[Taboleo] The Essence of Kia's New Philosophy 'Opposite United' EV6

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Kia's first dedicated electric vehicle EV6, launched with the new design philosophy 'Opposites United (creative fusion of contrasting concepts),' received high attention with a record-breaking 21,016 pre-orders on the first day alone, and over 30,000 pre-bookings in total. Since deliveries began earlier this month, EV6s have been increasingly seen on the roads.

In this year, marked by the 'electric vehicle era' among global automakers, the reason EV6 has received overwhelming love from domestic customers seems to be that it is a car that looks futuristic yet familiar to today's drivers. At first glance, it may appear rough, but upon closer inspection of various elements and the vehicle as a whole, it gives a sophisticated and sleek contradictory impression. The interior is also similar to internal combustion engine vehicles, making it even more familiar. Additionally, the fast, lively yet stable driving performance also reflects the Opposites United philosophy.

At the media test drive event held on the 25th, we drove the EV6 GT-Line 4WD on a 120 km round trip route from Kia's electric vehicle specialized complex cultural space EV6 Unplugged Ground in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, to Pocheon City, Gyeonggi Province.

-You used the E-GMP platform, the same as Hyundai, but it looks quite different from the Ioniq 5. How was it in reality?

◆ Hyundai Motor Group's electric vehicle platform E-GMP is shared with Hyundai's Ioniq 5, which showcased a futuristic car design with 'Parametric Pixel' inspired by pixels. In contrast, Kia EV6 feels like a car that fully embodies the new design philosophy 'Opposites United (creative fusion of contrasting concepts).'

First, the EV6's front features a digital tiger face, a digital reinterpretation of Kia's signature tiger nose, applied to the daytime running lights, giving a sleek impression. The GT-Line has dedicated bumpers on the front and rear that emphasize sharp straight lines, and instead of black wheel arch moldings, body-colored wheel arches are applied on the sides to emphasize integration with the body. Especially, the compact SUV Sportage (height 1660 mm) is lower but slightly higher than a sedan, which could make it look stubby, but the door and roof lines are streamlined, allowing a coexistence of softness and sleekness.

-Nowadays, electric vehicles have interiors very different from conventional cars, making adaptation difficult. Is EV6 like that too?

▲To conclude, no. The EV6 does not have a 'Universal Island' console pushed backward to facilitate movement between the driver and passenger seats, electronic side mirrors, or a gear dial behind the steering wheel. Instead, it uses a console, gear dial, and side mirrors similar to conventional internal combustion engine cars, maintaining a familiar design direction.

Rather than choosing a new interior design, convenience has been greatly enhanced. The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and the panoramic display integrating audio, video, and navigation (AVN), along with the augmented reality (AR) head-up display (HUD), make it approachable even for first-time electric vehicle drivers. However, the sunroof is a wide type rather than the panoramic type commonly installed in recent SUVs, which might feel slightly confining for drivers who prefer openness.

-How about the space?

▲Interior space is also a strength of the EV6. Although the wheelbase, a key indicator of interior space, is 100 mm shorter than the Ioniq 5, it secures 2900 mm, exceeding that of mid-to-large SUVs, resulting in spacious interior comfort. Sitting in the second row, a 180 cm tall adult had about 20 cm of knee room left, causing no discomfort. Folding the second-row seats provides up to 1300 liters of space. However, due to the low height and fastback style, it might be slightly uncomfortable for an adult male to sleep inside the car. The front hood, where the engine is absent, features a frunk (front trunk) with about 20 liters of space (52 liters in the 2WD model), allowing additional storage for small items.

-How is the driving performance of the EV6?

▲The driving performance of the EV6 GT-Line is outstanding compared to electric vehicles in the same price range. The EV6 GT-Line 4WD has two electric motors mounted on the front and rear axles, producing a maximum output of 239 kW (325 horsepower) and maximum torque of 61.7 kg·m. With 20-inch tires and 4WD, the zero-to-100 km/h acceleration time is 5.2 seconds, which is short. On the highway, it accelerated so quickly that it felt like it could catch up with any car on the road. This made the upcoming EV6 GT model (3.5 seconds) highly anticipated. Braking performance was also excellent. The EV6 allows adjusting regenerative braking stages via paddle shifters on the steering wheel, ranging from stage 0 to stage 4. At the strongest regenerative braking stage 4, the i-Pedal mode activates, enabling acceleration, deceleration, and stopping using only the accelerator pedal.

The stability was even more impressive. Even when accelerating to the speed limit in sports mode on the highway, the vehicle felt firmly planted on the road with minimal body sway and no motor noise. Cornering stability was excellent, with minimal body roll on winding roads. However, the impact was quite noticeable when passing over speed bumps despite reducing speed.

-Energy efficiency is also a consideration when purchasing an electric vehicle. How does the EV6 perform?

▲Although I did not drive with energy-saving in mind, the actual energy efficiency exceeded the official rating, which was impressive. The official energy efficiency of the EV6 GT-Line with 20-inch tires and 4WD is 4.6 km/kWh, but after completing the drive, the instrument panel showed 6.1 km/kWh. Therefore, although the EV6 GT-Line's battery capacity is 77.4 kWh with a combined driving range of 403 km, the actual driving range is expected to be higher. Fast charging speed is also a strong point. It supports up to 800V fast charging, allowing the battery to charge from 10% to 80% in 18 minutes.

-What about the price?

The test vehicle was equipped with 20-inch tires, basic high-tech trim, sunroof, Meridian sound system, built-in cam, and Yacht Blue color, priced at 62.62 million KRW.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.