Once upon a time, Korean models have always been synonymous with cost performance, but with the rise of new energy models, the transformation of traditional joint venture brands, including Korean brands, has faced the offensive of a number of independent brands, so that the sales of many models have not yet met expectations, and the competitiveness in the domestic market has also been greatly reduced, which makes the Korean brands with poor prospects in China even worse.
But a number of Korean car companies, including Kia, are obviously not going to be tied down, in order to gain market share in the world's largest car market, they have also launched a lot of high-quality and inexpensive new energy models, Kia EV5 is one of them, as Kia's first domestic new energy model, so how is its performance?
The professor also happened to go to a test drive of the Kia EV5 this time, and to be honest, the actual performance of the Kia EV5 is still very convincing to me, after all, the Hyundai-Kia Group's car manufacturing experience and technical background are still at the forefront of the industry.
We are test driving the top version of the Kia EV5 - the 2024 720 W**E version, with an official guide price of 22580,000 yuan, compared with the low-end models, the changes of the top models are more in the intelligent driving assistance and convenient comfort configuration, and the power is still the standard 160 kilowatt power output and 720 kilometers of battery life.
Among the joint venture new energy models, a compact SUV model with a range of more than 700 kilometers can be bought for about 180,000 yuan, which is already very cost-effective.
For the Kia EV5, the professor likes the interior design and space utilization, and the production version of the model follows the interior design style of the previous concept car as a prototype, and the design concept of simplicity is very much to my liking. In addition, the Kia EV5 has a very good space utilization, and all the details are handled in place, which is very practical.
As a new energy model, Kia EV5 is still very good in the tuning and calibration of the two pedals, after all, it has so many years of experience in car manufacturing. The matching of the electric valve opening and closing and the power is very linear, and it will not make people feel dizzy when stepping on the electric door deeply, and the strength of the kinetic energy is relatively moderate. How to say that Hyundai-Kia Group is the world's top car company in terms of sales, and it is still very careful to do it on these basis.
Because the professor had often been in contact with Korean fuel models with large quantities and good handling, he still had a good impression of Korean models. This time, the Kia EV5 really lived up to expectations, and the directivity and accuracy of the steering were relatively good, which is easy to drive and easy to consider.
And Kia EV5 as a compact SUV weighing more than two tons, the suspension is also very good for shock filtration, very comfortable at low speeds, the bounce can basically be absorbed, and the ride experience is very good, so although its support is not excellent at high speeds, it can basically be said to be the mainstream level, and it is also the normal performance of a family SUV.
And in the control of NVH, Kia EV5 is also very good, at low and medium speeds, wind noise and road noise are well isolated from the car, it is equipped with Kumho HS63 tires as standard, quiet and comfortable, to a certain extent, to ensure family use and durability. If you replace it with better tires at a later stage, the comfort will also be improved.
However, it is worth mentioning that at present, all models of Kia EV5 are still the layout of the front motor, for the electrified drive motor, it should obviously be placed on the rear axle, after all, it can provide better driving control attributes, but the front-wheel drive is indeed easier to drive, which still depends on the trade-off of consumers.
In addition, the Kia EV5 also offers an optional E-AWD dual-motor four-wheel drive package, with a maximum power of 233kW and a peak torque of 480Nm for the optional four-wheel drive model, which may be more suitable for consumers who pursue power and performance.
At the same time, the Kia EV5 is still based on the E-GMP platform dedicated to electric vehicles, and also uses BYD's lithium iron phosphate blade battery, so the Kia EV5 still has a great degree of energy efficiency and safety. In this test drive, the actual cruising range is also relatively solid, and there is not much difference with the displayed mileage.
During this test drive, the professor also deliberately tried the Kia EV5's intelligent driver assistance system, and the highway driving assistance system (HDA2) that supports semi-automatic lane change is indeed very safe and silky when driving at high speeds, which greatly alleviates the problem that novice drivers dare not change lanes.
The automatic parking that is standard in the middle and high configuration models can also accurately identify the parking space line, and the parking space with a relatively poor location can also be proficient in reversing, and the parking position is very round, much like an old driver, which is simply a gospel for novice drivers, which is worthy of praise.
And the Kia EV5 also has a remote control moving vehicle and vehicle summoning function, which in addition to looking tall enough, can also allow the vehicle to drive itself out of the narrow parking space, and can also come to the door to pick you up from the rain from the parking space, of course, provided that it is close enough. It has to be said that the overall technological atmosphere and intelligent configuration of Kia EV5 are not inferior to independent new energy models.
Although today, there is no shortage of cost-effective car brands in China, the involuted Chinese market has also given birth to many cost-effective head brands. However, traditional joint venture brands are also recognized by many consumers, after all, user viscosity and brand recognition are still there.
In new energy vehicles, domestic consumers will also care more about brand awareness, because choosing a good brand also means having a good quality control and after-sales guarantee to a certain extent.
Although Kia's overall sales are relatively not outstanding at present, Yang Honghai, chief operating officer of Kia China, has previously made it clear that "it is impossible for Kia to withdraw from the Chinese market." This can be regarded as a reassuring pill for a group of Korean fans.
In any case, the Kia EV5 can be said to be a model with real materials, relatively high cost performance, and excellent driving experience and design. I don't know if the price of more than 180,000 yuan will make you pay for it?