Branded Content: The long ranger

Kia brings its A-game to India with the pathbreaking EV6 that is radical, punchy and a proper cracker.

Published On Jul 20, 2023 01:31:00 PM

27,869 Views

EVs have arrived and how. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, though, for the change was inevitable. EVs are sustainable, affordable and practical at the same time, and especially, if one is talking about the Kia EV6, radical. The Kia EV6 is a scintillating cocktail of futuristic design, unmatchable range, exhilarating performance, spacious interiors and impressive features. Within a short span of time, it has won plaudits a lot of the shiny stuff. The EV6 was the 2022 European Car of the Year and in April, the EV6 GT was crowned the 2023 World Performance Car. As importantly, the EV6 also bagged the Design and Styling Award at the Autocar India Awards earlier this year. Let’s take a deep dive to understand what makes the EV6 the ultimate luxury EV.

Sparking joy

Kia’s design philosophy is defined by its philosophy of ‘Opposites United’, which involves combining contrasting qualities and finding synergies between opposing concepts. The EV6 is futuristic for sure but at the same time, “it combines the emotional with the intellectual resulting in a shape that’s sporty and yet it influences passengers’ moods by calming and inspiring them to be more productive and creative”, says Karim Habib, senior vice president and head of Global Design Centre, Kia. Kia’s crossover takes inspiration from SUVs but retains the coupe-ish roofline and, of course, you cannot ignore the slippery surfaces. At 0.28Cd, it comes with a super low drag coefficient that makes it extremely efficient as well as quick. It had the jury at the 2023 Autocar India Awards impressed as well. “Kia is leading the pack when it comes to design and tech. The EV6 is very proportionate and comes with top class interiors to match the show,” said automotive historian Manvendra Singh, an integral member of the Autocar India jury.

The EV6’s distinctive rear is defined by slim LED tail-lights that stretch right across.

Power to progress

The ‘Digital Tiger Face’ is Kia’s evolution of the popular Tiger nose grille and suits the personality of the EV6. The electrified speedster can hit 100kph in just 5.2 seconds, thanks to 605Nm of instant torque. To put the power down, it gets an AWD setup which can be switched to RWD in just 0.4 seconds, if you are in the mood to have some fun. Of course, you can choose how the EV6 behaves as it comes with three driving modes namely Normal, Sport and Eco that alter the driving experience. Retardation is important for both efficiency and safety and the EV6’s unique paddle shifters allow you to choose from various regen modes, including the much talked about single-pedal driving mode. The single-pedal mode allows the EV6 to have enough retardation to come to a halt the moment you let go of the throttle so that you can use your right foot only for the accelerator pedal.

Longer way home

The EV6’s electrifying performance does not come at the cost of practicality. It gets a 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery that lends it a staggering range of 708km (ARAI certified). Being a smart EV, the EV6 employs a two-way charging tech that turns it into a power source that is enough to power a medium size AC at your home. Ultra-fast charging with 800V charging capability allows you to charge the EV6 from 10 percent to 80 percent in just 18 minutes when connected to a 350kW charger.

Handle without care

Who says EVs cannot be fun? The EV6 loves carving corners and changes directions in a sportscar-like manner. It gets a weighty steering that allows you to stay connected while also providing tons of feedback. Like all other EVs, there’s some heft from the massive battery pack but the handling belies its near two-tonne weight. On a winding road, the EV6 comes into its element. Changes in direction are achieved rapidly and without any fuss and body roll is well-contained.

Future is sustainable

As the brand’s first dedicated EV built on the all-new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), Kia managed to apply a truly holistic strategy for mitigating the environmental impact of the EV6. The team at Kia Hive — Kia’s Sustainable Materials Research Institute — employs a range of natural and recycled resources to develop new materials and finishes sympathetic to the environment, including the latest mushroom mycelium technologies, which are eco-friendly in both production and disposal. Instead of harsh dyes, the EV6 has natural, chemical-free alternatives. Natural leather is replaced with a vegan substitute; and recycled bottles are spun into yarn and repurposed to form cloth and matting. Even the steering wheel is made using vegan leather. Kia is leading the charge by reducing the impact of the vehicle’s structure, materials, use and disposal, clearly.

Safe and sound

With eight airbags, an all-disc setup, ESC, Multi-collision brake assist, emergency stop signs and tonnes of ADAS features, the EV6 is one of the safest EVs out there. Its ADAS suite includes forward collision assist (car/pedestrian/cyclist/junction turning), lane keep assist, blind-spot collision avoidance assist, rear-cross traffic avoidance assist, safe exit assist, lane follow assist, blind spot detection, driver attention warning and adaptive cruise control. Considering how dangerous the Indian road conditions are, ADAS makes for a rather strong case for itself and when you have a car that does half the job at keeping you safe and sound, it’s clearly a winner. To keep you from looking away, the EV6 also gets an augmented reality HUD that shows various information, including speed and lane safety indication.

The cockpit-like feel inside the EV6 is enhanced by the curved screen and driver-oriented dash.

Not many cars come close to the all-round package the EV6 is and we are not just talking about electric cars here. When it comes to the EV6, E in EV clearly sounds for emotion, clearly.

The EV6 advantage
Sharply styled, the EV6 provides a glimpse of the future. The use of light bars to define form is unparallled.
The EV6’s 77kWh lithium battery delivers a staggering range of 708km (ARAI-certified).
Top speed? You’re looking at 192kph.
Kia’s striking EV also gets 800V ultra fast charging capability.
4 regen modes, including maximum energy harvesting i-PEDAL mode.
Comes with 8 airbags, ADAS and a host of safety features.

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment.

Change City

Pick from Popular Cities