2022 Kia EV6 Wind AWD Yearlong Review Verdict: Home Run Rookie

When MotorTrend staffers seek out a yearlong test vehicle for an upcoming road trip, requests generally include something along the lines of "I'd prefer a gas car but would be open to an EV depending on what it is." With the unpredictable nature of public charging, many only consider an EV with decent range, fast charging, and the typical qualities of an ideal road trip car-quiet, roomy, and comfy. Just a couple of EVs in our long-term fleet fit the bill. Not surprisingly, our 2022 Kia EV6 AWD Wind was among them.

And it's got the odometer to prove it. After 13 months in the MT garage, our EV6 racked up 24,180 miles, an impressive feat considering we sometimes struggle to hit 20,000 miles in our gas cars. From its home base in Los Angeles, our EV6 made numerous trips to Northern California, a couple of treks to Phoenix, Arizona, and visits to both Reno and Las Vegas, Nevada.

But the biggest test of our EV6's road trip worthiness was its journey to Telluride, Colorado, and back, which tacked 4,200 miles onto the odometer. A look at that trip's logbook revealed no major issues or long wait times when it came to charging, a small miracle since we mostly relied on Electrify America's fickle network. But a huge part of what made that trip enjoyable (beyond the mild weather) was the EV6 itself. Its ability to quickly replenish its battery is a huge asset on road trips, cutting down on time spent squatting at a charger. As we discovered, the EV6 can add 164 miles of range after 15 minutes of being plugged into a 350-kW fast charger, and you'll only need to wait 20 minutes for its battery to charge from 5 percent to 80 percent state of charge. And it consistently went a long way between those charging breaks, as proved by its official MotorTrend Road-Trip Range of 260 miles. That test revealed how far the EV6 will travel at a constant 70 mph, using 95 percent of its 77.4 kWh battery pack.

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We also appreciated the EV6's ample legroom (front and back) and relatively decent cargo area given the Kia's sharply raked hatch. One staffer was even able to transport his family of four and all their gear for a weekend trip to Big Bear, California (yes, it was a tight fit, they reported). Folding down the rear seats revealed a cavernous hauling space large enough to transport a long list of bulky items, like a bicycle, an Ikea queen-size mattress (in a box), and a coffee table.

On the road, staffers more than enjoyed the EV6's 320 horsepower and 446 lb-ft of torque powering all four wheels. Road noise and ride quality were rare complaints, though we really wished Kia offered its adaptive dampers on all trim levels including our EV6 Wind. For now, only the top-spec EV6 GT gets the fancy dampers that transform the ride and handling with Benz-like sophistication. The EV6 also got high marks for its adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist system, as well as its one-pedal driving setup that was easy to get accustomed to, and to activate or deactivate via the steering wheel paddles.

Going into our period of EV6 "ownership," we wondered how it would be to live with its center control panel, which features a row of knobs and capacitive buttons that require you to toggle between HVAC and audio controls. Quite frankly, it wasn't that big of a deal. We preferred leaving it set to the HVAC setup, and using the steering wheel or the infotainment touchscreen to control audio functions. The same can't be said about the EV6's native navigation system and EV Route Planner, which were rudimentary at best. We gave them a fair shot, but quickly reverted to CarPlay and app-based options like Waze and A Better Routeplanner.

With an as-tested price of $55,500, our EV6 showcased Kia's strength at packing lots of value in its cars. In addition to the aforementioned driver assistance systems, we appreciated the ventilated front seats, surround view camera, parking sensors, wireless phone charging, and decent audio system. However, we must question Kia's decision to nix a feature of the exterior door handles on lower-trim models like our EV6 Wind. Since the door handles sit flush with the sheetmetal, operating them is a two-step process that requires a push on the handle's left side to pop out the right side, where you pull. It's as inelegant as it sounds. On higher-trim EV6s (GT-Line and GT), the door handles automatically pop out as you approach the car. Short of a redesign, this should be standard across the board. May we suggest the simple-but-elegant design found on the Volkswagen ID4 or BMW i7 ?

When it came to wear and tear, our EV6 held up well over 13 months of hard use. Floormats, seats, and the lower door trims still look new, and our attentive ears never picked up any squeaks or rattles. That said, there were a couple build issues, beginning with the stitching on the lower half of the steering wheel, which started to come undone. And at the tail end of our loan, both headlight lenses appeared to be separating from the main housing assembly at the lower edges—thankfully this remained a cosmetic issue rather than a functional one. We didn't have the opportunity to get it checked out at a dealership, but EV6 forums revealed we weren't the only ones experiencing headlight build issues.

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Following Kia's maintenance schedule required two service visits totaling $318.28 for a couple of inspections and tire rotations, and one in-cabin filter replacement. That total doesn't include a questionable "EV Service Port Cleaner" that we failed to catch on the initial work order, setting us back an unnecessary $50. Looking back at past long-termers, we parted with less money and had a more favorable dealership experience with our 2022 VW ID4, which cost us nothing for one service visit thanks to complimentary maintenance for 2 years or 20,000 miles. Comparable gas-powered crossovers were also cheaper to maintain, including the 2023 Mazda CX-50 and 2021 Nissan Rogue at $176.08 and $139.23, respectively (each needed two service visits).

It's a much better story when we look at how much it cost to keep the EV6 running. We spent a total of $2,881.99 on charging, which comes out to $0.12 per mile. That matches what we're seeing with our long-term Tesla Model Y so far (after 6 months of service) but is a few cents higher than the single-motor, rear-wheel-drive ID4 ($0.09). Our long-term Hyundai Ioniq 5 needed $0.15 per mile to operate, though we should note that car has larger wheels and has mostly depended on more expensive public charging. The EV6 has also been one of the more efficient EVs in our fleet, averaging 3.4 miles per kWh, which is on par with the ID.4 (3.6 miles), and it tops the Ioniq 5 (2.9 miles). Impressive when you consider that many of those miles were done on the highway, where EVs are typically less efficient.

Our 13 months with the EV6 only solidified what we've thought of Kia's first dedicated EV since its introduction. It's an absolute home run that's not just easy to live with, but a joy. We'll miss hearing it hum around here.

For More on Our Long-Term 2022 Kia EV6 Wind AWD:

• The Electric SUV is now our 6th EV
• How we used our Kia EV6 to Power a House During an Outage
• Sibling Drag Race Fight! Kia EV6 Wind AWD vs. EV6 GT
• Charging our EV6 on Tesla's Supercharger Wasn't Super
• Telluride or Bust!Attempting a 2,148-Mile EV Road Trip in Our Kia EV6

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*IntelliChoice data; assumes 42,000 miles at the end of 3 years