‘Faster’ than a Porsche, but priced like a Tesla : Can Kia’s high-tech EV6 shake up Singapore’s EV game even in this market?

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SINGAPORE
Kia’s long-awaited, high-tech electric vehicle, the EV6, is finally in Singapore, and it’s a properly exciting EV, since it brings something new to the market.

Hyundai’s leap-frogged the competition when it comes to EV tech – its E-GMP platform that underpins both the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 (and its future EV offerings) offers class-leading EV drive tech and the fastest charging on the market – faster even than the previous record holder for Singapore, the Porsche Taycan. 

You can read in our international announcement coverage, but as our initial report and full launch news story show, there are two versions on sale in Singapore now: the Standard (Single Motor, Standard Range, 170hp) and the GT Line (Long Range, Dual Motor, 325hp). The intermediate models – Standard Range Dual Motor (232hp), a Long Range Single Motor (225hp) – are not confirmed, but Kia Singapore has plans to bring in the range-topping near-600hp high-performance EV6 GT model in the future.

The thing is, a year ago, the Kia EV6 would’ve been a surefire best-seller with what it has to offer. But now Tesla’s taking scalps in the EV passenger market, and there are mega COE prices to contend with. Is the EV6 still capable of delivering the knockout factor to make you open your wallet wider? And if you can’t, what then? We’ve got the answers. 

Design and Appearance

The car’s footprint is quite unique – it’s a midsize car, bordering on large, of a similar footprint to the Tesla Model 3 / Model Y, but splitting the two in terms of height. Comparing it to a ‘normal’ car, the BMW 3 Series, it’s not as long, but quite a bit wider at 1,890mm, and nearly 10cm taller, a 1,550mm.

The EV6, as the de facto flagship for Kia’s electric era, certainly is. Like other EVs, its form is dictated by aerodynamics – the low nose and the ducktail are dead giveaways – but we’re very glad Kia took some design risks here. This includes the wide, one-piece contoured bonnet, and the gently curved rear light bar, not to mention the very aggressive rake of the A-pillars. It’s certainly less friendly-looking than the Ioniq 5 – and it doesn’t look like its brother at all.

There are some visual differences between the Standard car and the GT Line : The Standard has a more benign front end design, note the darkened lower section, which contrasts to the GT Line’s more contoured ‘jaw’. The GT Line’s lights are also thinner, active matrix LED headlamps, while the Standard car’s is a simpler LED mainbeam.

Kia has come a very long way from its first issue, which could be described as ‘generic appliance cars’. As we’ve seen in almost every Kia release of the near past – including the Stinger, Sorento, and Niro – the brand now makes cars that are genuinely exciting to look at. 

The GT Line also body-coloured fenders (dark on the Standard), an aero rear section with a unique reverse light design. Both have the same 19-inch wheel design, although the GT Line’s are finished with black spokes instead of grey ones, and both have the trick pop-out handles that deploy when you approach, or unlock the car. 

1. Introduction, Design and Appearance
2. Interior/Features, Practicality/Space
3. Driving Experience, Charging/Range
   Competition and Conclusion

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