In terms of looks, the EV5 leans heavily on geometric, angular surfaces. From afar, it passes off like a background character in a polygon-starved PlayStation 1 game. Come closer and there’s plenty to like. It’s less weird than the EV6 and EV9, and that’s on purpose. It mixes more traditional compact SUV design cues like as the upright stance, boxy fenders, and large wheels, but still executed in a sci-fi way.

If anything, the weakest point are the wheels. The standard 18 inchers look too chunky on this occasion; perhaps a set of 19s or even 20s would have suited the proportions. And another thing, despite looking the part, the flushed door handles don’t pop out electronically nor are they power actuated. Opening a door requires pushing out the front part of the door handle to reveal the lever. This takes getting used to and this may catch passengers off guard. Locking means pushing on the little notch on the rear part of the front door handles.

Stepping inside, the EV5 continues with its heavy use of geometric shapes. At times, it feels like it’s ripped straight from the Money for Nothing music video, particularly in the way it uses large polygonal surfaces to visually break up the dashboard. The same goes with the strategic use of two tones with the lighter band making up the center part. The materials and even build quality are great, but at the same time, they don’t exactly push the standard for plushness. The lower part of the door cards and dashboard, for example, are scratch prone. Ditto the jersey fabric inserts on the seats which look good when new, but are easily soiled due to their light colorway.

Riding on a bespoke EV platform, the EV5 is a temple of space. The front seats are great, but the rear is even more so. The flat floor already means that there’s no fighting over kneeroom, but by placing the rear AC vents into the B-pillars (as opposed to the center console), means that sitting three long-legged friends abreast isn’t just possible, it’s comfortable. The cargo hold is also huge accommodating 513 liters with the rear seats up and 1,714 liters with the rear seats down. There’s even a partitioned underfloor compartment for tools, fix-a-flat, and smaller items as well as a 67-liter front trunk too.

If there’s one weakness here, it’s how Kia poorly engineered the front storage space. The issue here is that the front center console can be blocked almost completely depending on how close the front passenger wants to be to the dashboard. This is because the front passenger seat as an extended piece of cushion—a cuddle or love seat, if you will—which can cover up most of the utility tray and the wireless charger leaving only the two cup holders and the four driving related buttons exposed. The console for the rear passengers is better thought of thanks to a hidden console that slides out like a drawer.

The driver gets a lofty driving position. Even at its lowest seat setting, it feels like you’re perched high above the road. This raised position means excellent views in every direction. This is supplemented by a 360-degree camera and parking sensors to the front, rear, and sides. Kia’s nailed the driving position here as well with the thick squircle steering wheel and column mounted shifter being notable high points. The twin 12.3-inch screen system spits out information that’s easy to look at and navigate. Everything’s great save for the climate control system wherein the 5-inch screen looks misplaced and pixel-starved. With a dedicated row of climate control switches near the vents, Kia should have simply put the screen somewhere in that vicinity.

The more accessible price point means Kia has had to make some mechanical compromises to the EV5. Still, credit goes to the flexibility of the E-GMP platform. Compared to the EV6 and EV9, it switches over from an 800-volt to a 400-volt architecture. At the same time, the drive wheels have been moved from the rear to the front. No need to worry, as performance remains strong thanks to a single motor spinning out 217 horsepower and 310 Nm of torque. Kia says it reaches 100 km/h in 8.4 seconds, but that’s besides the point. Subjectively, there’s no shortage of pull, even when doing a rolling start or flying overtake. Progress is also buttery smooth.

The EV5 packs an 88.1-kWh (84 kWh usable) battery which equates to 550 kilometers of range. Although its real-world efficiency falls short even to the all-wheel drive Toyota bZ4X, its 5.91 km/kWh figure means it’ll be able to realistically break the 500-kilomter mark on a full charge. And because the Philippine spec model uses a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) and not a Nickel Cobalt Manganese (NCM) chemistry, drivers can top it up to 100 percent repeatedly with no worries as to battery degradation. If anything, it’s the EV5’s pessimistic range computer that takes some getting used to. From 100 percent, the range drops out to 99 percent after just three kilometers and 97 percent after just five. Thankfully, it levels out after a while.

The EV5’s cutting-edge platform also equates to a well-mannered ride. It’s firm, but pliant. Drive it through any pothole, and it remains unfazed. It’s also extremely quiet too. Sadly, the platform could benefit from a more dynamic tune. Though the handling is safe and predictable, there’s not one bit of sporting intention baked in. The steering itself feels disconnected. It’s also quite easy to break traction on greasy roads (before the stability control kicks in), although that’s probably down to Kia Philippines’ decision to outfit all-season M+S tires.

In the end, the EV5 serves up an experience that’s satisfying and familiar from the driver’s seat. If its mission is to broaden the appeal and access to EVs, then it’s job done. As a compact SUV, it offers the sort of design, versatility, and pace that buyers look for; it only happens to be fully electric. However, ultimately, something had to give to bring the pricing down to put it in the same range as combustion and hybrid compact SUVs.

That something is found in it standard features. On one hand, it’s solid with a glass roof, dual zone climate control, and a complete set of ADAS. On the other, it’s lacking too. Not only does it lose a second motor and all-wheel drive (something the similarly-priced Toyota bZ4X has), it doesn’t even get memory presets for the driver’s seat, a powered front passenger seat, and even ventilated/heated seats. In the greater scheme of things, they may seem like small omissions, but for those cross shopping in this price bracket, these are glaring chinks to the EV5’s otherwise excellent offering.