The easy life

What a relief. SUVs need not be soft-riding and spongy. They can be great to drive—and better for the environment.

We already rated the Kia EV9 as an advanced, electric-powered, full-sized SUV, with its comfort and capability, and the EV5 promised to be the same but in a mid-sized format. It’s the strategy employed by Mercedes-Benz and BMW: start off a new design language by introducing it on the flagship, then see if the halo effect can work its way down.

Of course, as you venture downmarket, some features are removed, as the price is reduced. The comparisons are inevitable, too, given two cars with a shared style, though the EV5 tempers some of the EV9’s boldness, to appeal to a broader range of customers. It’s still bold, but less brash; the rear is longer relative to the overall length, and the rear door line finishes relatively further back, too—the proportions are slightly more Asian than European. There’s more of a D-pillar to get the floating roof effect, rather than a single window that meets the tailgate. Despite this being the newer design, this isn’t quite as tidily done, but again, Kia is, once again, trying to bring in some more convention. However, the startling, face with headlight strips is instantly familiar, and there’s no mystery what you’re driving.

Sitting inside the EV5, there’s a sense of familiarity, but you notice that the dashboard is made of fewer components, the cloth-and-composite leather seats aren’t ventilated like the EV9’s leather ones, the door mirrors aren’t bright LCD screens, and the centre console isn’t as bulky. We don’t have massaging seats but there is power lumbar support that works to soothe the back during long drives. The pedals appear entirely conventional, not the drilled metal of the larger car’s. The head-up display wasn’t standard for our test car, but it is available for the higher Earth trims. However, the big triple screen set-up is identical (two 12·3 in screens plus a 5 in squeezed in between for ventilation settings), and there’s a commanding driving position. The leather steering wheel controls and those around it appear identical, too. Kia has evidently priced things out to see what it could afford to keep, and in our opinion, it’s made the right choice to get the price of our test model, the Light+ 88·1 kWh Long Range, down to a recommended retail of NZ$70,450 plus on-road costs. Compare that with the base EV9, which comes in at NZ$105,990 plus on-road costs.

You’re also treated to a commodious interior: we had no issue ferrying passengers who were happy to sit front or second row, and while we didn’t have the powered tailgate, we did still have a reasonably sized boot (513 ℓ with the seats up; there’s another 67 ℓ in the frunk). We can’t fault the tech: it connects with phones readily, the sat-nav is accurate and clear, the front, rear and side sensors work effectively for parking and safety in general, and the 360-degree cameras and rendering are as top-notch as on the EV9.

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It’s easy to charge and the tech doesn’t get ambiguous as on, say, the previous MG ZS. Speaking of charging, we saw the EV5 reach a range of 610 km when fully charged—55 km more than the manufacturer’s claim. That’s not something that one sees every day.

AC charging at home admittedly takes a lengthy 39 hours to get these high capacities, but this comes down to just over nine hours on an 11 kW AC charger, while DC fast charging takes it down to 80 minutes (to 80 per cent) at 50 kW and 40 minutes (to 80 per cent) at 141 kW.

Passengers are ferried in comfort, thanks to one of the best-balanced ride and handling chassis in its class. MacPherson struts are up front with rear multi-link suspension at the back, and this, like on the EV9, makes the EV5 feel more nimble. Interestingly, the larger car felt more nimble relative to its bulk, but the EV5 is still eminently driveable.

The EV5 comes with a dose of familiarity, not just because we’ve tested the EV9, but because there are elements from mainstream Kias that have made it in, such as regular door mirrors and pedals. Sometimes you actually don’t want the high-tech, next-gen items if what you’re driving is intended to be an everyday family car. You want to be able to get in there without fuss or thought, and head off. This is an EV that sits above the top petrol hybrid Toyota RAV4 by NZ$10,000, not a luxe tour de force costing six figures.

In fact, its ease and driveability are the EV5’s trump cards. Those suspension settings make it comfortable for passengers, but they miraculously also make the EV5 a driver’s car. We’re so used to SUVs that are softly sprung—our previous test car, the MG HS, and Kia’s own Sportage fall into this category. But we prefer something that driver and passenger get joy from. And this brings it.

The firmer set-up gives you a sense of control, and the steering is direct, so you feel you are doing the driving, not the electronic aids. The paddle shifters make absolute sense: they control the level of regeneration. Left paddle for more regen, right paddle for less. They almost work like gears. There may not be such a thing as a manual-transmission EV (for the most part; we realize there are some niche cars that are exceptions), but for those of us who prefer to change gears, this is a welcome compromise. Somewhere along the line this side of the millennium New Zealand did become lazy, and possibly less skilled, behind the wheel, so a reminder of sensible manual gearing is a treat.

The EV9 did spoil us, but we can see the EV5 working as that everyday proposition that you can drive well and park easily. The EV9 is an occasion, the EV5 is life. But it’s a good life, one that brings driving pleasure—a reminder that growing up and needing an SUV doesn’t mean having to give up on self-indulgent driving pleasure and some fun behind the wheel. •

Jack Yan is founder and publisher of Lucire.

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