There was such buzz for the Kia EV6 GT earlier than it launched in Australia in 2023.
Right here was the quickest Kia ever, able to doing the 0-100km/h sprint in simply 3.5 seconds – sooner than some supercars!
It was delayed getting right here and its second within the solar was brief, for sister model Hyundai early this 12 months launched an much more thrilling electrical automobile (EV).
It isn’t actually any faster, and it’s round $11,000 dearer, however the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N provides one of the vital customisable driving experiences of any EV available on the market. You may even activate simulated gear shifts and pretend exhaust sound you may hear from outdoors the automotive.
It takes fairly a automotive to make one thing as distinctively styled and searingly fast as an EV6 GT appear much less thrilling compared.
Whilst you mightn’t have the ability to simulate the texture of a combustion-powered automotive within the EV6 GT, we’ve put it to the check once more to see whether or not it’s nonetheless worthy of consideration towards its petrol-flavoured platform-mate.
A facelift for the core EV6 vary was not too long ago revealed forward of a fourth-quarter 2024 launch in Australia, and Kia is ready to disclose a facelifted GT later this 12 months forward of a launch right here just a few months later. At this stage, we don’t know the extent of the GT’s upgrades.
We do know the core EV6 has obtained a bigger battery, in addition to revised in-car tech and a contemporary face. However whether or not the GT will get extra efficiency and even among the Ioniq 5 N’s cool options stays unclear.
If you happen to just like the styling of the present EV6, then the up to date mannequin ought to nonetheless enchantment. Kia might have modified the lookup entrance a bit, but it surely nonetheless has the identical bulging hips, muscular stance, and dramatic full-width tail lights.
The present EV6 GT is a looker, and there are many neat particulars just like the textured materials under the tail lights, or the little lights on the C-pillar that appear to serve no actual objective aside from to look cool.
Whereas VFACTS trade gross sales experiences classify it as a “giant SUV”, the EV6 actually appears to blur the road between a medium-to-large crossover and a medium-to-large hatchback or wagon.
Kia has even referred to it because the successor of the dearly departed Stinger GT.
How does the Kia EV6 examine?
View an in depth breakdown of the Kia EV6 towards equally sized autos.
Kia
EV6
How a lot does the Kia EV6 price?
The GT sits atop the EV6 vary. Rivals embody not solely the Ioniq 5 N, but in addition the Tesla Mannequin Y Efficiency and Ford Mustang Mach-E GT.
All costs exclude on-road prices
To see how the EV6 GT shapes up towards its rivals, use our comparability software.
What’s the Kia EV6 like on the within?
The EV6 GT’s inside makes a constructive first impression.
You sit in extraordinarily grippy, supportive and closely bolstered entrance sports activities seats, that are manually adjustable.
They actually hug you in place, although on lengthy drives I discovered them a bit stiff – notably the headrests, which had my neck hurting. These chunky bolsters don’t get in the best way when it’s essential climb in or out of the automotive, which is a win for older house owners.
Not like the Ioniq 5 N’s entrance sports activities seats or the seats within the cheaper EV6 GT-Line, EV6 GT’s lack air flow.
The steering wheel feels good, and intuitively options buttons for drive mode choice.
The dashboard is rakishly styled, with fascinating patterned inserts. However it’s all completed in exhausting plastic, which makes the EV6 really feel a bit extra low-rent inside than an Ioniq 5.
The ambient lighting, nevertheless, improves the vibe. It’s colour-adjustable and bathes the footwells, the bottle holders in all 4 doorways, and the 2 ranges of the centre console.
There’s additionally some brushed metal-look trim that gives some neat ornament, whereas gloss black trim is stored to a minimal. We additionally dig the GT-exclusive lime inexperienced accents, which tie in with the lime inexperienced brake calipers outdoors.
The split-level centre console consists of each a shelf on the ground and a bridge that juts out however doesn’t hook up with the centre stack.
Switchgear on this bridge contains the heated seat and heated wheel controls and the beginning button, which falls neatly at hand.
There are twin 12.3-inch screens: a digital instrument cluster and an infotainment touchscreen.
The EV6 will transfer to Kia’s newest era of infotainment with the replace, however for now it goes with out options like a voice assistant that may management automobile capabilities, and wi-fi smartphone mirroring.
Although it lacks these options, the infotainment system nonetheless works properly with typically intuitive menus and fast response occasions.
The digital instrument cluster is fairly customary Kia fare, and whereas the devices are neat and legible they don’t really feel all that particular. We’d wish to see some extra distinctive themes to pick out from, or the flexibility to view maps as in varied Volkswagen Group, Chery, and Jeep merchandise.
One factor these different manufacturers can’t supply, although, is Kia’s Blind Spot View Monitor. This exhibits digital camera footage of your blind spot whenever you flip in your indicator and, along with the warning gentle within the mirrors, an audible alert and energetic steering help, means you’d must be fully out of it to wander into one other automobile’s path.
The digital camera view did get washed out although, actually, once we had been driving within the rain. In any other case, it’s exhausting to fault the array of cameras within the EV6.
There’s loads of storage up entrance. There’s a deep centre console bin, plus the aforementioned giant shelf on the ground.
The lined bottle holders within the doorways can simply accommodate giant bottles, although those within the rear doorways will wrestle with even a 600ml Coke.
Talking of the doorways, they’re completed in a mixture of soft-touch plastic up high, plus suede, exhausting plastic and high-gloss black plastic trim, although the door tops are exhausting within the rear.
The method unlock operate works properly, unlocking the automobile as you method it with the important thing with out requiring you to press a button or swipe a sensor.
The flush-mounted door handles come out, permitting you to simply seize them and open the doorways. In addition they make a humorous sound as you drive off and so they pop again into place.
