The big advantage the new 2022 Kia EV6 electric car has over the Hyundai Ioniq 5 EV in Australia revealed!

The all-new 2022 Kia EV6 electric car is due to launch in Australia in the first quarter of the new year, and it will hold a key advantage over its Korean EV cousin model, the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

That advantage? The Kia is set to receive a bespoke Australian ride and handling tune designed specifically for the EV6 and our nation’s challenging road conditions, whereas the Ioniq 5 sold in Australia is running a global suspension tune.

In what is becoming an increasingly more common situation, Kia Australia has continued to push on with its own “car character” driving feel, headed by the brand’s local head of ride and handling, Graeme Gambold. 

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The same situation has played out across several key models in recent times. The Tucson mid-size SUV doesn’t have an Aussie tune, where the Sportage does. The Staria people mover runs a generic tune for its springs and dampers; the Carnival gets a local set-up. 

Mr Gambold says the EV6 is “the best car Kia has ever made”, and he thoroughly enjoyed setting it up for Australia’s challenging road conditions.

“One of the things we are always tuning for in Australia is large body movements on country roads at 100km/h and that is always manifested with high centre of gravity roll dynamic in conventional cars. Electric cars don’t have as much of that, they have a lot of vertical movement, because of the weight but they don’t have the lateral roll, so we can use that as a bit of a tuning tool,” he added.

Kia Australia chief operating officer Damien Meredith said that despite a number of challenges added to the program courtesy of the pandemic and lockdowns, the company has a “commitment” to persist with something that is “now somewhat expected by Australian car buyers”.

The EV6 will launch locally without the top spec GT model.

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The Kia EV6 electric car is due to launch in Australia in the first quarter of 2022.

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The GT-Line wears 20-inch alloy wheels.

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The headlight's have an intricate design.

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At the back are full-width tail-lights.

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The EV6 has a dual-pronged steering wheel reminiscent of the one in Genesis products.

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Kia Australia has continued to push on with its own “car character” driving feel.

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The EV6 Kia is set to receive a bespoke Australian ride and handling tune.

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The EV6 shares its underpinnings with the Hyundai Ioniq 5.

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​​“Kia Australia’s local tuning program is an important process for our product range and once again … [we] have worked together to customise a product to best suit Australian roads and driving styles,” he said.  

However, that isn’t to say that the Hyundai Ioniq 5 has bad steering, handling or suspension tuning. Our review team has found the way the Hyundai EV drives to be one of its most promising attributes, with our own Tom White stating the car “brings a new standard of dynamics not only to the EV segment, but to cars of this size generally”. 

It is worth noting that the Kia EV6 doesn't have an Australia-specific steering tune, as the brand said it would need a Korea-based engineer to be in Australia to work with or sign off such steering changes. That was also the case for the Carnival people mover and the Sportage, both of which run locally tuned suspension but a globally-accepted steering setup.

We can’t yet speak for the work of the team at Kia Australia, with our first drive of the EV6 not likely until early 2022. Pricing is due to be revealed in January, too. Stay tuned!