It might feel to some that June 2024 is not the best time to launch a new EV, but Kia New Zealand is feeling positive, as we headed to Auckland for the launch of the all-new EV5 SUV. “At the end of the day, it’s an SUV for a family,” they said. We guess that means time stands still for no family’s SUV purchase.
Quite possibly this is the right time for the EV5 to be launched. With the Kia EV9 winning World Car Of The Year award, the EV5 slots nicely in being cheaper while looking extremely similar to the EV9, a car we reviewed in June. You can read our review on the EV9 here.
Kia is making claims that the EV5 is “affordable medium-sector SUV” and we’ll get to the pricing shortly. They are not hiding the fact that they are targeting the Tesla Model Y, a car with 100km less range and a price that starts at $65,900 – but the EV5 has a more practical shape.
Will it be as good? Only a full road test will tell.
2024 Kia EV5: Design and Packaging
The overall design has purposely gone boxy and rugged, with Kia stating that this is to achieve maximum room and space. Take that, Model Y! The similarities to the EV9 cannot be ignored. First impressions are simply a shrunk-down version of the larger car.
The top-spec GT Line (not due here until Q4) has some sporty exterior changes and is also claimed to be more sporty in performance, but in fact has the same power and torque as the Earth all-wheel drive (AWD).
Tech has had a lot of attention paid to it, with a 12” heads-up display (HUD) for the Earth and GT Line models, and all models have a total screen width of 29.6”. There’s a hidden (illuminated) touch bar just like the EV9, for controlling some of the car’s functions.
With luggage space in the Sportage at 435 litres and 608 in the Sorento, the EV5 fits in the middle with 523 litres. With the rear seats down, that goes to 1,713 litres. The EV5 has a 67-litre front trunk (frunk), something the other two Kias simply do not have. Kia isn’t just using those other models for comparison; they expect that buyers of both the Sportage and Sorento will look to the EV5 as their next Kia.
First the time in a Kia, there’s a foldable table in the boot – but this is only in the GT Line. All models have a completely flat floor in the boot with the rear seats folded down, something some buyers certainly look for. One bonus feature for the GT Line is a mini chilli-bin and warmer in the second row, on the floor.
Also in the back-seat area is a 230-volt socket, similar to the EV9 and a Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) adaptor is available for plugging in appliances that have a heavier power requirement.
Kia New Zealand says the EV5 is rated to tow 750kg unbraked and 1,250kg braked.
2024 Kia EV5: Performance
The base ‘Light’ model has a 160kW electric motor, that puts out 310Nm of torque. In an interesting move compared to other EV SUVs, this drives the front wheels.
The Earth model has an AWD option, while all GT Line EV5s are AWD. This is by a 70kW/170Nm rear electric motor.
Kia has opted for a single, large battery pack for all EV5 models, and this has an 88.1kWh capacity. That’s enough to give the front-wheel drive models a range of 555km and up to 500km in the AWD versions. The battery pack alone weighs in at 574, about half a Suzuki Swift.
The EV5 can take a fast charge of up to 141kW of power, meaning a 10-80% charge time of 40 minutes on a 300kW hypercharger, or 80 minutes on a 50kW fast charger. We are told that the high charge rates do not drop off quickly, and we’ll test this in our review.
For the first time ever, Kia is fitting the EV5 with a an LFP battery system with blade technology. This allows them to design the whole battery back using cell-to-pack technology, or 126 packs of batteries, stacked. That increases energy density by 20%. It also improves chassis rigidity, “and almost serves as roll cage” they claim.
2024 Kia EV5: Suspension and Engineering
The Ev5 uses 5-point multilink rear suspension, and it is mentioned that the suspension is ‘locally tuned’ and this means tuning in Australia that should translate to better driving dynamics in New Zealand.
Also fitted is a second-generation integrated electric brake booster, that saves around 2kg in weight. It also builds up brake pressure much more quickly against a vacuum type of brake booster (better for automated driver assist systems), and gives a consistent brake feel.
