EV ‘DOUBLE-0’ 6?

Now that the world has gone mad for performance/luxury SUVs, I’d say the one I’ve been most looking forward to test driving is the Aston Martin DBX, probably due to the James Bond connection to the badge as much as anything.

I was curious, therefore, when the other day, I spotted one on the motorway in that fabulous deep red wine colour, so I accelerated to have a closer look. From the back, I first saw the fashionable ‘jacked-up coupe’ silhouette followed by the dramatic rear-end with the aero ducktail effect, and with the dark red colour, it was hard to see where the aggressive bodywork slashes ended and the Vantage-inspired tail lights began.

But wait a minute. On closer inspection, I noticed that this wasn’t an Aston at all. The shape was similar, and the visual effect was no less impressive, but the badge said: Kia EV6.

Now, anyone that’s ever read a car magazine knows that Kia and

Aston Martin occupy pretty much opposite ends of the market. They have little if anything in common. So, what business does the affordable, practical Korean carmaker have muscling in on the style game with such a memorable effect? I had to find out more.

I asked Kia to tell me more about its all-electric large SUV. Turns out, the Kia EV6 has more in common with a gentleman spy’s supercar than you’d ever imagine. Check out these numbers: the GT version I saw has an insane 577 brake horsepower and can accelerate from 0-62 in 3.5 seconds. No surprise that it’s the most powerful production vehicle Kia has ever made.

Also unsurprising is the fact that, true to its brand promise of being a truly accessible, value-for-money brand, Kia has priced this blistering rocket ship at way less than half the base cost of the Aston DBX. You can get the EV6 GT, with all that performance plus first-class long-distance travel capabilities and ultra-fast charging tech, for less than £60,000.

Fact file / KIA EV6 / Acceleration: 0-62 in 3.5 seconds

Peak power: 577 bhp / Torque: 740 Nm / Seating capacity: 5

Price: from £59,995

By Oliver Chesher