I consider myself a big fan of Kia as a brand and of their impressive design journey of the past several years. From the 2011 K5/Optima sedan and 2018 Stinger hatchback, through their clever and funky Soul over the years, to today’s lineup full of neatly designed and fresh SUVs, crossovers, and EVs, Kia regularly injects joy and originality into their vehicles.
With the ongoing rollout of a dedicated lineup of EVs, Kia has continued exploring original, daring design concepts. The EV6 is an unconventional but successful mix of sport hatch and SUV. The EV9 3-row SUV aims to meld the rugged vibes of the smash hit Telluride with a technical aesthetic. It’s squared-off shape, blistered fenders, sharp edges, ornate LED light bars, and other sleek, modernist details has established a fresh design vocabulary while still feeling suited to the Kia showroom. Which brings us to today’s subject: The just-introduced EV5 midsize crossover. Take a look here:
I’ve seen a ton of favorable feedback on the EV5 so far but unfortunately, I have some bones to pick. The boxy shape and small crossover proportions are conventional … yet somehow the overall package comes off as fresh, appealing, and clever. But stand further back, or stare more closely at some of the peculular details and questions emerge.
While I find the the new ‘tiger face’ treatment lovely, things start to get strange around the front wheel arches. Like several recent off-road flavored wagons and trucks, the black fender trim is moulded in a barouqe and curious outline, with an uneccesary and useless dip at the top of the arch. The arc of the trim is oddly wide in proportion, then squared off at each side, drawing attention to a generally strange compostion. This feature, combined with the with the 4-spoke aero wheel covers, gives the wheels and tires the feeling of being way too small for the car.
