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There’s a terrific American custom in hitting the highway to search out one thing, a way of scale, the odor of outdated pine forests, or possibly only a new solution to check the bounds of no matter machine now calls your storage dwelling.
For one Reddit consumer, that ceremony of passage took form in a 1,600-mile loop by way of Sequoia and Yosemite Nationwide Parks behind the wheel of a freshly bought 2025 Kia EV6 Wind RWD. The automobile was new, the panorama historical. It was an ideal pairing, till trendy visibility met a really outdated boulder.
“Our first EV (of any sort) – a 2025 EV6 Wind RWD. I hadn’t deliberate to purchase till later within the yr, however when the mannequin I needed confirmed up at my most well-liked seller, uncertainty about tariffs and tax credit satisfied me to commerce in our Sorento hybrid a couple of months early.
That meant taking our deliberate 1600-mile week-long highway journey to see Sequoia and Yosemite Nationwide Parks as first-time EV homeowners.
General, I could not be happier with how the EV6 carried out. It devoured up the miles on lengthy freeway stretches, dealt with the twisty mountain highway by way of Kings Canyon like a a lot smaller/lighter automobile, and HDA2 was a blessing when crawling by way of a two-hour accident delay on I-5.
The unhealthy got here on the best way again from Yosemite once I doubted the route steering and determined to drag off right into a small parking space to verify the map. The driving force’s facet A-pillar hid a big boulder marking the nook of the doorway, and I drove proper up onto it with the entrance left nook of the automobile. Low-speed impression, however that was sufficient to crush that a part of the fascia and the condenser and coolant strains behind it.
The automobile was drivable after, however shortly misplaced all of the coolant. We pressed on for a few miles in a determined quest for cell service earlier than the 98°F temps prompted a drop into “turtle mode”. Lowered energy wasn’t sufficient to even climb the grades, however we had managed to achieve weak cell protection.
Pulled off, contacted roadside help, they usually dispatched a flatbed. Fortunately, the A/C nonetheless labored, so we had been comfy on the two-hour watch for rescue. Completed the final two days of the journey in a a lot much less nice Mazda 3 rental, however completed nonetheless!
We can be with out the automobile for a couple of weeks whereas the harm is repaired. Hopefully I can handle the withdrawal signs 🙂”
The second the story hit Reddit’s r/KiaEV6 group, fellow homeowners rallied behind the put up. One commenter summed it up with comedic brevity: “TL;DR ‘Acquired in an accident.’”
One other added the essential qualifier: “…Of no fault of the automobile’s.” They usually’re proper. This wasn’t a failure of electrification or drivetrain expertise.
It was the sort of freak accident that might occur in a Buick Electra or a BMW M3, although it’s value noting that at this time’s bloated A-pillars can cover a tree trunk with terrifying ease.
2025 Kia EV6: Vary, Cost Time, and Trim Ranges
- The 2025 EV6 presents as much as 319 miles of EPA-estimated vary on the Lengthy-Vary RWD mannequin, with the usual battery RWD variant rated at 270 miles
- Because of its 800 V electrical structure, the EV6 can recharge from 10 % to 80 % in simply 20 minutes on suitable DC fast-chargers
- Kia’s North American Charging Commonplace (NACS) port grants EV6 homeowners entry to over 18,000 Tesla Superchargers nationwide (40,000+ DC quick chargers whole through adapter)
- Out there trims embody Gentle, Gentle Lengthy Vary, Wind, GT-Line, and the high-performance GT, every providing totally different AWD/RWD configurations, battery packs, and energy outputs
As Redditor FeetOfAChicken wryly famous,
“Once I’m turning, it’s like I’m dancing within the entrance seat, having to maneuver my head to verify I’m not about to show right into a pedestrian.”
And that was echoed throughout the thread. Within the relentless march towards five-star crash rankings, the A-pillar has swollen into an architectural hazard, usually turning a look right into a neck exercise.
One consumer put it plainly:
“A pillar nowadays is a lot extra harmful than pop-up headlights had been.”
Nonetheless, the EV6 acquitted itself admirably in almost each measurable approach. It tackled tight mountain passes with the nimbleness of one thing half its dimension. 
It soaked up lengthy freeway stints with composure and confidence.
Is Kia’s HDA2 Helpful?
In line with the unique poster, Kia’s HDA2 (Freeway Driving Help) was invaluable in site visitors, easing the grind of a two-hour jam on I-5.
First-time EV homeowners, first main highway journey, no vary nervousness, no charger horror tales. As one other commenter identified, the charging panorama has come a good distance:
“We simply did an identical highway journey… your complete journey was really easy to cost, such a change from an identical journey two years in the past.”
2025 Kia EV6 Dimensions
- Entrance legroom: 42.4 inches, offering beneficiant area for the driving force and passenger to stretch out
- Rear legroom: 39.0 inches, comfortably accommodating grownup passengers within the again
- Shoulder room: 57.8 inches up entrance and 55.6 inches within the rear, making certain ample lateral consolation
- Cargo capability: 28 cu ft behind the rear seats, increasing to 54 cu ft with the 60/40 break up seats folded flat
There’s one thing quietly poetic in regards to the story’s ending. The rescue got here, the A/C saved blowing, and the remainder of the journey, albeit in a rental Mazda 3, nonetheless occurred.
No household meltdown. No Reddit rant towards EVs or trendy tech. Only one driver, a couple of scars on the bumper, and a tone of reluctant separation. “Hopefully I can handle the withdrawal,” they wrote. You don’t say that a few automobile until it mattered.
And that’s the place the EV6 surprises you. It’s not loud. It’s not making an attempt to promote nostalgia or brute power. It’s one thing subtler: a real-deal grand tourer in crossover type.
A automobile that quietly and confidently earns its stripes throughout 1,600 miles, and makes you miss it when it’s gone. That, greater than something, is the mark of a terrific highway journey automobile.
Picture Sources: Kia Media Middle
Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based mostly in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys protecting the newest information within the automotive trade and conducting opinions on the newest vehicles. He has been within the automotive trade since 15 years outdated and has been featured in outstanding automotive information websites. You’ll be able to attain him on X and LinkedIn for suggestions and to comply with his automotive protection.
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