Key takeaways:
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The EV6 managed to be cheaper to function than any gas-powered long-term take a look at automobile we have examined
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Its form is probably not conventional, but it surely’s an attention grabbing design that turned heads all 12 months and does not make massive compromises to utility
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Kia’s charging expertise is great, however that may solely take you up to now with as we speak’s troublesome and finicky fast-charging community
This one’s a tough goodbye. The long-term Kia EV6 GT-Line that’s been in our fleet is gone, and it’s going to be one we miss. In the long run, we steamed on previous the ten,000-mile mark, and whereas there have actually been some unplanned vendor visits for updates and highway particles, our EV6 proved dependable and an actual pleasure over the course of a 12 months.
Whereas we had examined just about each new electrical car by the point the EV6 made its approach into our fleet, it represented our first probability at placing an electrical automobile by way of a year-long take a look at. The character of typical weeklong loans for media merely can’t reveal the true possession expertise of a automobile, particularly for EVs when charging is such a pivotal a part of the expertise/ordeal. That’s one of many massive the reason why we wished to decide to a yearlong take a look at of an EV6. Fortunately, the Hyundai/Kia/Genesis E-GMP platform vehicles are heavy hitters on the subject of charging.
Learn all Lengthy-Time period Kia EV6 updates right here
However earlier than entering into the general public charging query, it’s important to acknowledge the significance of charging at dwelling. A few of us right here at Autoblog have Stage 2 chargers put in at our respective houses, and for these of us who do, the general public charging infrastructure is sort of a non-issue. Outdoors of highway journeys, no day journey round metro Detroit would require extra vary than the 274 miles our EV6 is rated for on a full cost, leaving of us to come back and go from their houses with out ever typing “EV charger” into Google Maps.
Nonetheless, those that did require use of public fast-charging services discovered the EV6 to be an excellent car for such a use case. Its quick charging permits it to go from 20-80% in nearly 18 minutes, and our EV6 persistently carried out at its claimed skills. We’d present up on the native Electrify America with opponents just like the Ford Mustang Mach-E or VW ID.4 already charging and be performed and gone earlier than they completed. That is probably not as exhilarating as profitable a drag race, but it surely nonetheless seems like profitable to us.
The place issues obtained trickier (and annoying) is when the climate turned. Those that charged at dwelling continued to take action with out a lot as being barely perturbed, whereas those that charged at quick chargers discovered the wait occasions considerably elevated. Sadly, our 2022 EV6 didn’t have a battery preconditioning system that pre-heats the battery to permit for ultra-fast charging straight out of the gate. You’d want to take a seat at a charger for a short while earlier than the pace ramps up, but it surely greater than doubled our typical dwell time at any explicit quick charger. Ready 40 minutes at an Electrify America or EVGo isn’t an unusual wait for a lot of EV homeowners, however whenever you’re accustomed to twenty minutes or much less, the discount in efficiency is extraordinarily noticeable. Fortunately, Kia has since added a battery preconditioning system to newer EV6s and is even providing a software program replace on fashions that didn’t have it from the manufacturing unit.
When it comes to long-term match and end, our EV6 held up over the course of the 12 months to a greater than passable diploma. It each arrived and left with none squeaks or rattles. The black and white two-tone inside remains to be wanting recent and unblemished. Nonetheless, the piano black trim throughout the middle armrest and console space wasn’t as fortunate, additional cementing our view that piano black trim isn’t an excellent end for often-touched inside parts. The fingerprints and extremely seen mud solely go away if you happen to always clear the world, and that’s simply further heartache we don’t care to take care of each day.
All we’ve got is reward for the way the EV6 has held up from a driving perspective, too. The acceleration from the AWD dual-motor GT-Line is improbable, verging on extreme for what’s ostensibly a household automobile or every day driver. We’re glad to have opted for the dual-motor, although, because it’s saved the day-to-day slog thrilling, and snow driving turned out to be pain-free with an enormous dollop of sideways enjoyable thrown in. In contrast to a run-of-the-mill gas-powered crossover, the EV6 can positively pin you to your seat on the drop of a hat with that instantaneous most torque sensation you get from highly effective EVs. The low middle of gravity means it’s at all times able to sort out a freeway onramp or sustain with vehicles it has no enterprise maintaining with on a winding highway. And whenever you do push the EV6, it has some actual endurance to its acceleration, not falling off in shove till you’ve run it ragged for a protracted whereas. Its huge tires and sporty suspension hold it from flopping round or in any other case behaving like the large, heavy crossover that it’s. Actually begin pushing it, and also you’re prone to get some keen rotation by way of tighter corners whenever you energy by way of them, too.
It’s a genuinely good automobile to drive with out having overt sporting intentions, although it is clearly nowhere close to as a lot enjoyable because the full-fledged EV6 GT that goes from 0-60 mph in simply 3.4 seconds. Acceleration apart, although, skipping the extra hardcore GT for the AWD GT-Line isn’t as unhappy as it’d sound. The GT is closely compromised on the subject of vary, and whereas its bucket seats are nice to take a seat in, the handbook adjustment doesn’t appear becoming for such an costly automobile.
When you have been inquisitive about a few of the nitty-gritty particulars regarding effectivity and cost-to-run, we saved monitor of these over the course of the 12 months. In the long run, we averaged 2.9 miles per kilowatt-hour. That’s barely lacking the mark of the place the EV6 GT-Line AWD ought to be for mixed effectivity (proper about 3.1), however we’re going responsible our driving conduct for its ultimate figures. A mix of quite a few lengthy highway journeys, numerous low-temperature winter driving and a penchant for utilizing the EV6’s full 320 horsepower usually mixed to assist us to that 2.9 determine. From a complete power used perspective, we consumed roughly 3,400 kWh of power at a value of about $1,200 for the 12 months. For some perspective on that quantity, the U.S. Power Administration says the typical dwelling in 2022 used 10,791 kWh of power in a 12 months.
The EPA’s gasoline economic system website suggests our EV6 will value about $750 per 12 months for 15,000 miles of driving, however our extra extravagant prices are a results of much more fast-charging periods than a typical consumer. The EV6 nonetheless managed to be cheaper to function over a 12 months than any gas-powered long-term automobile we’ve examined, however do watch out for prices stacking up if you happen to’re going to depend on the nation’s public charging infrastructure as a main power supply.
And that wraps up our 12 months in what’s arguably probably the greatest and most fun EVs in the marketplace. You probably have any questions in regards to the automobile, be sure that to hit the feedback beneath, and I’m certain we’ve got a solution for you after a 12 months spent within the saddle of the Kia EV6. And for each story we wrote about our long-termer, head proper right here.
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