Steve Cropley: Kia EV6 is cool but clinical Car News

Lots of miles in a Kia EV6 today. It’s almost everyone’s current Car of the Year choice, and its performance, range, space, design and quality make such judgments easy to justify. If I was about to buy an EV, the EV6 would be hard to resist. But what bothered me at times – perhaps because of last week’s Porsche Taycan experience – was its rather clinical demeanor. I’m willing to believe that EV range is diminishing as a problem and infrastructure is improving rapidly, but EVs that generate inescapable feelings are still rare.

Tuesday

Is it my imagination or do the cuts make people drive slower on the highways? Even at 75 mph indicated (my usual cruise, which Waze identifies as 72 mph true), I seem to be passing more people than before. And the off-track Audi jockeys who get mad if you impede their progress at 95 mph seem to be in rapid decline. That’s not a problem, I guess, even if it leads to a bunching up by groups of drivers who have chosen controlled speeds of just a few mph. I started slowing down or speeding up just to avoid the crowds.

Wednesday

What’s your vehicle of choice for a carefree day of driving? Some say it’s an open-top car on a balmy day, but today’s experience suggests something older, bigger and whiter. I and two friends took the day off to move some old motorbikes to a new home near Birmingham, a haul that involved a 160-mile round trip in a borrowed and pleasantly beaten seven-year-old Citroën Relay van.

For many, vans are hopelessly slow and cumbersome. But for all its 110,000 miles this Citroen had terrific steering, decent gear shifting (well used), plenty of torque, good brakes and a great driving position. It even drove well. Best of all, the visibility was all-round, the seating across the cabin was perfect for three like-minded idiots discussing the trip, and the whole machine was simple and durable. One of us had just paid £4500 to own it, a small price for so much fun and convenience.

Saturday