Kia EV6 India review: Takes the electric mobility to a whole new level - Watch Video

Ahead of its launch in India, we drove the Kia EV6, company's first EV in the country around the famed Buddh International Circuit. Here’s our Kia EV6 test drive review.

Kia EV6 (Image: Arjit Garg/ Zee News)

Kia, the South Korean automaker tasted an early success in a tough market like India with the launch of cars like Seltos and Sonet. While Kia went down a tried and tested formula to launch feature loaded quality products at a right price point to hit the right notes among the buyers, the company never shied away from experimentation. That’s why, its second only product was a premium MPV priced north of Rs 25 lakh. Kia once again treads the same path with the Kia EV6, its first ever EV based on eGMP platform, and will launch the electric car as its flagship offering. We recently drove the car around the famed Buddh International Circuit and here’s our Kia EV6 test drive review.

Design

It’s not always that you go wow after seeing an electric car. Most of them are very traditional in design or doesn’t have any standout elements. The Kia EV6, on the other hand, is unique in every sense. It’s more than 4.5 metres in length, has a wide face and stooping hood, giving it an aggressive stance. All these design bits help in aerodynamics, with Kia EV6 having a coefficient of drag of 0.28, among the lowest in electric cars globally (even lower than Tesla Model Y).

For me the rear profile remains the best angle with a large, connected taillight strip giving it a signature look. Without any doubt, the Kia EV6 is the best-looking electric car, and among the best-looking cars overall, not only in India, but across the globe.

Cabin

Inside the EV6, you are welcomed by a futuristic cabin with play of technology and comfort features. The Kia EV6 is loaded to the brim with new age tech features including dual 12.3-inch screens with curved driver display, heated and ventilated seats, a HUD with augmented reality and a minimal looking dashboard with integrated infotainment and AC controls. Although it looks sleek, you need some time to get used to this panel. Also, the sunroof is not a panoramic one.

The Kia EV6 cabin will come only in black colour with use of vegan leather and a large central tunnel bifurcating the front seats. Not only this tunnel looks good but adds to the overall practicality as well. Speaking of practicality, there are enough spaces throughout the cabin to throw your stuff around. The boot is rated at 520-litre and there’s also a 52-litre storage space upfront below the hood, because, electric car.

As for the technology, the Kia EV6 gets ADAS safety system with features like forward collision avoidance alert, lane keep assist, smart cruise control among others. There’s also the Kia Connect with 60+ connected features, an improvement over the previous versions. The Kia EV6 also gets 8 airbags as standard.

Electric Powertrain

The highlight of the Kia EV6 is its battery technology! The Kia EV6 gets a 77.8 kwh battery pack with a claimed range of 528 km (WLTP cycle, expect more when ARAI numbers come). The EV6 can be charged upto 80% in just 18 min using 800 V charger. However, the point to note here is that 800 V chargers are not a reality in a country like India. Here you will mostly find 50 KW fast DC chargers and it will take 73 min to charge upto 80 percent on the same.

But what's even more exciting is that you can use this battery pack inside the car to charge another electric car, or for that matter power any electronic product, be it TV or Microwave, making it among only a few EVs across the globe to offer V2X to V2V charging. Kia will mostly provide a 7.2 kwh AC wall mounted charger with the EV6, which means a battery top up overnight.

The Kia GT6 will be offered in two trims in India – a rear wheel drive variant and an all-wheel drive variant, both GT Line models. The one we drove around the BIC track was the AWD version. It gets a combined output of 325 PS and 605 Nm with a fly by wire automatic transmission. The company claims EV6 can do 0-100 kmph in just 5.2 seconds and has a top speed limited to 192 kmph, which was easy for us to achieve on the track.

You get multi-level regenerative braking and the car is based on company’s first dedicated EV platform eGMP, that has incredibly enhanced the driving dynamics including the steering feedback. But then again, we tested our car on the smooth tarmac of BIC, and talking about suspension would be unfair.

Verdict

Believe me you when I say electric cars are the future of Mobility and cars like Kia EV6 further adds a gravity to this statement. It has a super good-looking design, fun-to-drive dynamics, and a claimed range of 500 km (WLTP) on a single charge. But then, I believe it's just a trailer from Kia and paves way for the company to enter India's mass electric mobility segment, with more affordable electric cars soon.