While Kia’s previous EVs have been either electrified versions of ICE cars (the Niro) or somewhat niche models (the EV6 sedan/liftback thing and EV9 large people mover), it’s latest lands square in the meat of the New Zealand new car market - that of the mid-size SUV.
In fact it is easy to make the case that the EV5 may well hit the perfect sweet spot in the SUV market by offering up large SUV passenger space with a medium SUV footprint - it is within millimetres of the Kia Sportage in terms of exterior dimensions, with roughly the same cabin space as the large Sorento, albeit with a slightly smaller boot and five seats compared to the Sorento’s seven.
But perhaps its biggest advantage lies in its pricing that is actually in line with that larger vehicle.
While the Sportage starts at $40,290 for the basic LX Urban petrol 2WD and tops out at $63,290 for the top-spec X-Line diesel AWD, the EV5 starts at the top of that range with the $67,990 Light 2WD model and tops out at $85,450 for the GT-Line AWD.
Specification differences see the entry-level EV5 Light 2WD being closer to the $53,990 Sportage Light Hybrid or the $56,790 X-Line 2WD, closing the price gap even further.
But it is when you start looking at interior space bang-for-your-buck that things get really interesting, with the large Sorento that the EV5 is virtually line ball with in terms of interior space starting at $62,990 for the LX+ diesel and topping out at $80,990 for the Premium diesel.
While the Sorento range is entirely AWD, the EV5 offers a mix of 2WD models (Light, Light+ and Earth) or AWD (Earth and GT-Line), but with a slight twist - while the EV6 and EV9 that the EV5 shares its underpinnings with offer RWD variants, the EV5’s 2WD alternatives are FWD.
Kia says this is to make it feel closer to what owners coming from other medium SUVs are used to, but it still seems an odd decision to us.
It is easy to make the case that the EV5 may well hit the perfect sweet spot in the SUV market by offering up large SUV interior space with a medium SUV footprint.
Anyway, the upshot is that for Sorento money, the EV5 offers up the same interior space in a more compact footprint, immediately giving it one big advantage over its EV9 sibling, which is absolutely massive.
The EV5 is much easier to live with as a result of the more compact exterior dimensions, while it thankfully also avoids the horrid camera “wing mirrors” that help make the EV9 even more of a chore to park…
Good things that the smaller EV carries over from its bigger brother include the angular and distinctive styling (that I would argue works even better here) and the slick, minimalist interior that has just the right blend of touchscreens and actual physical buttons. The materials used aren’t quite as premium as the EV9, but then that is a $100,000 vehicle…
Out on the road the EV5 boasts a blend of excellent ride quality and competent, predictable handling (adding weight to Kia’s claim for the FWD switch, I guess…), with the only real gripe coming from the steering, which is accurate, well weighted and nicely communicative, but weirdly too chatty over smooth surfaces, which it translates like it is coarse chip seal. Strange, but hardly a deal-breaker.
Complimenting the excellent ride quality is equally excellent interior comfort. Supportive seats and a distinct air of roominess add to this, with the Sorento-sized dimensions and minimalist design giving a real feeling of spaciousness that belies its medium SUV exterior dimensions.
Out on the road the EV5 boasts a blend of excellent ride quality and competent, predictable handling.
While the 2WD models are powered by a single 160kW/310Nm electric motor, the AWD models gain an additional 70kW/170Nm on the rear axle, and all models of EV5 use the same 88kWh battery.
This gives the Light and Light+ variants 555km of WLTP-tested range, while the heftier Earth variants see 540km and 500Km for the 2WD and AWD respectively. The top-spec AWD GT-Line is yet to receive an official WLTP result yet, but expect it to be close (if not identical) to the AWD Earth’s range.
Even the entry Light boasts a high level of tech, with all the expected active driver aids, crucially without the EV9’s incessantly naggy alerts. Assists are subtle and unobtrusive, while the only real nagging chime comes in the form of the overspeed alert, but that can be configured to be turned off via one of the programmable buttons.
The EV5 is also the first vehicle in the Kia range to use the new Kia Connect App, which allows for remote functions such as setting the climate control and remote locking, sending your sat nav destination to the vehicle, real time tracking and enabling SOS calls in case of emergency (it calls the Kia helpline if it concludes an accident has occurred).
While it isn’t able to be a digital key yet, one handy new feature is its ability to not only tell you where all networked EV charge points are, but also if they are in use. Kia says access will be free for the first five years, but couldn’t confirm what potential costs would be beyond that, as it was still working on that.
With an impressive blend of technology, sharp looks and big space packed into a medium-sized SUV, the EV5 represents particularly strong value for money in the EV segment.
Kia NZ is expecting good demand for the Light and, given its high level of standard equipment and sharp pricing, we would not disagree with that - if you are after a medium SUV with large SUV cabin space and don’t need seven seats, then the EV5 makes a strong case for itself regardless of whether it is electric or not.
