Kia wants to wow you with yet another mid-sized electric crossover, the EV4. Jonathan Crouch drives it.
Ten Second Review
The EV4 is yet another interesting mid-sized electric Kia. Offered in hatch guise and four-door Fastback forms, it stands out in its crowded segment. As it very much needs to.
Background
Given how successful Tesla has been globally, it's remarkable how few competing brands have sought to directly replicate its formula for mid-size sales success based around offering saloon and hatch versions of a common design. But that's what we got here in the form of this car, the Kia EV4.
Like its American arch-rival Model 3 and Model Y designs, it comes in four and five-door forms, but sets itself apart with exterior design that even Kia admits is 'polarising', especially as a sedan. Perhaps more significantly, this is Kia's first European-built EV, based around the same E-GMP engineering already seen in the brand's EV3 and EV5 models - which means it lacks the advanced 800V fast-charging architecture that the older EV6 originally led us to expect in mid-sized Kias. So can the EV4 make its mark in this over-crowded sector? Let's take a closer look.
Driving Experience
It seems a bit odd that Kia's second phase of electric models is less advanced than the first. Like the company's initial EV6 and EV9 designs, this EV4 uses the Hyundai Motor Group's E-GMP architecture, but does without it in ultra-rapid-charging 800V form. Instead, like the marque's more recent EV3 and EV5 designs, there's a less sophisticated (but cheaper-to-make) 400V version of that platform, which comes with a 201bhp front-mounted electric motor and a choice of either a 58.3kWh or an 81.4kWh battery. Range is up to 273 miles with the smaller battery - or up to 388 miles with the 81.4kWh battery. There's 283Nm of torque and the 0-62mph time is 7.5s en route to 105mph.
At the wheel, you sit quite low and there are three driving modes - 'Eco', 'Normal' and 'Sport', the latter engineered to make the car feel genuinely sportier, rather than just heavier of steering. Not all EVs in this segment are quite as refined as you might hope, but this one should be thanks to its super-slippery drag coefficient. With the hatch, that's rated at 0.27Cd, which is best-in-class (the Fastback saloon version's even sleeker, rated at 0.23Cd). Active Air Flaps in the front bumper open automatically to optimise cooling efficiency and maximise aerodynamic performance. 82% of the EV4's underside is covered by a near full body undercover, further boosting its slippery shape. As usual with Kias, there's plenty of drive assist kit. Whether all of it will be welcome is another question.
Design and Build
The EV4 crystallises Kia's vision for the next generation of mid-sized electric models and visually comes to present what the brand calls 'a new typology' to the EV market. The front end features the company's 'EV Tiger Face', framed by vertically-orientated LED headlamps and the brand's eye-catching 'Star Map' lighting signature. The hatch version has contrasting black vertical C-pillars with bold upright trim, a sloping rear window and wide-positioned LED tail lights.
The Fastback saloon version, added to the EV4 project at a late stage, offers us a more distinctive EV4 still, with a streamlined silhouette and a 'long-tail' rear three-quarter section unlike anything else on the market. An unusual two-piece rear spoiler works in combination with the vertical light units to reinforce the car's wide stance. Both body styles get the same big machined 19-inch wheels. At 4,730mm in length, the saloon is 30cm longer than the hatch, making it marginally longer than the rival Tesla Model 3.
The EV4 isn't quite as unique inside, where most of the dashboard architecture has been lifted from the smaller EV3. That means the usual pair of 12.3-inch screens, creating a combined display size of 30-inches, plus a further 5.3-inch unit for the climate functions. It all looks of decent quality and unlike in many rival Chinese models, a number of physical switches and buttons have been retained. The nearly-flat floor makes it feel airy and spacious in the back. And boot space is pretty generous - 435-litres in the hatchback and 490-litres in the Fastback.
Market and Model
From launch, prices for the hatch version most will want were starting from around £35,000 - the segment norm, but you can deduct an available £1,500 Electric Car Grant from that. That gets you a version with base 'Air' trim and the smaller 58.3kWh battery. It's another £2,250 to get an 'Air' model with the larger 81.4kWh long range battery that all other EV4s use. This larger battery package qualifies for the government grant with base 'Air' or mid-level 'Motion' spec. If you can do without that grant, you can also have this larger battery with plusher 'GT-Line' and 'GT-Line S' levels of trim - at prices up to around £45,000 - but you've really got to want an EV4 to pay that.
