DESIGN TO THE FORE(some text hidden)

By Jonathan Crouch

Ten Second Review word count: 30

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 word count: 146

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 word count: 324

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 for mainstream models 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. Of minority interest at the top of the line-up is the 288bhp GT version, which offers a dual-motor AWD system developing a potent 468Nm of torque, powering the car to 62mph in just 5.6s. The EV4 GT uses the same 81.4kWh battery as the standard model and offers a WLTP driving range of up to 333 miles for the fastback and up to 314 miles for the hatchback. At the wheel of any EV4, 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.