For that localised suspension tuning, the spring rates were changes, new dampers fitted and the steering remapped. The AWD models are stiffer in the rear to give more oversteer “for fun”. Nice one, Kia,
Like the EV9, there are 5 brake regeneration levels, including Kia’s i-Pedal (one-pedal driving) and adaptive regen.
2024 Kia EV5: Sustainability
There is a lot of recycled products used in the EV5, like recycled PET (plastic bottles) used for the carpets, fabrics, seat cloth and any felt used in the car. We’ll cover more of this off in our review.
2024 Kia EV5: Connectivity
All EV5 buyers get Kia Connect free for 5 years: this can control things like remote lockin and unlocking, remote AC activation, EV charging status, SOS call (red button on ceiling) , Over-The-Air updates, Valet parking mode, real time vehicle tracking, vehicle health, and the ability to set the charging rate – among other things.
The app itself also allows you to look ahead to any charger coming up (be that BP, Shell, Chargenet and others) and check if there is a charger free or not.
To make sure Kia Connect was going to work in our conditions and locations, 2 prototype EV5s were driven around New Zealand for 25000km and involved 70+ engineers. They drove EV5s to Auckland, Warkworth, Hamilton, Tauranga, Rotorua, Taupo , Wellington and Christchurch as part of their testing.
2024 Kia EV5: Safety
As you’d expect, there are a lot of safety systems in all EV5 models, and we’re assured that there aren’t any that are too annoying. Standard safety features include things like:
- FCAA (Forward Collision Avoidance Assistance)
- Active Blind Spot Monitoring
- Lane Keep Assist
- Lane Follow Assist
- 360-degree camera
- Adaptive Cruise Control
- Highway Driving Assist 2.0
Currently there is no ANCAP rating for the all-new EV5, that is expected in Q4 of this year.
2024 Kia EV5: Pricing
New Zealand will see four specifications of Kia Ev5:
- Light 2WD $67,990
- Light + 2WD $70,450
- Earth 2WD $75,450
- Earth AWD $80,450
- GT Line AWD $85,450
2024 Kia EV5: Driving Impressions
It would be a short drive today, and no model swapping – all cars for today’s drive are the Light + 2WD model. First impressions outside in the daylight of still of a shrunken EV9, but perhaps the proportions look better on the EV5.
The EV5 has the same large plastic mouldings around the wheel arches, and perhaps these are too big for the size of the car – they look slightly out of place. On unlocking the car, I spy Kia’s remote parking controls on the key fob; nice to see that this second-from-the-base model has remote parking as well.
Our car for the next few hours is a grey one, not my first choice as there is a stunning matt green model that looks superb. Popping open the EV charging door, and it’s an electric unit; it may feel a bit childish, but electric flaps like this are cool.
Opening the passenger’s door is a surprise; there is almost a bench seat in the front? Okay, not quite a bench seat, but it sure looks like one, and it feels good, too. It’s a real out of the box change from the EV9, and I like it.
The standard screen is massive in this car, and good to know that all models have the same huge screen, so even the base gets this setup.
Hitting Auckland city roads, and the ride is nicely compliant. The whole experience as a passenger is pretty nice; road noise is very well controlled, and the general feeling in the car is that of a relaxing drive.
We hit the motorway and again, everything is excellent, just like the EV9. There’s plenty of space in the cabin too, and I could really see the EV5 as an excellent alternative to the Tesla Model Y for buyers who simply don’t want a Tesla, or may prefer the range of the EV5 over the base Model Y.
Jumping in for a drive and visibility is very good, as is performance. In any drive mode, there is ample acceleration, even though this is not the two-motor AWD version. The controls feel light and are well-placed; the EV5 has the column-shift automatic lever, and it’s a bit hidden away behind the steering wheel, but you soon get used to it and it doesn’t take long before you are going from say Drive to Reverse without looking down.
In Auckland traffic and for someone not from Auckland, the Ev5 makes easy work of zipping in and out of lanes, with that visibility and feedback from the car helping to ease the chore of driving in Auckland traffic.
