latter is part of its expansive safety kit which includes eight airbags, all-wheel disc brakes, a host of electronic aids like electronic stability control and vehicle stability management, front and rear parking sensors, ISOFIX mounts and a slew of ADAS features.

Look ma, no hands!

While the sub-heading is not to be taken literally, the Kia EV6 can drive on its own, thanks to the aforementioned ADAS kit. Part of this kit are features like Forward Collision Avoidance Assist (FCA), Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Blind-spot Collision Avoidance Assist, Rear-cross Traffic Avoidance Assist (RCTA),  Blind Spot Detection (BSD), and adaptive cruise control.

Also Read: Top-Spec 2024 Kia Sonet Facelift vs Mid-Spec 2023 Kia Seltos: Cross-shopping Simplified

So in case you were slightly distracted or something just blindly pops up in front (or behind) of you, the EV6 will automatically take measures to make sure you avoid the collision. Sweet!

To sum up the EV6, it offers a peek into what the future of electric vehicles will look like, at a time where others are still adapting to the new technology. We had the chance to take it from Pune to Mumbai and back, and you can watch our experience of the drive in this video below:

It has got the looks, the specs, the abounding features, and an expansive safety kit – and all of it under the Rs 70 lakh mark. The same can’t be said for many luxury offerings, and that is a verdict worthy enough to fit the bill for the Kia EV6.