Kia EV5 gains four-wheel-drive variant for £45k, plus new Storm trim for Sportage
The Kia EV5 has gained four-wheel drive and a new trim option, which is also available on the Sportage...
You can now have your Kia EV5 with four-wheel drive, thanks to a fresh update that has also brought a new trim option to the brand’s family electric SUV and its petrol counterpart, the Kia Sportage.
Indeed, like its larger siblings, the EV6 and EV9, the Kia EV5 is now available with four-wheel drive exclusively in higher-spec GT-Line and GT-Line S trims. It uses the same 78kWh (usable capacity) battery as other versions of the EV5, but it adds an extra electric motor to the rear wheels.
Official power output figures have yet to be revealed, but the additional punch shaves a whole second off the Long Range 2WD’s 0-62mph sprint, from 8.4sec to 7.4sec. However, that’s slower than most four-wheel-drive versions of rivals, including the MG S6 Dual Motor (5.1sec), the Skoda Enyaq 85x (6.3sec) and the Tesla Model Y Premium Long Range AWD (4.6sec).
Likewise, official range hasn’t yet been revealed, but expect it to be slightly lower than the 2WD’s 329-mile figure.
If you need a car for towing, the EV5 AWD will be a better bet than the 2WD variant, as it ups the towing capacity from 1200kg to 1800kg.
The EV5 AWD comes with all the same kit as GT-Line or GT-Line S variants of the regular car, including 19in alloy wheels, LED headlights, heated outer rear seats and wireless phone charging (GT-Line), and a panoramic sunroof, heated and ventilated front seats, keyless entry and a premium eight-speaker sound system (GT-Line S).
Prices for the EV5 AWD start at £45,645, which undercuts the Enyaq 85x and Model Y Premium Long Range AWD.
If you don’t need four-wheel drive but you’d like a bit of additional kit, you might be pleased to know that there’s a new mid-level trim option available on both the EV5 and petrol-powered Sportage. Sitting above entry-level Air trim, the new Storm specification is available with the EV5’s 78kWh battery, with the Sportage’s entry-level 1.6-litre 147bhp petrol engine or its 235bhp hybrid variant.
On the EV5, it adds 19in alloy wheels, rear privacy glass, heated and folding door mirrors, automatic flush door handles and LED daytime-running lights, headlights and rear lights. Inside, you get black faux leather upholstery, heated and ventilated front seats, heated outer rear seats, an electrically-adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support, a heated leather steering wheel, automatic air conditioning and a powered tailgate. You also get a premium eight-speaker sound system, front and rear parking sensors and wireless phone charging.
In the Sportage, you get 18in alloy wheels and much of the same kit, plus a rear spoiler, a heated rear window, an auto-dimming rear view mirror and a reversing camera.
Prices for the EV5 in Storm trim start at £43,145 – £3800 more than entry-level models. Meanwhile, the Sportage in Storm trim starts at £34,395 – a £3000 premium over base-spec ‘Air’ trim.
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