KIA Philippines recently took the covers off the 2023 Kia EV6. The South Korean automaker’s highly revolutionary and award-winning electric vehicle (EV) is priced at P3.788 million, which is a highly attractive price for a fully electric compact crossover SUV.

The EV6 was a smash hit when it went on sale in Europe and North America, and based on our first impressions, we think that it also has the potential to do the same in the Philippines.

If one were to use style as a sole basis for choosing a brand-new vehicle, then the 2023 Kia EV6, in the sole GT Line Long Range spec that you see here, has already won that with flying colors — or at least in a shade of matte Steel Gray. The photos don’t give justice to that, because it looks like a hatchback, but in reality, this is a compact crossover that blends the strengths of various body styles. This is normally a recipe for disaster, but trust Kia to come up with a striking electric crossover SUV that stands out.

The interior is equally just as striking as the exterior. Being the GT Line model, it comes with a host of interesting interior textures, colors, and the obligatory ambient LED lighting at this price point. There are also two 12.3-inch screens housed in a single glass panel, and like most modern cars, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are fitted as standard.

There’s also an excellent Meridian surround sound system, a panoramic sunroof, and thanks to the extraordinarily-long 2,900 mm wheelbase provided by the E-GMP platform, this has the absolute best interior space in any compact crossover SUV.

City and highway driving

We’ve already talked about the practical stuff and the rest of the specs. in a prior article, but how about the driving experience? The 2023 Kia EV6 also delivers the goods in a responsively silent manner, with the instant electric shove you expect from an EV. There’s 229 hp and 350 Nm on tap, and it’s enough to send this EV from 0-100 kph in 7.3 seconds.

In addition, the stiff structure and thick sound insulation result in an EV that feels like a tank at high speeds. The suspension also deals excellently with bumps and if ever there are any, the worst of the vibrations have already been absorbed by the chassis before it even reaches your butt.

Long-distance comfort is excellent, but what about its performance at lower speeds? As expected, the EV6 comes with the option of full regenerative braking to charge the batteries, and this allows you to do one-pedal driving. The brakes feel surprisingly firm and natural for an EV, and the steering is light and easy for city use. It also handles in a bit of a sporty fashion.

There’s a degree of sharpness to the steering though there’s barely any road feel going through my hands to make me consider the EV6 fun to drive. On the upside, the batteries positioned down the chassis as well as the suspension that deals

well with body roll means that the EV6 stays flat through corners. As for charging, the EV6’s Long Range has a 77.4 kWh lithium-ion battery that’s good for an EPAestimated range of 528 kilometers. This is something we barely even consumed since most of our initial drive was in the city with plenty of one-pedal driving. What’s more, the EV6 is one of the only few EVs right now that come with an 800-volt architecture, which means it can support up to 350 kW of DC fast charging and 11 kW of AC. However, as mentioned, the fastest charger in the Philippines is a 180 kW DC fast charger that Shell Recharge Mamplasan provides.

Overall, the 2023 Kia EV6 is probably one of the most important car launches of this year. Yes, a lot of EVs have been launched over the past few years, but they’re usually too expensive. And while there have been more affordable ones recently, most of them are half-baked efforts and without the backing of a capable corporation like Ayala in Kia’s case.

Basically, what makes this one of the most important car launches in the Philippines for 2023 is due to the fact that it’s more than just an award-winning EV that has kickstarted a revolution at Kia. With Ayala behind the brand, it also serves as a statement that they’re helping the Philippines build its own EV industry from the ground up.

In fact, even prior to the launch of the EV6, Ayala has already built a solid charging network of more than 20 stations from Laguna all the way to Baguio.