The making of a superstar!

The thing about superstars is, everybody wants to be one. Another thing about superstars is, not everybody can be one. Why exactly are you thinking about the Kia EV6 right now? It’s obvious; after all, the EV6 has firmly established itself as monumentally better than anything else in the premium EV class, whether priced below or above it. Unsurprisingly, the EV6 fits the description of a global superstar rather effortlessly.

The EV6 simply packs more than anything else in every regard. Be it range, tech, safety and, most significantly, design! While we’ve chalked out six reasons why the EV6 could just be the best EV in India, let’s speak about half of them this time around.

Design

The Kia EV6 strongly owes its appeal to its design. From absolutely anywhere you look at it, the EV6 makes for an arresting sight. Its hunkered down, coupe/GT-ish stance, applied to a vast canvas - the EV6 is a 4695mm car, after all! - makes a serious impact. The very premise of the Kia EV6’s design, as so befittingly articulated by Teck-Koun Kim, Head of Kia Exterior Design, is to create a new perspective and to inspire.

While it makes a striking statement it’s also immensely easy on the eye. Kia’s global design team approached the EV6’s styling with a sense of respect for nature, personal spaces and most significantly, purity. Resting confidently on a quartet of 19-inch wheels, the EV6’s flamboyance isn’t misplaced. There’s an athletic grace to how the EV6 wafts, leaving in its wake a strong sense of power and effortless style. Superstar stuff, you could say.

The EV6’s interior is a seamless extension of its exterior design language. While the sophisticated controls and surfaces easily represent the future, the overall layout is decidedly conventional. The driver-oriented dashboard layout, elevated spectacularly by two 12.3-inch screens, feels instantly fun and contemporary, and even the seats are a form of exemplary design, created to offer comfort, safety and aesthetics. In keeping with its inherently conscientious approach to mobility (hey, it’s an EV!), even its interior has been crafted with sustainable materials. The use of polyurethane instead of leather is one such noteworthy touch.

On the whole, what makes the Kia EV6 a truly exceptional design is that it goes beyond just creating aspiration - it makes you want to look, touch and feel it.

Range

The Kia EV6 is a car that moves - not just emotionally, but in a very real-worldly, grin-inducing way too. With 229PS and 350Nm of torque, and a 77.4kWh lithium-ion battery, it would be a huge understatement to call the EV6 merely ‘power-packed’. What sweetens the deal, however, is its range - a staggering 708km! This also makes it far superior to anything in its class, and impressively ahead of pretty much the entire EV class.

Range anxiety is simply an invalid concern in an EV6, and even the most heavy-footed drivers will still see the EV6 cover handsome distances before having to plug it in for a quick charge. To be honest, that Kia has engineered the EV6 to offer this sort of range isn’t surprising - it was always made to let you enjoy really long days on the road.

Fast Charging

Where the EV6 absolutely shatters belief is in how quickly you can get its batteries charged up. With a 350kW DC fast charger, the EV6 can be charged from 10-80% in just 18 minutes! Even with a 50kW DC charger, the same charge cycle takes merely 73 minutes - that’s impressive, given what sort of range 80% charge translates to.

While those are impressive numbers, what’s more impactful is the real-world, long-term takeaway of these specifications. To have this degree of convenience and usability in an EV that had you sold on its styling alone is among the things that make the EV6 truly extraordinary and, undoubtedly, among the best EVs out there in the world! But wait, we’re only halfway there yet. Watch this space for the next part of this story!