Dinamikjaya Motors, a subsidiary of Bermaz Auto (BAuto) and the official distributor of Kia vehicles in Malaysia, today launched the Kia EV6. The electric vehicle (EV), which first made its global debut last year, is being offered in a sole GT-Line AWD variant that comes fully imported (CBU) from South Korea.
Built on the same Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) architecture also used by the Hyundai Ioniq 5, the EV6 is actually sized differently than its close cousin, measuring in at 4,695 mm long, 1,890 mm wide, 1,550 mm tall and with a wheelbase of 2,900 mm. As for the Ioniq 5, it is 4,635 mm long, 1,890 mm wide, 1,605 mm tall and its wheelbase spans 3,000 mm.
For our market, the EV6 is specified with the Long Range AWD powertrain. As such, it is equipped with a water-cooled 77.4-kWh lithium-ion battery that provides up to 506 km of range following the WLTP standard. The battery powers a pair of electric motors, with the one at the rear being rated at 224 PS (221 hp or 165 kW) and 350 Nm, while the front unit delivers 101 PS (99 hp or 74 kW) and 255 Nm of torque. Together, the e-motors provide all-wheel drive and a total system output of 325 PS (321 hp or 239 kW) and 605 Nm of torque, which is good for a 0-100 km/h time of 5.2 seconds and a top speed of 183 km/h.
Thanks to the E-GMP platform, the EV6 features a multi-charging system that is compatible with both 400-volt and 800-volt DC fast chargers without the need for any special adapter or additional on-board charger. The maximum DC power input (CCS2 connection) supported is 350 kW, which gets the battery from a 10-80% state of charge (SoC) in just 18 minutes.
As 800-volt DC chargers are uncommon, when the car is plugged into a more mainstream 400-volt charger, the inverter performs a boost conversion of the incoming power to 800 volts before sending it to the battery. With a 50-kW DC input, it’ll take 73 minutes for the battery to go from a 10-80% SoC.
There’s also AC charging support (Type 2 connection) up to 11 kW (operates on 240 volts), and a charger capable of outputting that amount of power will fully charge the battery from 10-100% in seven hours and 20 minutes. Every EV6 will only come with a basic three-pin to Type 2 AC charging cable to plug into a domestic power socket, but you’ll be waiting a long time to juice up the battery this way, 32 hours and 45 minutes to be exact. You’ll need to find your own Type 2 to Type 2 charging cable.
While the rudimentary AC charging cable is included, a wallbox is not. Instead, Dinamikjaya Motors says it will provide customers with a list of wallboxes that are readily available in the market and advise them on which brand and model best suits their needs, limited of course by their type of residence and electrical infrastructure.
For public charging, customers will have access to a DC charger that will be set up at Kia’s new flagship dealership in Glenmarie, albeit pay to use. Additionally, the company will work with existing charging network operators in Malaysia to widen charging accessibility for its EV6 customers.
In terms of equipment, the GT-Line appearance package is identified by body-coloured wheel arch cladding, a more aggressive front apron and gloss black accents. The rear apron is also different from the regular Wind exterior, as the black trim is recessed at the corners for the reflectors, accompanied by dashed pins that integrate the reverse light.
Other items on the kit list include LED projector headlamps, DRLs, taillights and rear fog lamps, while the wheels are 20 inches in size and fitted with 225/45 profile Continental PremiumContact 6 tyres specifically developed for EVs. You also get retractable door handles that are flush with the car’s body when locked, a powered sunroof, a powered tailgate with hands-free operation, front and rear parking sensors, keyless entry and start as well as remote start.
Inside, the EV6 features black suede upholstery with white leatherette accents. Imitation leather is also used for the steering wheel and door panels, which are accompanied by GT-Line interior trim, silver door handles and a metal accelerator pedal. For comfort, there’s a dual-zone climate control system with rear vents, while interior charging of devices is handled by no less than two 12-volt power sockets, four USB-C ports and a Qi wireless charger.
No shortage of tech either, there are a two 12.3-inch displays on the dashboard, with one serving as the digital instrument cluster. Meanwhile, the other is a touchscreen for the infotainment system that supports both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and is paired with a 14-speaker sound system developed by Meridian.
