EV adopters in Malaysia are really spoilt for choice now
The electric vehicle (EV) segment in Malaysia is heating up real good with the arrival of competitors from Germany and South Korea such as the BMW iX, Mercedes-Benz EQA and Hyundai IONIQ 5. Now, there’s a new rival in town to make the competition even stiffer – the all-new Kia EV6.
Dinamikjaya Motors Sdn Bhd, the new sole distributor for the Kia brand in Malaysia, says the EV6 is now available for booking. It is priced at RM300,668 (OTR without insurance) and comes with a five-year/150,000-km manufacturer warranty, while the battery has a warranty coverage of up to seven years or 150,000 km.
We’re getting the fully-electric crossover in a sole GT-Line variant, which is powered by a dual-motor AWD setup and a 77.4 kWh battery. This combination produces a healthy total system output of 320 hp and 605 Nm of torque, good enough to propel the EV6 from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds, and to a top speed of 185 km/h.
Decent performance aside, the drivetrain offers an impressive range of 506 km on a single charge. Like the IONIQ 5, the EV6 is built on the Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), which means it has a 800V architecture that supports ultra-fast DC charging of up to 350 kW. Based on the spec sheet provided, charging from 10% to 80% takes just 18 minutes.
Thanks to the platform and Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU), EV6 also comes with vehicle-to-load (V2L) function that can be used to power up electronic accessories. In this case, the function can supply up to 3.6 kWh of power.
While it shares the same platform with the IONIQ 5, the EV6 is slightly longer and lower at 4,695 mm and 1,550 mm, but its 2,900-mm wheelbase is 100 mm shy of the Hyundai’s. At the back, there’s a cargo area with 520 litres of space or 1,300 litres with the rear seats folded down. Meanwhile, the frunk has a cargo capacity of 20 litres.
Standard equipment on the EV6 includes automatic dual LED headlamps, LED DRLs, auto-fold wing mirrors, smart powered tailgate and 20-inch wheels. There are five colours to choose from, namely Snow White Pearl, Aurora Black Pearl, Runway Red, Yacht Blue and Moonscape.
Inside, you’ll find two 12.3-inch displays, electronic parking brake, multifunction steering wheel, LED ambient lighting, and a dual-zone automatic air-conditioning with rear vents. The infotainment system offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, multi-Bluetooth connectivity and a powerful 14-speaker Meridian surround audio system. Other niceties such as wireless smartphone charging, two 12V power sockets and four USB-C ports are also included.
Safety-wise, the EV6 is fitted with seven airbags, ABS with EBD, ESC, Safe Exit Assist, as well as other usual equipment such as Traction Control, Brake Assist, ISOFIX anchor points, top tethers and Hill-start Assist Control.
Also on board are advanced safety features including High Beam Assist, Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Assist, Blind-Spot View Monitor, Lane Keeping Assist, Driver Attention Warning, Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Junction Turning, Lane Following Assist and Smart Cruise Control.
Kia has also equipped the EV6 with Surround View Monitor that provides a 360-degree view around the car to make parking easier. Alternatively, the drivers can make use of the Remote Smart Parking Assist.
