The Kia EV5 celebrated its European premiere in an exclusive setting – and impressed us with cool features. A particularly variable trunk, sofa-like front seats and a high-quality material appearance make you want the electric SUV.
Even if it doesn’t look like it: The Kia EV5 was originally only supposed to come onto the market in China, where it is also built. And then? “Then the management liked the design so much that they decided to market the model globally,” says Kia’s future design boss Won-Kyu Kang at the unofficial European premiere at the “Car Design Event” in Munich’s Drivers & Business Club.The Kia EV5 is on the group’s E-GMP platform. The format is roughly that of the Kia Sportage or Kia EV6, the wheelbase is slightly shorter at 2.75 meters. The look is reminiscent of the larger EV9, World Car of the Year. The front is a bit more discreet, the light strips run through the sheet metal quite cleanly. The charging port is located at the front right, the flap is partially integrated into the wheel arch cover and is electrically operated. An eye-catcher are the plastic strips all around, which look and almost feel like brushed aluminum. At the rear, the LED lights run across the tailgate Center and thus emphasize the width (1.88 meters) of the vehicle. Creative in the interior and trunk Kia has implemented creative ideas in the trunk. This means you can fold up and fix the double floor in a new way. If you fold down the rear seat backs, you can also use an extra flap to ensure a seamlessly flat loading floor. The eye-catcher at the front is the seating system. If you fold away the center armrest, the upholstered connection between the driver and front passenger seats is revealed. This creates a familiar atmosphere, almost as if you were sitting on a sofa. Otherwise, you will notice how high-quality the materials are. This feels like a luxury car and more valuable than what we know from the Kia EV9. The surfaces look good and are extremely pleasant to the touch. Touch surfaces are partially embedded in the surface of the dashboard. On the steering wheel and on the center console, however, there are real buttons that are easy to use. The display seamlessly combines two individual ones into one large one, as is now common practice in the company. Further good ideas can be found in the second row. A drawer can be pulled out of the middle and can be cooled and warmed at the touch of a button. A very sturdy fold-out table is integrated into the passenger’s backrest, with a recess that serves as a tablet or cell phone holder. There is a USB-C port in the other seat back. 800 volts on board Nothing is yet known about the drive of the European version. In China, there is either a 64 or 88 kilowatt-hour 800-volt battery from BYD or a subsidiary in the ground. The car is powered by a 160 kW electric motor on the front axle. For export there will probably also be a version with all-wheel drive, which includes a 70 kW motor on the rear axle. A sportier GT version is also planned later. Information about prices and market launch is not yet available.
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