Kia’s long-awaited medium-sized SUV category, the EV5, has made it to these shores just in time for the best-selling months of next year.
It is the first Kia made for what is called the C-SUV battery electric vehicle segment. As such it gives potential buyers the chance to switch to full-on electric.
Some people might that signals the demise of the current best-seller in that segment, the ubiquitous Sportage, which has all the major power sources except a full EV.
Kia insists there won’t be a stampede away from the evergreen champion. After all, it accounted for 35per cent of new Kias sold this year. Who is to say it can’t do well next year if the order books are as good, as KIA say they are. So it is likely to be more of a slow drip-drip exodus to full EV. They just can’t see the Sportage being abandoned in any sort of numbers for quite a while.
The newcomer will cost you €47,625 for the well-equipped Earth 2 entry-level model. The Earth 3 step-up comes in just under €50,000 (€49,800) while the rang-topping GT-Line costs €54,000.
The 81.4kW long range battery and 160 kW motor are standard across the range. The EV5 could manage 530 kms on one fill, the WLTP assessors claim. Really doubt that. Say 450kms to 480kms would be a right good return, complete with regenerative braking and heat pump.
More importantly, in many ways, is the way it can replenish to 80per cent from 10per cent in just 30 minutes.
There is also Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) on board. And a towing capacity of up to 1,200kg
On a drive around north Wicklow, it felt rock solid and blessed with a quick turn-of-foot and no appreciable foibles, it impressed the more we drove it.
It’s a big, powerful looking car with strong features – the rugged wheel arches being one example – strident front design lines, and lashings of room within the cabin – and the boot.
Really it sits across two segments: the C-SUV and the D-SUV such is the size and power of the vehicle.
It also has class written all over the interior. I particularly liked the latest ccNC (connected car Navigation Cockpit) system. Its panoramic wide display combines a 12.3ins instrument cluster, 12.3ins infotainment screen and a 5.3ins climate control display. That’s how you do it. Big and clear and operable – no messing with endless menus and half-understood Voice controls.
Built on the dedicated E-GMP platform, it could be a big seller, you know. It has something about it – though its strong lines might not be to everyone’s taste.
Kia are already looking for more than their allotment from headquarters. With the medium SUV category the most popular vehicle segment – it accounts for 30per cent of all new-car sales – you can see why the distributors are so anxious to have as much supply as possible.
I mentioned roominess: The rear seats have a metre of space. When they are folded completely flat, you get a huge two-metre expanse of loading area. Serious room. The drawer-style centre console storage is another helpful slot.
You hear words such as ‘lounge-like environment’ bandied around but often it merely pays lip service. The EV5’s claim lends some credence to the concept. Certainly, my stint in the back and at the wheel this week, bore out the claim in fair measure. There is a massage function for the driver and four-way lumbar support.
Interior materials include recycled PET in seats and carpets with bio-foam in seats, centre console. There is BTX-free paint on the doors, dashboard, and centre console.
There are next–generation battery heating and cooling function. That makes cabin heating more efficient, but the system also preserves the AER (Air Exchange Rate) in cold conditions. And that guarantees reliable battery performance whatever the climate.
The EV5 also has hardware for Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) ready as soon as infrastructure and regulations allow.
Over-the-air (OTA) updates as well as features-on-demand (FOD) keep it future-ready. Other elements include Digital Key 2.0 and fingerprint recognition.
Apparently, drivers like louder audio notifications and they have been improved, KIA say. And Smart Cruise Control 2 (SCC2) can bring the vehicle to a full stop if the driver is unresponsive in an accident. Here’s a bit more detail on what spec is like across the three trims.
Earth 2 models have heated seats all round, LED headlights, 18ins alloys, cloth/ leather seats, smart power tailgate and a heat pump.
Earth 3 models add full leather seats with front ventilation, 19ins wheels, Vehicle-2-Everything (V2X), interior ambient lighting and dynamic welcome lights.
Range topping GT-Line adds driver seat massage function, electric adjustable sunroof, GT-Line styling cues, head-up display, Vehicle-2-Load (V2L) adaptor, and digital key with fingerprint recognition.
Speaking against a backdrop of Kia topping 10,000 sales this year, Kia Ireland managing director, Ronan Flood said the market could do with a bit of stability going forward.
It used to be the case that the industry wanted 150,000 new-car sales each year, given the size of the population, he said.
But he would be happier to take a slow, but steady rise to such a figure, in sales year-on-year.
The EV sector is really beginning to take off and Mr Flood said it would be a pity if more confusion slowed it back. He was referring to the talk (certainty?) in Europe of an extension of the date that new-car sales of ICE (internal combustion engines) would be banned to 2040. That represents a push out of 10 years from the original 2030 to 2035 and now 2040.
Meanwhile the KIA tide will usher in three more new cars early in the new year: the PV5 van, K4 compact car and a new Stonic.