At least you'll get plenty of kit. Across the line-up, there's a 30-inch Ultra-wide Panoramic Display panel that combines a 12.3-inch instrument cluster, a 5.3-inch climate panel and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen. Also both models also get LED headlights, heated front seats, wireless 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto', Smart Cruise Control, power-folding mirrors, automatic air conditioning and rain-sensitive wipers.
Mid-range 'GT-Line' trim replaces the base 'Air' model's 17-inch wheels with larger 19-inch rims. And adds 'GT-Line' exterior styling, auto flush door handles, aluminium pedals, a digital key, customisable ambient lighting, a wireless 'phone charger, two-tone faux leather upholstery and powered driver's seat adjustment. Top 'GT-Line S' spec gives you the real niceties; a wide front sunroof, bespoke 'small cube design' headlights, a smart power tailgate, heat for the front a rear seats, front premium Relaxtion seats with ventilation, a 360-degree surround view monitor, an 8-speaker Harmon Kardon premium sound system, a Head-up display, Remote Smart Parking Assist and a V2L Vehicle-to-Load socket so you can plug external devices into the car's drive battery. Unfortunately, you have to stretch to 'GT-Line S' trim to be able to pay Kia extra for a heat pump.
Across the line-up, there's plenty of safety kit; Forward Collision-Avoidance, Lane Keep Assist, Lane Follow Assist and Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist with Rear-Cross Traffic Collision Avoidance. Plus Highway Driving Assist, Safe Exit Warning, Driver Attention Warning and a Multi-Collision Braking System.
Cost of Ownership
This EV4 model's EV6 stablemate was the first Kia EV to offer the ultra-fast-charging 800V infrastructure that larger Hyundai Motor Group E-GMP-based models helped to pioneer. Disappointingly, that set-up's not fitted to the EV4, which is why the DC charging speed is limited to an unremarkable 150kW. Even so, thanks to a new generation battery management system, both Standard and Long Range models claim a 10-80% DC charge time of 29 minutes for the 58.3kWh model or 31 minutes for the 81.4kWh variant, when plugged into a 350kW DC fast charger. There's also a Battery Conditioning Mode that can optimise battery temperature when heading to a fast-charging station. This can be manually activated or can work automatically linked to GPS data.
From home, a 10-100% AC charge at 7.4kW takes 8 hours 45 minutes for the 58.3kWh battery or 12 hours 30 minutes for the 81.4kWh variants. A 10-100% three-phase AC charge at 11kW would improve those times to 5 hours 20 minutes for the 58.3kWh battery or 7 hours 15 minutes for the 81.4kWh variants.
We gave you the EV range figures in our 'Driving' section - up to 273 miles for the Standard Range 58.3kWh Hatch variants and up to 388 miles for the 81.4kWh Long Range Hatch models. Kia has developed an advanced heat pump to maintain these mileage figures during winter, a clever fourth generation multi-valve system that not only draws in ambient heat from outside air to aid the climate system but also combines this with recovered waste heat from the electric motor. The brand claims this is a world first but only offers it as an option with top-spec 'GT-Line S' trim. As with other recent Kia EVs, there's vehicle-to-load functionality (allowing you to power devices from the car's battery) - again, only with 'GT-Line S'-spec. For the future, there'll be vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid capability (allowing you to return un-needed charge energy for use in your home or back to the National Grid).
Summary
Since Kia already has two contenders in the mid-sized EV market (the EV5 and the EV6), it obviously felt less constrained play it safe when introducing another, this EV4. And the result is a generally interesting piece of mainstream design, especially in Fastback saloon form. The Tesla Model 3 has proved that sedans can sell well in this segment and the four-door EV4 deserves to, particularly amongst those who might, like us, admire Kia for trying to do something a little different. But it's the less adventurously-styled hatch variant that will garner the majority of sales here.
It's a pity you can't have any EV4 with the advanced super-rapid-charging 800V electrical infrastructure fitted to the EV6. Apart from that though, we can see lots of reasons why you might like one. But this is such a crowded segment that Kia will have to promote this car hard if it's to really make its mark.
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