Recently, I had the chance to drive’s Kia all-new EV3, a pretty important car for the brand, as what should very well be, in the near future, their volume-seller, attainable electric car for the masses. For a starting price in the low-£30,000s, it was no doubt one of the most appealing EVs that you can find for the money, and while you do get a lot for your cash… What if you wanted to splurge just a bit more for one of the pricier trim levels, instead? Say, perhaps one that offers you not only more kit as standard but also a bigger battery, too? Well, that’s what we have here, the Kia EV3 GT-Line S, in Long Range spec. So, is it really worth the rough £10,000 premium?
What Is The Kia EV3 GT-Line S Long Range About?
Design-wise, this new Kia EV3 – with the GT-Line S trim – doesn’t really differ too much from the nearly identical EV3 Air that I drove. The Kia EV3’s styling has grown on me by quite a lot. It’s truly a peculiar design, but in a good way, showing off its distinctive boxyness and square-ish shape. Elsewhere, you’ll notice all the little things about the EV3’s looks that make it stand out a bit more. Some highlights include the subtle divider separating the bonnet and the bumper, the contrast between the two-tone paint and the floating roof, as well as the chunky, squared-off wheel arches.
The flush door handles are a neat touch, too! Typically, this sort of wild design doesn’t often stick with me, but the EV3 is an exception. Naturally, I’m sure some folks might find it a tad too divisive. Nevertheless, there are a few more differences with the pricier GT-Line S model compared to the cheaper Air that I drove earlier. Some of the aesthetic dress-ups that I noticed are the slightly varied (19-inch) alloy wheel design, alongside a unique GT-Line S-specific front fascia and lower bumper. Moreover, as with the mid-range GT-Line trim, you now get gloss black exterior panelling and trim (instead of plain black), adding a rather nice sheen to this two-tone paint.
How Does It Drive?
While the Kia EV3 GT-Line S does afford you a handful of rather nice-to-have additions over the more affordable Air (a lot more on that later), you do get a mostly identical powertrain for both. As such, you’re still looking at a familiar front-mounted motor, cranking out a modest 201bhp and 283Nm of torque. However, since you’re now lugging around a bit more weight, courtesy of a bigger battery over the Air model, you do get a slightly slower 0 to 62mph time… Now at 7.9 seconds. Top speed, on the other hand, remains the same, at 105mph. Otherwise, it feels exactly the same to drive as the EV3 Air, with light, effortless steering, and compliant suspension.
It’s a fantastically easy-going car to manage, especially as a daily driver. It has that inherent quiet drive and supreme silence that you would get when driving any electric vehicle. Smoothness aside, on top of the other minute differences between the Air and this GT-Line S model, the latter affords you another big upgrade… A more comprehensive suite of driver aids. You get all the basic systems included, in addition to a smart parking assist and a parking collision-avoidance system. Aside from that, there is a mightily handy 360-degree surround-view camera system, and a neat blind-spot camera system.
What Is It Like Inside?
Instantly, as soon as you step inside the brand-new Kia EV3 – in its GT-Line S guise, in particular – you will notice just how much more premium it is compared to the Air. Whereas the latter had lots of grey fabric, showing off a more utilitarian, purely functional, back-to-basics interior, this GT-Line S here has some posh and supple leather throughout. And, it’s two-tone too, split between dark grey and cream, in addition to some splotches of very soft fabrics here and there, most notably on the dashboard. Another luxury add-on by stepping up to this costlier GT-Line S model includes a set of metal pedals, as well as a slightly different steering wheel design.
Styling-wise, the 3-spoke wheel here looks a lot more conventional than the 2-spoke one in the Air, though they both feel nice in the hand. Tech-wise, you’ll further spot a few more improved gadgets with the GT-Line S trim. As a family car where you’re probably constantly moving things in and out of the boot, having a power tailgate in this GT-Line S is definitely something I missed on the Air version. Other than that, the GT-Line S gets you a very nice heads-up display unit, a wireless charging pad for your phone, and even the ability to use a digital key with your EV3. Using this, you’re able to unlock your EV3 using your smartphone, though the new key does feel nice.
