Kia has officially unveiled the Kia EV5 model. Although the car will first appear in China, its direct competition is apparent at first glance – the German car companies. The Kia EV5 is a borderline car between the C- and D-SUV segments, is expected to cost from $50,000, the equivalent of over 210,000, and will be sold with up to four market-dependent battery capacities. Although acutely, we would expect optimisation in this area….
Kia EV5: prices, specifications and highlights
The “$50,000” mentioned is for the rest of the world, as in China a model with a smaller battery is expected to be available below the equivalent of 25,000 euros. We will know the details after mid-November. And what will the Kia EV5’s specification be? Well, it has to be called ‘complicated’ to say the least, probably the first time ever that a manufacturer has announced such an extensive set of battery capacities:
- China: 64 kWh and 160 kW/218 hp FWD (Standard Range), 88 kWh and 160 kW/218 hp FWD (Long Range), 88 kWh and 160 kW/218 hp + 70 kW/95 hp (Long Range AWD),
- South Korea (versions ‘in development’): 58 kWh and 160 kW/218 hp FWD (Standard Range), 81 kWh and 160 kW/218 hp FWD (Long Range), 88 kWh and 225 kW/306 hp (Long Range AWD).
The car will be built on the E-GMP platform. This would explain the first and not badly the second battery capacity, as the Kia EV6 was already available in 58 kWh and 77 kWh variants, so the package in the EV5 would look similar. But the values for China are heavily incomprehensible and disconnected from Kia’s existing offerings, as if the South Korean manufacturer is leveling up to a completely different opponent there.
Kia EV5: range and charging
A possible explanation for this discrepancy is the use of completely different cells in China than in the rest of the world: denser, but supporting lower charging powers. Charging the Kia EV5 sold in China from 30 to 80 per cent is said to take “only” 27 minutes, almost twice as long as the Kia EV6 Long Range. As if the manufacturer did not want to harm either the Kia EV6 or the Kia Niro EV.
On the plus side of all this fuss are the ranges: the Kia EV5 88 kWh FWD aims for 720 CLTC units, which would correspond to around 540 WLTP units, 460 kilometres real-world in mixed mode, around 320 kilometres on the motorway at 120 km/h. The 88 kWh AWD variant would travel 650 CLTC units, just under 420 real-world kilometres in mixed mode, 488 WLTP units [editor’s calculations].
The car is to be equipped with a heat pump and an i-Pedal system that allows braking to a stop without pressing the brake. The software promises over-the-air (OTA) updates and a new user interface, we already know from the Kia EV9. The manufacturer boasts that the number of buttons has been kept to a minimum. A projection screen (HUD) will be available as an option. The EV5 will learn automatic parking, receive ‘autopilot’ (HDA2) and support for giving power to external devices (V2L) and the grid (V2G).
The storage compartment is interesting. It has a capacity of 4 litres and can be heated to a maximum of 55 degrees Celsius (for hot food storage) or cooled to fridge temperature, 5 degrees Celsius. In Europe, the Kia EV5 will arrive at the end of 2024 or in 2025.
You may also be interested in the ads below: