The 2022 Kia EV6 GT-Line is an all-new, built from the ground up, electric small crossover. No reworking an existing model into an EV, the EV6 was designed as an EV from conception. From its aerodynamic styling to the user-friendly interior, the EV6 was built for comfort and ease of use.
With an estimated 310 mile range on a full charge, the EV6 goes a long way to reducing range-anxiety, that heart pounding, palm-sweating feeling that the car is going to die at any time. Of course the range is affected by hills, freeways, a/c and other energy-gobbling activities that reduce that golden mileage number.
My experience with the EV6 was that it sipped instead of gobbled the electric charge and a good thing too as I had no way to charge the car at my home. I don’t have an EV-Charging set-up so I use the household charge converter cord that usually comes with the car. Imagine my surprise when I couldn’t find one. The EV6 does not come with one, so I relied on public charging stations. Fortunately for me Pasadena has plenty of those as well as the DC fast-charging stations which can get you 70 miles in under five minutes!
The EV6 comes in four trim levels: Light, Wind, GT-Line and 1st Edition. This review will focus on the GT-Line.
As the sportiest model, the GT-Line comes equipped with: snazzy retracting and extending outer door handles, sunroof, tech package (automated parking system, surround-view camera, blind-spot camera, and rear automatic braking), evasive steering assist, automated lane change assist, auto-dimming rearview mirror, and advanced forward collision mitigation system and adaptive cruise control systems.
Available in all-wheel drive or rear-wheel drive, my model was equipped with RWD, getting a more powerful engine in the rear netting the car 225 horses with 258 lb-ft of torque. It also ups the wattage of the battery pack to 77.4 kWh which means more miles on a full charge (310 miles).
Inside the futuristic cabin is a large display that is split between car functions and infotainment/comfort functions. There’s also an inspired touch panel that switches between audio and climate functions, making changing the tunes or temperature simple.
Seating in the EV6 is comfortable enough, with plenty of space in the back for adult legs and up front with adjustments enough to get it just right. The roof slopes at a pretty good angle in the back, so headroom is a bit tight for taller passengers. There’s 24 cubic feet in the back for storage which is about par for EV vehicles.
I was asked the other day which I liked to drive best, an EV or a combustion engine. I’m pretty old school when it comes to cars but I had to admit I really liked the responsiveness and what I call the glide of an EV. With no lag time for the fuel to ignite and move the pistons an EV is quick off the line and the engine has no harshness. The interior is pretty quiet, but at higher speeds it does pick up some road noise. Because of the brake regeneration, the car breaks with ease. The GT-Line that I drove is the sportiest of the EV6 line so steering was sharp and responsive around curves.
All new from the ground up, the Kia EV6 GT-Line makes EV driving fun.