For party tricks, the EV6 comes with Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA) which allows you to remotely move the vehicle forwards or backwards using just the key fob. This should be helpful if you’re trying to park in a very tight spot and worry you won’t be able to open doors to get out.
Additionally, the system is also capable of semi-autonomous parking when an appropriate parking space is detected (perpendicular or parallel). Drivers will be able to choose if they want to be inside the car during the self-park process or outside and using the key fob – both options will still require a physical input (pressing a button) from the vehicle owner as the process is carried out.
The EV6 also includes an integrated charging control unit (ICCU) charging system that enables bi-directional charging, also known as Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) support. This means the EV’s battery can double as a high-capacity external power bank, supplying up to 3.6 kW to power most electronic accessories.
Another fancy bit of kit are the powered front seats that come with a one-touch recline function (Kia calls this Premium Relaxation) on top of functions like lumbar adjustment, ventilation and memory for the driver’s seat. The rear seats are less fancy as they are just 60:40 split-folding and don’t slide like they do in the Ioniq 5. When folded down, the boot space is expanded to 1,300 litres from the default 520 litres when they are up. On that mention, the EV6 comes with a front trunk (frunk) that offers an additional 20 litres of storage space.
Moving on to safety and driver assistance systems, seven airbags (front, side, curtain and driver’s knee) are standard along with the usual array of passive systems like ESC, ABS, EBD, brake assist, traction control, hill start assist, brake auto hold (works with the electronic parking brake), front and rear seat belt warning, rear occupant alert, a 360-degree camera and ISOFIX child seat anchors.
As for the active systems, the EV6 comes with High Beam Assist, Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, a Blind-Spot View Monitor that also enables Safe Exit Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Driver Attention Warning and Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with junction turning monitoring. You’ll get some semi-autonomous driving features too, namely Smart Cruise Control (SCC) with stop & go support as well as Lane Following Assist (LFA).
The EV6 is offered in five colours, namely Moonscape (a kind of matte grey), Snow White Pearl, Aurora Black Pearl, Runway Red and Yacht Blue. A five-year, 150,000-km vehicle warranty comes standard, and the battery is covered for up to seven years or 150,000 km, whichever comes first – the latter is two years more than the global standard warranty for the battery.
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Dinamikjaya Motors notes it will expand its EV service network over time, but in the start-up phase, EV6 owners can get their vehicles serviced at the Bermaz EV Centre of Excellence in Glenmarie, while the northern (Penang) and southern (Johor Bahru) regions will each have their own EV service outlet. In other major cities and towns, a dealer network of mobile teams will provide 24 hours roadside assistance to customers.
Finally, let’s talk pricing. The EV6 GT-Line AWD retails for RM300,668 on-the-road without insurance, with current EV incentives and sales tax factored in – V-Zion tinting film is included too. It should be noted that the first batch of cars, which we were previously told totalled just five units, have all been accounted for.
Customer deliveries are expected to take place from the third quarter of this year, assuming there are no production delays at Kia’s AutoLand plant in Hwaseong where the EV6 is produced. Don’t expect the EV6 to be cheaper by becoming a locally-assembled (CKD) model anytime soon, as we’re told there are no such plans for the Inokom plant for now.
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There’s no denying the EV6 costs more than the Ioniq 5, which tops out at RM269,888 for the highest Max variant (including the optional RM10,000 extended warranty and service package). Then again, the Kia EV does come with some features the Ioniq 5 Max doesn’t, including the fancy remote parking system, more speakers (Meridian 14-speaker system vs Bose 8-speaker), a sunroof (though it does lose out on the Hyundai’s solar roof).
The Ioniq 5 Max’s AWD powertrain also has marginally less power by comparison at 305 PS (302 hp or 225 kW) and 605 Nm, while also being equipped with a smaller battery (72.6 kWh) battery that delivers comparably less range (430 km).
So, what are your thoughts on the Kia EV6? Do the specifications and available equipment justify its asking price, or are there other options that you’re interested in? Let us know in the comments below.
GALLERY: Kia EV6 GT-Line official photos
