The best EV for $80k? We test the Kia EV6 Air Long Range

Friday, 13 October 2023

The EV6 Air’s black cladding gives it a more SUV-like character, although that won’t be to all tastes.

It’s said that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Nice theory and all, but what if the book is an 80-grand car and where you park it at home is directly in front of the bay window in the kitchen. Having a handsome cover surely has its benefits, right?

When Kia launched the EV6 – its first dedicated electric vehicle – in New Zealand last year, my mind immediately wrote off the entry-level EV6 Air. Not for any smart, rational reason, but simply because it lacked the more attractive, more athletic wheels and body-coloured cladding of the more expensive GT-Line.

Two versions of the Air are priced beneath the government’s Clean Car Discount $80,000 rebate threshold.

With my tail a little between my legs I’m now forced to concede that the EV6 Air may be the best model in its line-up. And, perhaps even the smartest pick out of all the Kia and Hyundai E-GMP models on the market today.

We can talk EV6 and shared Kia and Hyundai electric architecture until the cows come home (and we already have). The one big takeaway I want to underline, though, is the two biggest factors that make the Air in particular a compelling proposition; its pricing and its battery options.

A huge wheelbase unsurprisingly leads to a huge backseat, with solid headroom and great legroom for all three passengers.

The Air can be had in two flavours; the $76,990 58kWh Standard Range and the $79,990 77.4kWh Long Range. Not out of the ordinary of course, most of its key rivals have a similar cost of entry just nudging the $80,000 Clean Car Discount threshold. What makes the EV6 Air different, however, is that via the Long Range grade – the same grade that’s pictured here in Deep Forest Green – can be picked up for less than 80 grand.

That becomes $72,975 with rebate. Whilst the rebate still exists, that is.

Build quality and diversity of material choice is excellent in the big electric Kia.

This means the EV6 Air Long Range is the only big battery Kia or Hyundai EV priced to qualify for the rebate, with the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and 5 with this battery setting customers back $94,990 and $99,990 a piece. There are other EVs priced near the EV6 Air with similarly sized batteries, like the 75.7kWh Ford Mustang Mach-E and the 82kWh Volkswagen ID.4 Pro. But, neither can boast the Kia’s proven efficiency chops when it comes to energy consumption.

Kia claims the Air Long Range can travel up to 528km on the WLTP cycle. Based on our figures over a week of testing, we expect real-world performance to sit in the 400km–450km range, depending of course on a raft of different conditions. Is it extremely cold outside? Is the car loaded with passengers? Is the air conditioning on? Are you flat-footing it everywhere like a heathen?

The EV6 will soon be joined by the EV9, a supersized three-row electric SUV.

The EV6 Air Long Range’s solid distance figures (with its similarly sized battery the Mustang Mach-E has a mere 440km range on the WLTP cycle) come at the expense of outright power and all-wheel drive. Unlike the mid-range Earth and aforementioned GT-Line, both Air variants are single-motor rear-wheel drive only.

They make different power and torque, too, with the bigger battery model getting a more generous 168kW/350Nm to play with. That’s not a patch on the Earth or GT-Line, which both make 239kW/605Nm, and certainly it doesn’t come close to the incredible EV6 GT. What it does represent, though, is more than enough power for the Long Range to scoot away from the lights or zip past a truck on the motorway with very little effort (0–100kph comes in 7.3 seconds).

The Kia EV6 GT is the most powerful car Kia has ever built. And it is on its way to New Zealand.

Whilst our gut feel has long been that the EV6 is a better driver’s car than the Ioniq 5, both are admittedly big, heavy cars, tipping the scales at more than two tonnes each. There’s something a little more honest about the Air’s lack of visual performance tinsel, the more generous tyre sidewalls (the wheels are still 19s, mind), and less aggressively bolstered seating.

Even in its sporty flavours, the EV6 is a comfy car to jet around in. But, in Air trim it achieves a whole new level of waft. It feels especially silent and isolated inside. The more approachable Kumho tyre set creates less roar than the GT-Line’s Continentals and ride quality improves thanks to those generous sidewalls and reduced contact patch.

Those familiar with what we’ve written about the EV6 in the past will know our thoughts on the model’s cabin. It’s a stellar mix of sci-fi styling and commendable build quality. Standard kit in the Air is solid, being inclusive of dual 12.3-inch screens for infotainment and the dash display, dual-zone climate, wireless phone charging, and a powered tailgate.

The huge rear liftback enables gaping access to the big 490L boot, growing to 1300L with the seats down. Space for occupants young and old in the second row is well above average, too. Headroom is unaffected by the EV6’s sloping roofline, and a completely flat floor means good legroom for the fifth passenger.

If you’re wondering what the Air misses out on compared to the more expensive Earth, the list includes blind spot monitoring, remote parking, heated front seat and steering wheel, 360-degree camera, augmented reality head-up display, and vegan leather upholstery. For as-near-as-makes-no-difference $80,000, we would like to see the seat and steering wheel heating features appear in the Air. Ditto for the blind spot monitoring.

One of the other inevitable topics of discussion with these new Kias is the brand’s customisable touch control panel at the base of the dash, enabling front occupants to use the panel to either control air conditioning or music controls – toggling from one to the other using one of the touch buttons. Having driven a few Kias with this system in it now, I can say that I still haven’t become used to it.

With the Clean Car Discount rebate potentially soon departing, the EV6 Air Long Range remains a very comprehensive plug-in package for those trying to navigate the densely populated sub-$80k EV storm – one I’d suggest is a standout amongst its peers.