For the last few years, Kia has been making some electric waves, big ones too. Their EV family of, well, EVs have been making many a buyer sit up and take notice. Having driven their flagship electric SUV, the EV9 last year and came away from the experience rather impressed, I was expecting more of the same from its recently released mid-sized counterpart, the EV5. Let’s see if it holds true.
The range starts at a very competitive $67,990 and Kia has not skimped on choice when it comes to levels of spec. The EV5 range consists of five trim levels with both 2WD and AWD options. That $68k will get you the entry level Light Long Range 2WD, the Light+ Long Range 2WD sits at $70,450, the Earth Long Range 2WD $75,450, the Earth Long Range AWD at $80,450 and the flagship GT-Line Long Range AWD at $85,450.
My test over five days was courtesy of the Light+ Long Range 2WD. On board sits a hefty 88.1kWh battery pack which gives a combined power output of 160kW and 310Nm of torque. AWD versions get 230kW and 480Nm but the 2WD models benefit from a mighty impressive 555kms of claimed range (WLTP). Range anxiety sufferers might want to take note of this, especially at this price point. Compatible with AC and DC fast charging, you can use the latter and be back up to 80 per cent in around 40 minutes providing said charger is of the fastest 141kW variety.
At first glance the EV5 looks to be an EV9 but after a very hot wash and dry. In other words, this EV9 “Mini-Me” you might say keeps Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ design language firmly in the family. It does look good, reminding me a bit of a shuttlecraft emerging from the cargo bay of the Enterprise-D. Up front you have Kia’s “Digital Tiger Face’ LED lighting design and from front to rear, there so many edges clean lines, giving hints of modernity with a dash of the familiar.
I love the rear view with the large Kia logo embossed on the boot lid and those edgy taillights with rear light bar. The 18-inch alloys complete with covers designed to aid in aerodynamics and efficiency also look like they never left the concept stage. All in all, it’s one handsome mid-sized SUV.
Inside it’s another case of EV9 cabin “déjà vu” with the EV5 sporting the same level of simplicity and space. Kia has worked hard to ensure that interior spaced has been maximised as much as possible without compromising on creature comforts or refinement.
Head and legroom for front and rear passengers is immensely generous and plenty of storage compartments exist for all manner of whatever. At the rear you have 517L of boot space which swells to 1713L with that second row of seats folded flat. There is also an additional 67L of space in the “frunk” which can also be used to carry to the charging cable.
Ahead of the driver sits a panoramic display screen, bringing together 12.3-inch infotainment screen, 5-inch HVAC screen and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, resulting in combined 29.6-inch screen set up which is very intuitive and concise.
Standard equipment is generous including dual zone climate control, c-port charging points, adaptive cruise, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, parking sensors fore and aft and something called Highway Driving Assist 2 which gives the EV5 a semi-autonomous driving experience with the lane change, lane keeping assist and adaptive cruise working in greater unison. You can also utilize “Kia Connect.” This is a first for Kia and allows you to perform various tasks like locking the car, setting the climate control and real time tracking from the Kia Connect app downloaded to your Smartphone.
My Light+ also came with a 360-degree rear view camera with additional side parking sensor, blind spot view monitoring, parking collision assist which vibrates the steering wheel when it detects a potential hazard in your blind spot and power assisted driver’s seat. Talking of seats, the EV5’s are some of the plushest and most comfortable I have found in any vehicle at this price point.
Pressing the EV switch on the gear selector wakes everything up and we were off. You have four levels of regenerative braking to cycle through and there is ample void between each to give a sense of additional severity. You can also leave it in Auto and it tailors the regen level to suit your particular driving style at any given time.
Cycling through the different drive modes Normal, Sport, Eco and Snow is also easy enough thanks to the steering wheel mounted drive mode button. I spent most of my time between Normal and Eco mode. Kia claim combined energy consumption of 18.0kW/100km.
The EV5 actually underwent testing when it was in the prototype stage in New Zealand last year, so you would expect it to fare well on New Zealand roads, and it does. The ride is supple and tyre roar is kept minimal and thanks to immense refinement, the outside world is drowned out nicely.
Naturally being an EV, especially one with that 88.1kWh of battery on tap, acceleration is more than ample for some decent progress. In Sport the frugal minded SUV does try its hand a driving exuberance on that front it manages, not excitingly but ideal for zipping past those dawdling in the left lane. The EV5’s real forte is dialling back the exuberance and providing a perfectly soothing drive, whether a commute or long trip. There aren’t many real world situations where it doesn’t feel at home.
What a great all-rounder the Kia EV5 is. Price, equipment, space, a bit of style and some extraordinary electric range are all reasons to seriously consider. Small wonder why eyes are agog at what Kia have managed to pull off here.
RATING: 8.5/10
