The Kia brand is no stranger to electric vehicles, having produced all-electric versions of the Niro and Soul since the late 2010s. But the brand is ready to launch their first fully dedicated EV, the 2022 Kia EV6, and we recently ventured out to Northern California to get some time behind the wheel for a First Drive.

The EV6 is built on the global E-GMP platform, shared with the new Hyundai IONIQ5. But the EV6 takes a much more sportier approach than its platform-mate.

Three trim models are available to start: Light, Wind, and GT-Line. 

Base rear-wheel drive Light models have a 58 kWh battery with a 168kW motor for 167 horsepower and 232-miles of range.

Wind and GT-Line models have an upgraded 77.4 kWh battery for longer range and more power. The “long range” rear drive versions have 225 horsepower with 310-miles of range while the dual motor all-wheel drive versions yield 320 horsepower and a decent 274-miles of range.

The 800-volt architecture can recoup a 10 to 80% charge in about 18 minutes.

Plus a 576-horsepower GT model is on the way.

“I’m in the dual motor all-wheel drive version of the EV6 and there is plenty of power on tap and this isn’t a small vehicle, I mean it does have a very similar wheelbase to the Telluride but it feels incredibly light on the road. Sometimes you can feel the battery pack of an EV sort of weighing you down but I was just in the twisties and [laughs] I did not feel like that at all. And if this is any indication of how the EV6 GT is going to drive, I’m very excited for that.” 

The interior is a great mix of what we expect from Kia but takes advantage of the additional space in the front for more storage. 

There’s also a Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) function that lets you easily use your EV6 as a personal generator.

The EV6 is on sale now and the base rear-wheel drive Light model starts around $42,000 before any tax incentives. Upgrading to the dual motor will cost you about $10-grand. 

We’ll have more on Kia’s latest all-electric coming up soon on MotorWeek!