Kia continues its journey into full vehicle electrification with the introduction of the EV5 mid-size SUV with sharp looks, state-of-the-art automotive technology and prices aimed at taking the wind out of rivals’ sails (and sales).
The EV5 comes in three trim levels – Air, Earth and GT-Line – with a choice of standard or long-range batteries and front- or all-wheel drive.
Prices start at $56,770 drive-away for the Standard Range FWD and signs off at $71,770, plus on road costs, or drive-away at $75,990 for the GT-Line AWD variant. On test was the EV5 Air FWD Standard Range.
Bringing standard and long-range electric power to mid-range SUVs, the Air is powered by either a standard range 64.2kWh battery, or long-range 88.1kWh battery, while Earth and GT-Line models come solely with the long-range battery.
The universal Kia warranty of seven years, unlimited kilometres, applies to the new EV5, with the battery limited to 150,000 kilometres.
STYLING
Taking cues from Kia’s Opposites United design language, the EV5 stands its ground with a unique SUV silhouette, starting with the front end, which includes a wide bonnet and solid nose, robust lower skid plate and constellation-like Star Map signature lighting.
Star Map LED lighting extends to the rear too, which also takes in a rugged lower skid plate and an aerodynamic rear spoiler. From the side, the SUV is distinguished by door handles, which fit flush, roof rails and designer alloy wheels.
The EV5 is available with a mix of colour options, including two-tone colour exclusive to the GT-Line. The Air features cloth and synthetic leather seating, the Earth grade’s full artificial leather is offered in Smokey Black or Nougat Beige on selected exterior colours.
INTERIOR
The cabin sets a high standard of fit-and-finish through touches of the award-winning EV9 across the range. Comfort and convenience features include Kia Connect, over-the-air updates and steering column shift-by-wire. Sadly, a smart power tailgate is ‘off the Air’ making an appearance on the upper Earth and GT-Line variants only.
The base Air even gets powered driver’s seat adjustment and heated front seats.
However, the front seating does throw up a quirk or two: under the floating armrest there appears to be a third front-row seat in the centre.
It is, in fact, part of the passenger seat and takes away from centre console storage.
Luckily, the latter is functional.
The steering wheel is slightly flattened top and bottom and snuggles nicely in the hand.
Behind it are traditional stalks for the lights and wipers, a twist gear selector (not a favourite), plus paddle shifters for the regenerative braking range.
The rear seat also folds in one double movement (base and backrest together) to deliver a fully flat load area – expanding the already generous 513-litre boot – which is also flat. Kia even offers an inflatable mattress to cover the whole area.
There are removable sections in the rear floor to expand the depth when carrying taller objects, or spillables. And there’s a fully sealed 67-litre front compartment which is opened by pressing a button on the key fob.
INFOTAINMENT
All grades are fitted with twin 12.3-inch instrument displays separated by a 5-inch segment, the product of Kia’s updated Graphical User Interface, integrating climate monitoring. Unfortunately, vital sections of the latter can be obscured by the steering wheel spokes and rim.
Rather than rely heavily on the touchscreen, Kia has retained some physical controls for vehicle systems and given others easily accessible displays.
ENGINES/TRANSMISSIONS
The entry-level Air gets a 160kW/310Nm single-motor powertrain, with a 64.2kWh battery giving the base variant 400km WLTP range and a larger 88.1kWh battery giving the Long Range a boost to 555km.
SAFETY
Much attention has been paid to active and passive safety, with all variants including Highway Driving Assist 2 and centre side airbag.
The Air features autonomous emergency braking (including car, bicycle, pedestrian and junction detection), lane-keeping assist with lane centring, blind-spot monitoring and avoidance, rear cross-traffic alert and avoidance, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality, speed limit warning and a driver attention monitoring camera.
DRIVING
The EV5 is a pleasing car to drive. Road and wind noise are well shut out of the cabin, the latter more so given the car’s square stance.
The steering feel is light and direct and changes depending on the drive mode. Press the button at the bottom of the wheel to switch to Sport or Eco modes. In Sport mode, the steering becomes noticeably heavier. Sport also adjusts throttle response to be more aggressive. The car is surprisingly capable of holding its own on corners, too.
Given it’s a relatively heavy SUV/battery, it’s surprisingly far from cumbersome. Fuel consumption is put by the maker at 20.1kWh per 100 kilometres. The test vehicle recorded 17.5kWh per 100 kilometres on a run, mainly on the open road.
The EV5 did not exactly ‘float on air’ but the test Air, like much of Kia’s product, came under the influence of local suspension engineers to make sure the SUV could handle Australia’s less-than welcoming road conditions.
Lane-keep assist can be intrusive but not dangerously so. This, and other systems, can be easily turned off too with the single press of a button.
SUMMARY
With a comfortable ride, easy-going performance and impressive fuel economy, the Kia EV5 adds further polish to the mid-size SUV segment.
RATINGS
Looks – 8
Performance – 7
Safety – 7
Thirst – 7
Practicality – 7
Comfort – 6
Tech – 8
Value – 7
