Specifications

  • Battery: : 77.4-kWh
  • EPA Range: : 274 miles
  • Horsepower: : 320
  • Torque: : 446 lb-ft

Long Term Updates

Mileage: n/a

We’re just getting into the holiday season, but we’ve already unwrapped our first present, this 2022 Kia EV6.  It’s the personal prize of one of our associates, who is allowing us to share in a year-long ownership experience.

While not Kia’s first EV, it is their first one based on a dedicated EV platform, and easily their best looking.

Wind trim means 19-inch wheels, gloss black trim, vegan-friendly artificial leather seats, and a host of safety and active driving features.  An optional tech package adds surround view monitor and remote parking assist.

With dual-motor all-wheel-drive, output is 320-horsepower with 274-miles of range.

The two-motor setup knocks off a few miles of range, but the extra power it returns more than makes up for it. Switching the drive mode to “sport” sharpens the throttle and adds a little extra oomph when accelerating, but there is no adaptive suspension, so the handling characteristics remain the same regardless of drive mode. Fortunately, it handles just fine as-is.

We’re just getting to know this little crossover; but so far, ride is solid, with no squeaks or rattles; and the interior is both lovely to look at and highly functional.

 

Date: February 2023Mileage: 4,000

We’ve spent much of the new year cruising in our 2022 Kia EV6, now resting with another 4,000 miles on the odometer after two months of use.

As expected, the 320 horsepower dual-motor all-wheel drive system is more than ample for daily use, but what’s more noteworthy is how it’s delivered.

The thing that gets people excited about EVs is the instant torque under hard acceleration, but the fact is on a daily basis that doesn’t matter a whole lot. Living with this EV6 we’re impressed by how smooth it accelerates, whether it’s from a stop or while rolling.

And then deceleration is equally as impressive. We really like being able to control how much regenerative braking we’re getting with the steering wheel paddles, and then when we do lift off the accelerator there’s no jarring grabbiness. It’s a well-tuned system.

Not only does it ease some of the pain of city gridlock, it makes longer hauls more bearable too. Same can be said for the seats, especially the reclining rears.

Speaking of longer trips, we can attest to the 274 miles of range. We’ve found the battery estimates to be pretty dead-on, only shrinking with the occasional bout in Sport mode.

Now, the EV6 isn’t flawless. The aero door handles look cool, but can be awkward to use since they don’t automatically pop out like they do on the GT Line trim. On the flipside, We turned off our auto-opening rear hatch since it kept popping up when we didn’t want it to. And the auto park feature is finicky to activate. Still, these small quirks haven’t deterred us from spending more time behind the wheel.

 

Date: March 2023Mileage: 6,100

It’s been a minute since we gave you an update on our long term 2022 Kia EV6; but believe me, we’ve been racking up the miles.

In fact, our digital odometer now rests at a solid 6,100 miles, reflecting the 2,000-or-so additional miles of pavement we’ve seen in the last two months. We’re happy to report no changes in our total range, still enjoying the full extent of 274 miles on a 100-percent charge.

It may not be as rowdy as the souped-up GT, but our Wind e-All-Wheel-Drive is still good for a few thrills. It switches between rear- and all-wheel drive depending on our needs, be it to save a little juice or kick performance up a notch.

One of our drivers wondered if it could use some stickier tires. Not that the stock rubber is awful by any means, but they figured a grippier compound would elevate the EV6 even more. That’s something you can change if you really want to– but more importantly, the things you can’t easily change about the EV6 are not only solid, but downright impressive.

For 20 years, automakers have been blurring the line between cars and SUVs. And now with this EV6 I’m not sure there’s much line left to blur. And honestly, that’s ok because now more than ever we really do get the best of both worlds. This EV6 can cruise with a family of four just as well as it can carve up a back road. And that’s really a side-effect of the all-electric platform which creates a low center of gravity and limited intrusion into the cabin.

Beyond that, our EV6 continues to swoon us with its handsome body and paint job. Though, over time we’ve become a little annoyed by the charging door light that shines outwards instead of on the port itself, which would make low-light plug-ins a little easier. But this is a small complaint; one we certainly aren’t getting worked up over, especially with the soothing sounds of nature playing from the stereo.