Behind the wheel of Kia’s electric mid-size SUV, the EV5. The first Kia to be built
in China with the battery interestingly supplied by electric car giant BYD. There’s
three trim grades Air, Earth and GT-line, I’m driving the mid-grade EV5 Earth at
$68,990 drive-away, a 230kW dual electric motor all-wheel-drive with a long range
88.1kWh battery and a quoted range of 500km. The drive experience proved
rewarding, my consumption around town running at 18.6 kWh/100km providing a
range of 473km – charge time on my 11kW home charger from 10 to 100 percent
just over 8 hours or overnight. I must admit the Kia EV5 Earth SUV grew on me
the more I drove it – the styling subjective, but I personally got to like it over time,
the interior a highpoint, great seats, the test cars Nougat Beige interior colours
appealing in a dashboard design that is intuitive and different. Biggest gripe, the
overly active and intrusive lane keep assist, speed limit recognition and drive
attention warnings and I’m surprised Kia Australia has not addressed this annoyance. Overall, though, all things considered the EV5 Earth all-wheel drive is
a very rewarding electric SUV.

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Driving Kia’s electric mid-sized EV5 SUV – similar in size to Kia’s petrol
Sportage, although boxier and the first Kia to be made in China for this market.
Three trim grades Air, Earth, and GT- Line – I’m driving the mid-grade EV5 Earth
at $68,990 drive-away, a dual motor all-wheel drive with a long-range 88.1kWh
battery providing a quoted 500km range. Features include synthetic leather seats,
dual 12.3-inch interior screens,19-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, a power
tailgate, dual zone climate control and a five-inch climate control display which
frustratingly is partly hidden by the rim of the steering wheel. The interior roomy,
very accommodating in both seat rows with excellent cargo space but
disappointingly there’s no wireless phone charging or 360-degree camera. For a
family vehicle it also lacks a front console storage box but for rear passengers
provides a pull-out storage draw under. I must admit my first visual impression of
the Kia EV5 was not great, but it grew on me in time as did the drive experience
with four drive modes while the charging process on my 11kW home charger was
effortless and relatively fast. Warranty seven years/unlimited km with battery
warranty seven years/150,000km, less than some rivals. Drive details next.

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The car market this year has been somewhat unpredictable with a number
of factors affecting various segments. What surprised last month was a
resurgence in sales of the trusty Ford Mustang – a significant delay in the
arrival of the latest S650 model saw pent up demand take the two-door
Mustang to its best sales month in almost seven years. Who said the trusty
V8 was dead in the water. 720 Mustangs were sold in May taking the year’s
tally to 2489, more than it sold for the entire year in 2024. Interestingly, the
volume selling GT Fastback V8 automatic at $86,990 now far more
expensive than it was seven years ago – in mid-1918 it was $21,000 more
affordable at $65,990. The Ford Mustang was Australia’s top-selling sports
car from 2016 to 2022, with more than 33,000 deliveries over that time.

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