Kia Ev3 vs Mahindra Scorpio-N

What's the difference?

The GT-Line is relatively expensive, yes. The Air Standard Range isn’t groundbreaking even at under $50,000, no. But the sweet spot in the EV3 line-up is being able to pay $53,315 for the Air Long Range and come away with a roomy small SUV that can realistically cover almost 600km in the real world.

And it does everything properly, no big red flags or dealbreakers.

Its steering weight at speed on winding roads being the biggest complaint isn’t the end of the world for how otherwise comfortable the EV3 feels on-road.

Put it this way - I recently spent a few days in a Mini Aceman, a five-door electric SUV not too far from the EV3 in size. It is about as fast, and costs a little more, but it doesn’t have a lot more to offer in terms of features and it’s nowhere near as good on range with about 400km to its longer-ranged versions.

The EV3 might still have a bit of ‘sensible’ about it compared to some other electric small SUVS, but when it looks this cute and can get you an extra round trip out of the city compared to ‘Euro’ brands at the same price, it’s hard not to be impressed.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

It may seem like I've been harsh on this Mahindra but I reckon the Scorpio Z8L+ is a positive product for the company.

It’s nice enough to drive on-road – reasonably refined and comfortable – and it’s also a capable 4WD, with some trade-offs.

But this seven-seat wagon remains a good value-for-money prospect with the addition of more driver-assist tech onboard boosting its safety and adding to its overall appeal.