mReview: Kia EV5 Earth – Your New Singaporean Chingu

The Kia EV5 is a new made-in-Singapore electric SUV that's clearly had a lot of brainpower go into its smart and well thought out design.

What’s Great

• Very well equipped with ventilated seats, wireless Apple CarPlay, and a heads-up display as standard.
• This is the third car to be made in Singapore, so you get a little bit of national pride to go with your EV5.
• Space is abundant in this car, whether it be for passengers or cargo. 

What’s Good

• Very functionally smart, with lots of hooks, storage bins, a heated and cooled storage cubby, and even a table for maximum versatility when using your car.
• Interior is very well laid out and physical buttons are a huge plus.
• Infotainment system looks nice, works well, and has no perceivable lag whatsoever. 

What’s Not Great

• Even by Cat A standards, the EV5 feels rather slow, especially beyond 70km/h or so.
• The ADAS needs some refining, it slammed on the brakes on its own in the middle of the road even though the road ahead was clear.

The Earth is the higher spec of the two currently available for sale in Singapore, featuring more equipment, a larger battery, and faster charging capability.

The interior is wrapped in vegan leather and thankfully has physical buttons for all key car functions. There are three screens on the dashboard, a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, 5.3-inch air-con control panel, and another 12.3-inch touchscreen display for the infotainment system.

The EV5 has a comfortable and supple ride, handlig all but the worst road imperfections with ease. The steering is light and makes the car easy to manoeuvre, helping the EV5 feel like a smaller car than it actually is. 

The flat floor in the rear gives the rear passengers lots of wiggle room for their feet, in addition to the decent knee and headroom. There's also a huge powered panoramic sunroof that helps to make the cabin feel more airy.

The EV5 features a storage cubby which can be either heated or cooled to keep your drinks or other items at your desired temperature, a very handy feature to have.

The EV5 handles surprisingly well thanks to its low centre of gravity. Brake feel is decent for an EV and the regenerative brakes can be adjusted from freewheeling to one-pedal driving.

The 513-litre boot can be converted into a table, thanks to a moveable floor cover, so you can sit back here while using the V2L function to power your device or appliance.

The headrest that doubles as a hook for you to hang bags from is one example of the thoughtful, user-focused design that's gone into the EV5.

The EV5 features in-built V2L functionality with a normal three-pin outlet so you can plug in anything from a phone charger to a coffee maker and run it off the car's battery.

Download the Motorist App now. Designed by drivers for drivers, this all-in-one app lets you receive the latest traffic updates, gives you access to live traffic cameras, and helps you manage LTA and vehicle matters.