For all the talk about hatchbacks, saloons and driving dynamics, we’re not feeling it here. Without question, you feel like you’re sitting on top of the battery, with a seat that’s very comfortable but feels stuck in a high setting and a steering column that pokes out of the dash at a slightly bus-like angle. The Born may not be a true hatchback, but it feels more at ease with itself.
Point the EV4 at a corner and it all feels quite distant. The suspension needs a moment to settle into its preferred angle of roll and in all modes the steering feels like a bad hydraulic rack, with that oily-slick feel but little in the way of precision or feedback.
The balance is okay, mind: decent grip, with mild understeer at the limit, which can be cancelled out with a decisive lift of the accelerator. Presumably, real dynamics will have to wait for the dual-motor EV4 GT that’s coming soon.
With all that said, the enduring impression is one of comfort. The generous suspension movements mean it absorbs bumps very well, and even the secondary ripples, potholes and asperities are nicely cushioned.
There’s more good news in that you can’t really go wrong with the spec. We drove different versions back-to-back: hatchback and Fastback, 17in and 19in wheels, and the differences in are marginal.
Most UK buyers are expected to pick the GT-Line, which comes with big alloys, and they can do so safe in the knowledge they’re not getting the inferior driving experience.
On a well-maintained Spanish motorway at least, the EV4 is very quiet as well, subjecting you to hardly any wind or road roar.
It should be a competent long-distance shuttle, then, partly because Kia has got a handle on the ADAS stuff in recent years. The overspeed warning and lane keeping assistance can be very easily disabled and we found the driver attention monitor quite reasonable.