► Exclusive pre-production drive of new Kia EV
► EV3 aiming to dominate Europe’s family SUV sector
► Concept car looks, family friendly cabin and range-boosting tech
Of the boldly styled and technically advanced BEVs that Kia has launched over the last three years, it’s this new EV3 that has a lot of heavy lifting to do. The Korean giant has set itself a goal of a 28.5 per cent increase in its European BEV sales by 2030, and with the compact SUV segment expected to offer the greatest room for growth, the EV3 is positioned at thew very sharp end of that sales drive.
We know what the Kia EV3 looks like inside and out and its combination of concept-car looks, smart range-enhancing tech and anticipated circa-£35k price tag should be enough to win over many buyers. To find out what Kia’s first dedicated electric compact SUV and smallest EV to date is like to drive, we joined its development team as they finalised the EV3 during its last Cold Climate Field Trip at the sprawling Colmis proving ground near Arjeplog in Northern Sweden, 26 miles outside the Arctic Circle.
Cool – four-wheel drifting in the snow, here we come!
Easy there, Stig Blomqvist. Let’s start with some of the headline figures before we head out into Sweden’s cold darkness. Like the EV6 and EV9, the smaller EV3 is underpinned by Kia’s dedicated Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP). Sophisticated and scalable, E-GMP integrates motor, transmission and inverter into a single powertrain unit. In a first for Kia (and Hyundai) the EV3 will use a front-wheel drive platform variant to maximise usable cabin and boot space. Although not officially confirmed, a hotter halo model with twin motors and four-wheel drive is expected in 2025.
UK buyers will have the choice of two lithium iron phosphate batteries – a standard 58.3kWh unit with an estimated 255-mile range, and a longer-range model with a higher capacity 81.4kWh battery offering 372 miles between recharging, if WLTP figures are to believed. To rein in costs, these fourth-generation batteries have a less powerful 400V recharging system, half that of the EV6 and EV9. A 10-80 per cent recharge takes 30 minutes, and vehicle-to-load, vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid capabilities are baked in.
With range still being a key consumer deal breaker, Kia’s engineers have invested a great deal of time and brainpower squeezing more miles out of the EV3’s batteries. Why? Because it’s cheaper than using larger but exorbitantly expensive batteries.
Interesting. Tell me more…
The EV3’s batteries are warmed by a new thermally efficient sheath heater with multiple maps for low- and high-temperature charging. Enabling the batteries to automatically self-heat at temperatures down to -35°C significantly lowers recharge times and avoids efficiency-killing precipitation on the battery’s lithium ion cathodes. The system is also linked to the car’s satnav, using its Battery Conditioning Mode to optimise battery temperature when heading to a fast-charge station. This can also be manually activated on demand.
The EV3’s fourth-generation multi-valve heat pump further increases range by drawing in both ambient heat from the outside air and combining this with recovered waste heat from the electric motor – which Kia claims is a world-first.
Anything else?
Oh yes. The EV3 gets an all-new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system that’s both more compact to increase cabin space but also more efficient. The new system is a packaging miracle – despite nailing its efficiency and comfort goals, it’s 33 per cent shorter that the unit it replaces and with significantly fewer parts is lighter and more compact creating more usable cabin space.
And don’t let the chunky Kia’s Lego-block silhouette fool you. It posts an impressively slick drag co-efficiency figure of 0.267, achieved with the help of a three-dimensional underbody jacket that covers 80 per cent of the underside, and by a version of the Active Air Flap (also fitted to the EV6) that adjusts airflow shutters behind the EV3’s nose to reduce drag at higher speeds.
Let’s get behind the wheel then…
You can read the full low-down on its internal design elements in our extensive report here, but from a driver’s point of view, the fundamentals of the EV3’s cabin are sound. Visibility is excellent, the pedals are correctly positioned, and the combination of a very comfortable and supportive seat and the reach-and-rake adjustable steering wheel means the ideal driving position is easy to find. Room in all directions for all on board is exceptionally generous, and the sense of space is enhanced by the large sunroof and slim-line dashboard. That vast infotainment screen comes unchanged from the EV9 so the smaller EV3 swings with a big tech punch. This will be an attractive and accommodating place in which to spend time
What’s it like out on the road – assuming you found one in the Artic wilderness?
Well, if you were looking for a radical rewrite of the BEV’s book of driving dynamics, you’ll not find it here. Our time at the wheel was limited to tackling two circular snow-covered rinks, 15cm thick discs of ice on a frozen lake that form part of the extensive Colmis testing facilities.
It’s difficult to fully explore the EV3’s ride and handling characteristics while only driving anticlockwise on a glass-smooth ice, but the EV3 rides and handles just the way you’d expect – and want – it to. It feels planted and stable, going about the business of stopping, starting and turning in a smooth, relaxed and composed manner. That long 2680mm wheelbase – coincidentally the exact same as the Sportage – plays a key role here.
The feel-free steering is direct and quick enough for rapid changes in direction, and the brakes bite early and strongly with consistent pedal feel. Kia has solid form when it comes engineering cars that feel polished and composed on our roads, as EV6 and EV9 owners will confirm, so we’re confident the EV3 will ride and handle with a compliant and easy-going nature. Good news.
Is it stupidly quick like most electric cars seem to be these days?
Quick enough for its family-oriented remit. Even taking into account the icy lower grip levels that has the traction controls earning their keep, step-off is keen, and acceleration is smooth and linear. Kia quotes a 0-62mph time of 7.4 seconds for the 58.3kWh version and 7.7 seconds for the heavier 81.4kWh model. Both have a105mph top speed. That’s perfectly adequate performance for a compact car, and pretty startling for a 2000kg five-seater if, like me, you can remember a time when a sub 10 second dash to 62mph was quite the thing.
There are four selectable drive modes – Eco, Normal, Sport and My Drive – that do exactly what you expect of them. Eco does everything possible to boost range and kill driving engagement – it softens throttle responses, and puts the gigabrains that control the battery and HVAC into overdrive to maximise driver comfort and minimise battery consumption. You can guess what Normal does. Sport sharpens the throttle response and adds heft to the steering but not feel. My Drive allows you to play about and configure the variables. Unsurprisingly, partial deactivation of the traction control opens up a world of snowy understeer. What a surprise.
What else can you tell us about the driving environment.
The majority of the cabin on our pre-production car was swathed in black camouflage fabric, but neat driver-oriented touches abound: flicking on the indicators bring up rear camera views in the instrument panel, all the visible touchscreens have a matt finish, with no shiny reflections and fingerprints visible, and EV6 and EV9 drivers will spot the regen paddles on the left and right of the steering column, which provide a welcome bit of driver involvement. There’s also a lot of binging and bonging as you’d expect from any car that complies with current safety legislation. The first manufacturer that introduces a single button on the dashboard that instantly silences these clamorous industry-mandated nannies will be hailed as the hero of driver sanity.
First impressions: Kia EV3
Arguably the most salient take-away from this short, dark and icy visit is that Kia is not taking a detour on the brave design and technology road pioneered by the EV6 and EV9. The EV3 is a highly compelling combination of bold looks, real-word versatility and plenty of intelligently deployed technology. Its relaxed and comfortable driving experience further enhance its real-world appeal. Pitched deep into Europe’s most competitive sector with these aces up its electric sleeves and its expected circa-£35,000 price point will make its Volvo, Smart, VW and BYD rivals look both expensive and short on range. On first impressions it looks very much like the EV3 is fully equipped to maintain Kia’s sales impetus.