Saloon’s are not big sellers but would this new Kia sway the buyer into one?
Road tested by Hugh Maguire.
SUV’s are all the rage, even small ones. Motorists seem to like the higher driving position and perceived versatility. I say perceived because often they have no more versatility or indeed space inside than an equivalent hatchback. Yet here in Ireland sales of hatchbacks are way down and that is mirrored across Europe too. The saloon has virtually become the preserve of the premium brands such as BMW with the 5 Series and Mercedes with cars like the S Class and E Class for example. In that segment buyers still like a saloon. But when you think of many of the major mainstream manufacturers such as Nissan, Ford, Opel etc they have all dropped their saloons. Remember the Nissan Primera, Ford Mondeo, Opel Insignia? All gone! So when we saw that the new Kia EV 4 was going to be offered as both a saloon and a hatch back it raised a few eyebrows. Are they crazy or is there still a market for those types of body style?
I recently road tested the Kia EV 4 hatchback and now this review is all about the saloon.
I want to see if there is a desirability there that makes choosing a saloon worthwhile.
The new Kia EV4 comes in three trims, namely Earth 2, Earth 3 and GT-Line. There are two battery sizes, a 58.3 kWh in the Earth 2 ‘standard range’ and a larger 81.4 kWh battery in the Earth 2 ‘long range’ and all other models above.
In producing the EV4 Kia aim to have the most roomy car in its class. The car on test here is the Fastback GT-Line trim level with that bigger long range 81.4kWh battery.
First Impressions
It’s a long looking car with quite a dramatic looking rear quarter. Initially I was not so sure about the look but the style grows on you. Others were less convinced so I guess its really down to personal taste. For me though the saloon body style works giving the car a presence that maybe the hatchback does not share.
What’s it like inside?
The interior of the saloon is essentially the same as the hatchback save for a slightly lower roof line at the rear. The cabin is attractive. Kia’s digital dash is really excellent. One of the best in my opinion. It consists of two 12.3 inch screens with a smaller 5.3 inch display allocated to climate control functions all which blend to look as one large rectangular sweeping display. One criticism though is that the smaller display for the heating and ventilation is largely obscured by the steering wheel.
Overall though it is a well thought out cabin which makes the EV4 saloon very nice to live with on a daily basis.
Accomodation in the saloon is very good with plenty of leg and headroom both front and rear despite that lower rear roofline.
Now when it comes to the boot here’s a surprise!
The boot of the EV4 saloon is larger than that of the hatchback by some 55 litres holding a total of 490 litres verses the hatchbacks 435 litres.
So what of any negatives?
Strangely though as in the EV3 when I road tested it last year I couldn’t quite get the perfect driving position despite it having adjustable reach and rake steering and electric drivers seat. When the leg position was perfect the steering wheel was a bit too far and visa versa. Apart from that driving position for my height anyway (5 ft 10) the central storage trays could do with a grippy rubber base (only one tray has that) as items placed in the lower trays slide about annoyingly.
The level of standard kit is really excellent in this GT-Line model, highlights of which include, 3-step heated and ventilated front seats, power drivers seat, head up display, heated steering wheel, glass tilt/slide sunroof, Wireless Apple Car play and Android Auto with wireless phone charging, Kia Connect Telematics, and a host of safety kit.
What’s under the bonnet?
The EV4 GT-line saloon is powered by an 81.4kWh battery and an electric motor driving the front wheels with a total power output of 204 bhp. Performance is good and as with all EV’s acceleration is linear and smooth with the EV4 hitting 100km/h from a standstill in 7.4 seconds.
Claimed range in this long range version is some 584 km. I really tried to drive the car in the most economical way possible to see if I could achieve close to the claimed range. The week of the test was relatively mild with temperatures hovering around 8C to 10C so not really too cold. My test car came 82% charged and displayed a predicted range of 408Km. The best I could get in terms of consumption was 20.1kW/100km which is quite a fair representation of what it will do in mixed driving between urban and motorway. So expect a real world range of 460km or so in these conditions. Pretty good!
Fast charging takes about 30 min from 20% to 80%. Road tax is €120.00.
One very nice example of joined up thinking from Kia is that the charge card Kia can supply you with works across ESB, Ionity, EZO (Easygo) as well as Applegreen and ePower. This really makes life on the road so much better. Other manufacturers should take note and follow suit. Having to have multiple cards or apps for public charging is frankly ridiculous. Well done Kia!
How does it drive?
I must say it is a pleasure to live with. Everything just works so well. On cool morning the cabin heats up very well no doubt due to the standard heat pump fitted. It moves along silently and proves quiet and refined even at motorway speeds. You won’t find yourself pushing it along a twisty country road though as its mass and comfort suspension setting limits driver involvement.
Hugh’s Verdict
So to our question. Why would you choose the saloon over the 5-door hatchback?
Well both cars drive almost identically so there is no real difference there. But due to the saloons longer shape it proves more aerodynamic than the hatchback and electric car range is hugely influenced by aero particularly in motorway driving. My road test confirms this too as I got a better range out of the saloon than the hatch albeit it was a somewhat less cold week during testing of the saloon. Also the boot is larger so if this is important choose the saloon. Finally its a personal thing but many feel that the saloon looks more premium due to that longer body style. However the price difference may be the deciding factor here as the Kia EV4 Fastback earth model (saloon) starts at €46,175 against the hatch’s €39,940 for the same Earth 2 model. This primarily because the smaller battery is only available in the entry level hatch version. The GT line tested here in Fastback body style costs €53,000 against the GT Line hatch at €51,250.
Likes:
Stylish fastback design
Well executed interior.
Lots of standard kit in this version.
A lovely car to live with.
Disslikes:
Ventilation display obscured by steering wheel.
Storage trays need rubber grip mats.
Driving position not ideal for some.