Given it’s shorter than the EV9, the PV5 Passenger is Tardis-like: there’s a ridiculous amount of leg room in both rows and, even with all the seats up, the boot is 1311mm long and has a capacity of 1330 litres.
Fold down the rear seats and the capacity is 3615 litres, and there’s a good amoung of storage under the boot floor for smaller bits and bobs, too.
That said, we will have to reserve final judgement on practicality for when the six- and seven-seat interiors are offered in the UK. For now, the lack thereof should be considered a negative.
Up front, the dashboard is reminiscent of Kia’s cars, with a 7.0in digital instrument display and a 12.9in infotainment touchscreen. The latter uses bespoke Android Automotive-based software that’s simple to use and responsive to inputs.
There are fewer physical controls than we would like: the heating controls are on the touchscreen and the row of hard buttons are largely for opening the various doors.
Don’t expect lashings of premium splendour: the PV5’s working roots show in the hard-wearing but practical materials. It’s all very well designed, though, and it feels a fair compromise for a vehicle that will inevitably live a hard life crammed with children or rowdy adults on their way back from a big night out.
You get more neat storage solutions than you would find in an Ikea showroom, such as storage areas underneath the cabin floor and a neat, filing-cabinet-style drawer below the dashboard.
The slight disappointment is that Kia UK will take only a single, relatively plain interior design. We previously tested a Korean-spec model with a distinctly stylish dark brown interior finish and imagine it could have been a bit of a cult hit. A more vibrant colourway would lift the ambience.
Although the PV5’s bulk might seem intimidating to those used to more conventional hatchbacks and SUVs, the driving position makes it easy to drive. You sit high and upright, which, combined with the huge front window and downward-sloped dashboard, means you get an imperious view over the road ahead. It’s easy to place the PV5 in a lane, even on tight B-roads.
The big side mirrors provide a great view of your flanks – perfect for when that bloke on a scooter decides it’s safer to ride your hind quarter rather than overtake.
You also get one of the best rear-view cameras in the business. Its display is incredibly clear, even in low-light conditions, making three-point turns a cinch.
The only glitch for visibility is the big chunk of plastic where the A-pillar meets the door. Although there’s a small glass quarter-light, your view is obscured as you approach roundabouts and junctions.
The cabin of the Cargo is very similar, although many of the materials such as the TPO flooring are harder-wearing to reflect the harder life these vehicles will encounter as business tools.
The passenger seat can be removed to increase storage capacity, while there’s some useful storage space between the seats and the tinny bulkhead that separates the cabin from the cargo bay.
Kia notes that with up to 5.1m3 cargo capacity in L2 H2 form, the PV5 Cargo offers 1.5m3 more capacity than the longer ID Buzz Cargo. It also benefits from a low 419mm loading lip and a side-loading height of 399mm.