Instead of the 6-speaker sound system that’s kitted out on the Air and GT-Line models, the GT-Line S gives you an 8-speaker Harman-Kardon premium sound system. Still, with my ears, the regular 6-speaker audio set-up was already quite good on its own. As a whole, and you can find my detailed thoughts on the EV3’s new and redesigned cabin in my previous review of the Air model, the EV3’s interior is a great place to spend time in. One of my favourite bits of the interior is the fancy new screens that you’ll soon see on more Kias. Besides the two 12.3-inch displays for your infotainment and gauges, there’s even a 5.3-inch screen just for your HVAC.
The Experience
One rather sizeable upgrade that you’d get when moving on from the EV3’s entry-level Air trim is that you’re now offered with a bigger lithium-ion battery pack, as standard. Unlike the Kia EV3 that I drove recently, with its Standard Range (58.3kWh) battery, the GT-Line and GT-Line S come fitted with, as the title suggests, a much larger Long Range (81.4kWh) battery. According to the folks at Kia, it should be enough for an estimated range of around 361 miles. That alone marks a generous increase over the Standard Range battery’s 270 miles. In practice, the Long Range battery could handily get you more than 300 miles without breaking a sweat.
So, if you’re more inclined to go on long road trips often, you might want to consider the Long Range batteries with your Kia EV3. It’s worth bearing in mind that the 81.4kWh battery could also be spec’d as an option on the entry-level Air model, too. This ought to save you some cash, given how big of a jump in price it is to get to the top-of-the-line trim package. Once your battery is dead, though, you could plug your shiny new Kia EV3 – either with the Standard Range or Long Range battery – into a rapid charger. With a peak charge rate of 150kW, you should be able to top off that 81.4kWh (Long Range) battery in around 30 minutes or thereabouts.
Meanwhile, a still-speedy 50kW charger would manage that same 10% to 80% fill-up in under 1.5 hours. If you are choosing the GT-Line S model, you can even add an optional heat pump to go with it, too. That heat pump is a £900 option, but it would help you more efficiently heat up or cool down the cabin, and thus, make better use of your battery. Between this and the Kia EV3 GT-Line S’s regenerative braking, that could help you extend your battery’s range by a handful more miles. I also like how you can very easily change between the three different regen modes using the paddle shifters behind the wheel, adding a bit more engagement to your drive.
Kia EV3 GT-Line S Long Range Cost
Although the new Kia EV3 range starts from £32,995, depending on which specific model you want, it would go as high as £43,895, not including optional extras. The entire line-up goes from the entry-level Air, the mid-range GT-Line, and the top-spec GT-Line S that we have here. Frankly, apart from some luxuries and upgrades that I’d personally try to cherry-pick if given the option, such as that bigger battery, the more premium interior, as well as the 360-degree camera system, I would’ve been just as content to save myself a lot of money and opt for the more economical Air model, instead. Still, at least Kia does throw in a lot of equipment as standard.
For instance, the GT-Line S comes, by default, with vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging capability. With this feature, you could use your Kia EV3’s battery pack as an energy source, allowing you to power up small electronics and electrical appliances, or even run a small campsite. Alternatively, if you’re able to somehow purchase the EV3 GT-Line S as a company car, the monthly payments from Kia do make it an appealing package. That said, you are still getting a lot of value with the all-new Kia EV3, even with the top-spec trim level. Best of all, when you toss in Kia’s 7-year warranty, it might save you some pennies here and there over a longer ownership period.
Verdict
Admittedly, with the exception of a few creature comforts and amenities that you’d get with this GT-Line S trim, it’s a bit tough to recommend getting this over the entry-level Air model in the Kia EV3 family. However, this has more to do, perhaps, with just how exceptional the Air is when it comes to value for money… Rather than the GT-Line S necessarily being a bad value. Nonetheless, for the price, the Kia EV3 GT-Line S still brings a lot to the table. If anything, it’d be even harder for you to find any other electric vehicle that comes anywhere near this close, in all the refinement, quality, performance, and versatility that the EV3 offers. It’s certainly worth checking out.
Specification
Kia EV3 GT-Line S Long Range Specs
- Price: £43,895
- Engine: Single-motor, 81.4kWh battery
- Power: 201bhp
- Torque: 283Nm
- 0-62mph: 7.9 seconds
- Top speed: 105mph
- Weight: 1,885kg
- Economy combined: 361 miles (WLTP)
- CO2: 0g/km