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By Jonathan Crouch

The EV4 Fastback might just be the most attractive Kia we've seen to date. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 26

Kia's EV4 Fastback takes everything that was good about the brand's mid-sized EV4 electric hatch and packages it up with a bit more 'want one' factor.

Backgroundword count: 124

'Fastback' is quite an evocative body style name that over the years has designated products as diverse as the Mazda3 saloon and the Ford Mustang sports car. We've not though, seen it applied to anything quite as avant-garde looking as this, the Kia EV4 Fastback. The EV4 is an electric mid-size contender that sells primarily in five-door hatch form. But late in the project to develop that model, Kia decided it would also take the opportunity to offer EV4 customers something a little different. The EV4 Fastback is certainly different for Kia, the brand's very first four-door electric car. And a four-door saloon of the sort you'll not have seen before; it should really get company car park talking. Let's take a closer look.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 191

It seems a bit odd that Kia's second phase of electric models is less advanced than the first. Like the company's initial EV6 and EV9 designs, this EV4 uses the Hyundai Motor Group's E-GMP architecture, but does without it in ultra-rapid-charging 800V form. Instead, like the marque's more recent EV3 and EV5 designs, there's a less sophisticated (but cheaper-to-make) 400V version of that platform, which comes with a 201bhp front-mounted electric motor, which puts 283Nm of torque through the front wheels. That motor's energised in this Fastback model by the brand's larger 81.4kWh long range battery. Range is up to 380 miles and the 0-62mph time is 7.9s, en route to 105mph, At the wheel, you sit quite low and there are three driving modes - 'Eco', 'Normal' and 'Sport', the latter engineered to make the car feel genuinely sportier, rather than just heavier of steering. Not all EVs in this segment are quite as refined as you might hope, but this one should be thanks to its super-slippery drag coefficient. As usual with Kias, there's plenty of drive assist kit. Whether all of it will be welcome is another question.

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