iMatt :: The Blog of Matt Clare

Summary

I traded in my much-loved but very worn 2014 Mazda3 Sport for a 2022 Kia EV6. Shopping for a replacement, I ruled out smaller sporty cars, decided against buying used EVs, and test drove options like the Polestar 3, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Kia EV6. In the end, the EV6 stood out as the right size, fun to drive, and practical for my family. I share what I learned about EV shopping — from fast charging and recalls to dealer frustrations — and why the EV6 struck the right balance of performance, space, and future-proof technology.

Lots else has happened in the last 5 years, but this one needs an update too long for social media.

Here’s the update

I really did love my 2014 Mazda3 Sport. Light, crisp manual transmission. In the summer, I had Firestone Firehawks tires, and in the Winter Michelin Xice2s. Both sets of tires felt like handling cheat codes and were very rewarding in a relatively light car. 

But, at over 250,000km the CV joints started to make a clunking noise, and the windshield had a small crack from rust on the window frame. It needed to get off the road, and the wreckers generously valued it at $600. But the enjoyment value was still very high! 

I bought the Mazda3 as a used car off-lease. The plan was to do the same (cars are a terrible investment; I try to get someone else take the first hit). 

Anything I replaced it with would be faster, that’s what’s changed since 2014, but few vehicles feel as dynamic and responsive as my little 6spd Mazda3.

But as far as the agility, cars are faster, but only 4 seat vehicles like BMWs and Porsches, or more in my budget, a Civic Type-R are more agile than a manual 2014 Mazda3 – the others are all safer, many are faster, but they’re all heavier too. 

The family’s not going to fit in a Miata or Boxster. That rules out a more agile car. With it conceded that I’m getting a heavier car, then it makes sense to make to lean into that – and Electronic Vehicle, an EV. 

I again planned on buying a used vehicle, and used EVs offer huge discounts, but the discount on used EVs isn’t just about not being able to pick your colour. Used EVs have a reputation for dead-end technologies and being moments away from being mechanically totalled. EVs have a lot in common with smartphones, and that doesn’t create a positive perception of used EVs. 

I also wasn’t willing to give up having an enjoyable drive, or have to worry about having limited range. That meant having a large battery and supporting DC fast charging and a performance profile. That certainly included the Porsche Tycan, but price quickly ruled it out. The Tesla 3 or Y would also fit that test, but 2025 doesn’t feel like the time to buy a Tesla, that and ubiquitousness of Model 3 give them an appliance-like vibe to me. Ford’s Mustang Mach-Es would also be in the mix, but I’m not a fan of the styling and horse puns. 

I eventually focused in on the Polestar 3 and the Hyundai/Kia EGMP (Electric Global Modular Platform) vehicles, the Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 (special mention to the Ioniq 6, which in black and white looks like panda, and the Kia EV9, which is too young for me, but a cool vehicle that’s also probably too big for me.) 

I drove the Polestar 2. I talked to the local dealer/reseller. With Polestar being a partnership between Sweden’s Volvo Cars and China’s Geely. Polestar’s headquarters are in Sweeden, as it was once a Volvo tuning house, but the Polestar 2 is built in China and Canada and the US both have had 100% tariffs on Chinese EVs for a few years. The tariffs are purely protective of domestic industries. China is making good EVs and low prices, and they have the potential to seriously disrupt the North American vehicle market. The Polestar 2 was indeed fun to drive (G meter!) but I didn’t want to assume the risk of a vehicle with such poor serviceability prospects. 

EGMP it is. I learned that All Wheel Drive (AWD) meant both more power, and the battery conditioning option to help with cold weather fast charging, and of course there’s the ICCU recall. The Integrated Charge Control Unit (ICCU) can blow a fuse charging conventional 12V battery that runs all the non-traction stuff, and the car will drain the 12V battery and you’ll have a charged high-voltage traction battery that the car can’t control anymore. Kia/Hyundai’s 100,000Km warranty covers all of this, but the key is to get the ICCU serviced before it happens. You can check the VIN’s services status on Hyundai/Kia’s website. 

Lindsay and I drove an Ioniq 5, it was fine. Lots of space inside. And that became part of the problem, I don’t like feeling like I’m hauling a living room on wheels around with me, and the more space inside a vehicle the less I feel like I’m driving a car and the more I feel like I’m piloting a ship. The Ioniq 5’s 150% scale of a MKIII VW Golf styling is cool and all, but the Kia EV6s felt like the right size. 

I was committed to taking a look at any EV6 in Southern Ontario. I even checked in with a Kia dealer in Barrie if the EV6 was indeed available before I left Burlington. I texted that I was running late but would be there in 15 minutes. The response I got was that the car was actually sold, but there were other vehicles the agent wanted me to see. I turned around to drive the almost two hours home and vowed never to buy a car from that dealer. 

My EV6 was traded in to a Honda dealership in Scarborough. It looks like the AC was leaking, the ICCU needed to be serviced, and there were delays for all the needed parts and the previous owner didn’t want to wait and bought a Honda. The Honda dealer was willing to handle all the service items, but they were very clear they wouldn’t promise a timeline. The ICCU service was provided by the local Kia dealer, but as the AC was taking almost a month, the Honda dealer offered to take a thousand dollars off if I took over the service. I did, and the Burlington Kia dealer recharged the AC and ordered the part. So far, the AC is working as I wait for the part. 

I enjoy driving the EV6. 

It has amazing acceleration, which gives you so much confidence when you pull out onto a busy road or change lanes on the highway. The dynamic torque split between the front and rear motors gives it great traction, too. I think I’m starting to like the driver aids associated with the cruise control, and the family has lots of space – and seat warmers for everyone! 

Charging has worked out fine, but I thought I appreciated the amount of electricity involved — I was wrong, it’s a lot more than I expected. I’m just glad I knew enough to only consider vehicles that can handle DC fast charging. More on charging in my next post. 

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 26th, 2025 at 21:50 and is filed under cars, General, Technology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.