Oodles of oomph

So, you fancy switching to electric and who would blame you given the price of crude?

Time to Google then, and if you stick EV cars into the search box, up pops a Kia EV2, or 3, or 4, or 5, or 6, or 9.

While many people may think the names are a tad unimaginative, when it comes to searching the internet, having the car’s moniker reflecting the name on the tin is pure genius.

There are many people looking simply for a means of transport when they choose a car.

They’ll go no further with this ‘that’ll do’ attitude to motoring than the first page of any internet search. But that’s ok in this instance as Kia’s EV range is impressive on so many levels.

EV2 is tiny, EV9 massive, so, if you get the drift, EV5 is going to be in the middle somewhere. It’s a mid-sized SUV with fully electric powertrain that looks very much like the other EVs in the Kia range.

With no conventional face – there’s an absence of traditional headlights and grille which generally provide the eyes and mouth – EV5 shares that alien look of the Korean manufacturer’s electric platform. You will either like it, dislike it, or not really care.

Inside it’s the perfect mode of transportation. Functional, modern, capacious, accommodating, with brilliant, accessible tech that makes driving a doddle.

It is a bit plasticky but that almost fits the ultra-modern brief so is ok and helps you achieve your level of expectation.

What exceeds your expectations is how good the EV5 is to drive. Surely, it’s about fuss-free, easy motoring, so it probably won’t blow your socks off when it comes to driving dynamics.

Wrong! EV5 is actually involving, entertaining, sharp and dynamic. Therefore, it’s a car that will trundle happily through town, its squared-off shape making it a breeze to park.

Equally, it is an absolute mile-muncher on tedious motorways, taking the strain out of long distance commutes, while driver and passengers enjoy supreme levels of comfort, languishing in a perfect cabin ambience and enjoying the excellent infotainment.

But the shocker is how much EV5 enjoys pure driving roads, you know, the challenging switchbacks of hills and dales, peaks and troughs, ascents and descents.

That’s because it has oodles of oomph courtesy of a 81.4kWh electric motor.

It sprints off the mark like an Olympic hurdler, then offers muscular mid-range thanks to 295Nm of torque.

When bends tighten, the regenerative braking scrubs off the speed nicely, just lift off the throttle, and it also tops up the battery, so from A to B via the Ss EV5 is joy personified.

The steering is well-weighted and sharp offering dynamic helm responses and the ride is exemplary being both comfortable and controlled, somehow, all at the same time.

Of course, being a Kia, expect it to come fully loaded with every gizmo going, too many to mention here, in fact, but it’s even got a solar glass windscreen and a panoramic glass roof.

The hi-fi element of the infotainment is excellent too as it is an eight-speaker Harman Kardon premium sound system with active sound design.

There’s also customisable head-up display and space aplenty for people and their belongings.

So if you do fancy switching to electric, the EV5 should be near the top of the list, along with the rest of the Kia EV range, and you shouldn’t have to Google too hard to find it.