Kia EV6 Air long range review: breathe easy, the entry model is still brilliant

David Linklater
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A bit of green Air: Kia's best-selling BEV is this EV6 model.

Specifications

See All See All
Base price
$79,990
Body type
hatchback
Clean Car Rebate
7015
Fuel Type
electric
Maximum power kW
168
Range (km)
528
Maximum torque Nm
347
Pros
  • Efficiency and charging speed
  • Great to drive - especially this RWD model
  • Steers clear of the SUV vibe
Cons
  • Wacky styling not to all tastes
  • Start buttons in BEVs are so 2021
  • Shallow boot space (but then it's not an SUV)

We’ve previously reported that the single-biggest battery electric vehicle (BEV) segment in New Zealand is the $70-80k bracket. Not the cheapies like sub-$60k GWMs and MGs, but more premium stuff that’s knocking on big money… but still gets the maximum Clean Car Discount of $7015. At least while we have it.

Air boasts the longest range of any Kia EV6 model... by far.

So it should not surprise to learn that the $79,990 EV6 Air long range is the most popular pure-electric Kia in NZ. You can still have a standard range model with a smaller battery that saves you $3k, but it seems most buyers prefer to pay a little extra and get another 134km range/43kW power (yes, it has a gruntier motor as well); as long as they can have their CCD. That price is listed as "+ORC" by Kia by the way, but we're assuming purchasers negotiate their way around that... or pay separately.

This is all good news for us, because for whatever reason Kia NZ has previously been a bit shy about letting us drive the lower-end rear-drive EV6s. They weren’t on the drive programme for the media launch day back last year and they didn’t appear on the road test fleet alongside the $100k-plus AWD versions.

At least not until now. And after a week in the EV6 Air long range, we can’t understand Kia’s reticence. It’s a brilliant battery electric vehicle (BEV), and some might even argue a more accomplished package than its more expensive siblings. Some of those people might even be in this office.

You can have the Kia EV6 Air with a smaller battery, but you only gain $3k - and lose 134km.

Just to put it into context, the single-motor EV6 Air long range has the same 77kWh battery as the AWD versions, but it makes 168kW/350Nm, whereas the AWD Earth and GT-Line add another motor for a total of 239kW/605Nm. We’ll leave the crazy-fast GT out of this conversation, because it’s another thing entirely.

The EV6’s brief is to be sportier than the SUV-style Hyundai Ioniq, with which it shares its platform and powertrain.

As the name suggests, this model is the range champion and by quite some margin: 528km on a charge, compared to 506km for the next-best achiever, the Earth AWD. It’ll really do that, too; during our time with the EV6 Air it was averaging in the 15-16kWh/100km, um, range and after our final wallbox charge it was showing a potential 545km.

Striking colour on this Kia EV6 is called Deep Forest Green.

The EV6’s 200kW-plus charging ability (on the right DC station of course) also means you can potentially add 100km of range in under five minutes.

It’s fun to drive because it really does feel like a RWD machine – which is not always the case with heavy BEVs.

We’ve previously praised the EV6’s ride and handling and that’s still very much the case for the Air. It rides on smaller wheels and higher-profile tyres than the GT-Line, so it’s even more comfortable in the urban grind.

Kia EV6 is not so much an SUV as a hatch/fastback.

Yet the EV6’s brief is to be a little sportier than the SUV-style Hyundai Ioniq, with which it shares its platform and powertrain components. And yes, the Air does that too: the chassis soaks up mid-corner bumps at speed at speed nicely, the steering is good and even though it’s two seconds slower to 100km/h than the Earth/GT-Line, it’s still brisk enough at 7.3sec.

There’s very little not to like – assuming you’re on board with the EV6’s rather futuristic styling.

More to the point, it’s fun to drive because it really does feel like a RWD machine – which is not always the case with heavy BEVs.

Swish Kia EV6 cabin dominated by twin screens.

There’s very little not to like – assuming you’re on board with the EV6’s rather futuristic styling. It eschews the current SUV fashion for more of a fastback vibe, which makes it a pretty close rival for the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

It also owes a lot to the Jaguar I-Pace. A lot. Although there is that saying: “To surpass the master pays the debt”.

Futuristic, although unlike a Tesla you still have a conventional start button.

You’re missing some equipment compared with the Earth AWD: no blind-spot monitor, power child-safety lock (it’s manual), Surround View Monitor, three-step heated “Premium Relaxation” front seats or automatic parking, for example.

But the Air still boasts a wealth of safety and comfort/convenience equipment, and $20k is a lot of money. Especially when it’s really $27k, because you lose your CCD with the Earth.

Kia EV6 boot is quite shallow and narrow - but then it's not an SUV, right?

It’ll be interesting to see what happens when/if the CCD disappears. Like every other sellers of BEVs, Kia NZ has obviously worked very hard to keep the Air long range under the $80k cap; maybe the gap between it and the Earth will close a little, with a few extra options or a model in the middle.

But for now, buy the Air long range and we reckon you might be getting the best all-rounder in the lineup… and arguably the most enjoyable to drive. GT speed freaks excluded, of course.

KIA EV6 AIR LONG RANGE
ENGINE: 77kWh battery with single electric motor
POWER: 168kW/350Nm
GEARBOX: Single-speed automatic, RWD
CONSUMPTION: 16.5kWh/100km (WLTP)
0-100KM/H: 7.3sec
PRICE: $79,990

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