The new Kia EV4 has many cards upon it s sleeve: very pleasing, extravagant styling, much room and an excellent range. It stands next to the EV3 in the showrooms, and one might ask why Kia launched two models in the same compact class, almost one after the other. Well, the EV4 was launched for all the very good extra  reasons, besides what the EV3 already offers..

The EV4 sits 8 centimetres lower, but more importantly, it’s 13 centimeters longer and has a longer wheelbase too, which means you have one of the biggest rear legrooms in its class.

There is also a limousine version, with an extra large luggage space under its stretched tailgate door, but it is rather the classic SUV version which is meant for our European public, and is therefore built in Slovakia.

The electric motor develops 150 kW, and drives the front wheels. You can choose between a 58,3 and a 81,4 kW battery, and this warrants you quite good ranges. On the smaller battery, you have a range of about 410 km, which is in itself a good average for its class. The bigger battery offers a range of close to 600 km, or let’s say at least 500 km under normal driving circumstances. The excellent aerodynamics of the EV4 make this possible: the Cw is merely 0,32 kW, and the car is lower too.

Driving

The EV4 is dynamic with a sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in under 8 seconds, and top speed for both versions is around 170 km/h. The power is smooth and wonderfully progressive, and this results in a  quite enjoyable driving experience. It is indeed a joy to drive this Kia over winding and mountainous roads, where the steering could be somewhat more sensitive, but one has to admit that the chassis and suspension engineers had above all a “Zen” driving experience in mind. We have to admit that they achieved this admirably, as sound insulation is excellent, also at high motorway speeds.

Charging the Kia EV4 on a (public) AC point is only possible at a maximum of 11 kW, and DC fast charging is possible up to 128 kW for the larger battery, up to 100 kW for the smaller one. According to Kia, you can charge both batteries from 10 to 80 pct in about 30 minutes. Accord to WLTP standards, consumption is some 14,6 kW /100 km. Driving smoothly and with anticipation, it was well possible to achieve averages between 12-13 kW in town driving. The advantage of the bigger battery is that you can tow up to 1 tonne instead of 500 kg for the smaller one.

Of course, modern times let you use your smartphone the right way. Kia offers a smartphone app which lets you plan your route and send it to the car. It calculates the charging stops. The app also lets you open and start the car, and you can allow up to 15 persons to do the same…

Spacious

The  instrumentation and dashboard layout is virtually the same as in the EV3. The central touchscreen is seamlessly integrated with the drivers’ instrument display panel, and there are separate physical touches for ventilation and sound volume, which we liked very much.

The central armrest can fold away and holds also a useful storage space for all the things you might need for all your activities when waiting in the car when charging.

The cabin feels quite roomy, and there is ample leg- and headroom fore and aft. Luggage space is sufficient with a volume of 435 litres.

Infotainment and driving assistance up to scratch…

We live in modern digital times, and this shows of course in our cars. The Kia engineers did also a wonderful job, without going over the top with massive screens everywhere. We are, by the way, still amateurs of physical knobs and buttons for everyday things like sound and ventilation, and we still think the solution of a smart mouse as was adopted by Lexus years ago is the ideal one for the driver. No smudged screens, a much calmer hand to point at and select the functions than an erratic finger in a bouncing car. But this is of course subjective, and preferences can be – and mostly are – a very personal/individual thing.

But back to the EV4. It has virtually everything you could wish for, like distance parking, and you can order some extras like a head up display (we appreciated the one in our test car) and sound aficionados can opt for the formidable 8 speaker Harman/Kardon system.

Indeed, EVs are built for music lovers, as they are so silent; therefore, we always advise spending a good amount of money on a higher-end sound system.

Conclusion

The Kia EV4 has carved a nice niche in EV world: it looks cute and is with its lower profile refreshingly different from the traditional SUV brigade. It offers plenty of room nevertheless, and its range is also quite good to say the least. It responds well to spirited driving, and has a European, tout feeling behind the wheel. So take a long hard look at this one…

Hans Knol ten Bensel