Step into the again and also you’ll discover an virtually solely flat ground, in addition to air vents (within the B-pillars), two USB-C retailers, and a fold-down armrest with cupholders.
There are three top-tether and two ISOFIX anchor factors for baby seats.
The EV6 has vehicle-to-load (V2L) functionality, which lets you use each this outlet and an exterior outlet to cost exterior home equipment. This got here in helpful whereas road-tripping, as I may cost my laptop computer within the again.
Regardless of the sporty roofline, the EV6 has loads of rear-seat headroom, however issues get rather less sensible additional again.
The rakish tailgate with its slender opening means the load house isn’t as giant as some crossovers, neither is it as simple to entry.
You may nonetheless slot in a pair of suitcases, supplied they’re not too giant, and there’s a helpful baggage internet. However with 480L of bags house again right here and simply 20L below the bonnet, it’s down on the 854L throughout each storage areas within the Mannequin Y.
There’s a complete of 1260L of house within the again whenever you drop the rear seats.
As is depressingly frequent with EVs, there’s no spare tyre. As a substitute, you’ll discover solely a tyre restore package. Beneath the rear boot ground is a compartment to securely tuck away your charging cables.
What’s below the bonnet?
There’s a small storage space, however the magic of the drivetrain lives deeper below the pores and skin.
It has virtually 200kW greater than the GT-Line, reducing 1.7 seconds from the 0-100km/h time. Not that this issues in Australia, however high pace can be bumped up from 188km/h to 260km/h.
How does the Kia EV6 drive?
Moist climate actually put a damper on my time with the EV6 GT.
A weekend getaway in northern New South Wales introduced the promise of loads of winding nation roads, however virtually all had been stricken with potholes. My traditional spirited winding street drive at Mount Superb was additionally marred by rain, fog and street particles.
It’s irritating to know you’ve gotten a automobile with such immense energy and functionality you could’t absolutely utilise.
And but, having to make use of the EV6 GT for commuting and cruising duties underscored simply how versatile it’s. You may potter round city in Eco mode as if this isn’t packing 430kW and 740Nm, and it’s a completely nice commuter. Energy is delivered easily, and you’ll drive your grandma to church with none drama.
In fact, you can too pop it into GT mode, activate max energy mode, and let ‘er rip. From a standstill, the EV6 GT’s acceleration is meteoric, and you’ll really feel the rear wheels struggling to get the ability down.
Max energy mode is barely obtainable when the battery is above 70 per cent, and when you maintain doing 0-100km/h runs you’ll burn by means of your cost.
There are a number of ranges of regenerative braking, plus an i-Pedal mode that permits for one-pedal driving. It’s not essentially the most aggressive system we’ve skilled, however it is going to convey the EV6 to a halt.
As with many Kias, the EV6 GT has a neighborhood suspension and steering tune.
The EV6 GT dealt with the ravaged roads of New South Wales with aplomb, by no means feeling crashy or lumpy regardless of using on big 21-inch alloy wheels.
Nevertheless, it’s very agency, and there’s a persistent if slight vibration of kinds to the experience that by no means goes away. Is it a deal-breaker? Hardly.
The Kia all the time feels flat and planted, and able to storm up a winding mountain street.
Okay, so the EV6 GT isn’t as customisable as an Ioniq 5 N. However there’s nonetheless a bevy of accessible settings to configure, extra so than even an Audi RS e-tron GT I not too long ago drove.
Maybe essentially the most customisable aspect is the Energetic Sound Design, i.e. the faux propulsion noise. There’s no solution to make it sound like a turbocharged four-cylinder engine as in its platform-mate, however you may select between three preset sounds and even configure your individual.
Moreover, you may select between three ranges of sound, or simply flip it off solely and take heed to the usual electrical motor whir.
Then there are the settings that truly change the best way the EV6 drives. You may select between Regular, Sport and Sport+ modes for the suspension, steering, digital limited-slip differential and electrical motors, with the latter additionally providing an Eco mode.
You may tailor these settings to your tastes and press the GT button on the steering wheel to name up your customized drive mode.
Moreover, you may toggle the digital stability management between Regular, Sport (which permits some oversteer) and off.
Whereas I fiddled round with many of those settings, I stored the suspension in regular once I programmed my customized drive mode, however put the steering in Sport+.
By default, the steering already has a pleasant weight to it, and communicates what’s occurring on the street. However Sport+ mode provides some good heft to it which makes the EV6 really feel even sportier.
By way of braking, the EV6 GT has 380mm entrance and 360mm rear ventilated discs, as a substitute of 325mm discs entrance and rear as in lesser EV6s. You can too select between Regular and Sport modes for the brakes.
The EV6 GT makes use of Kia’s older site visitors signal recognition system, which suggests it makes use of navigation information as a substitute of studying indicators. However this additionally means it doesn’t bing and bong each time the pace restrict adjustments, so there’s that.
The cabin is so quiet that I commented the raindrops hitting the sunroof had been surprisingly loud.
The EV6 GT is nice on the freeway, with its Lane Following Help preserving you neatly centred in your lane and the adaptive cruise management preserving you at your set pace.
When the solar goes down, the matrix LED headlights present wonderful illumination.
The EV6 GT options Kia’s Distant Good Park Help, which lets you use the important thing fob to maneuver the automotive ahead and backwards. It’d sound like a gimmick, however we did find yourself utilizing it to get the automobile out and in of a good automotive port at an Airbnb.
What do you get?
The GT sits atop the EV6 vary, but it surely does miss out on some options discovered within the GT-Line one rung down – specifically power-adjustable entrance seats with air flow.
Normal gear on the GT contains:
21-inch alloy wheelsTyre strain monitoringTyre restore kitMatrix LED headlightsActive Sound DesignOne-pedal drive modeAdaptive suspensionElectronic park brakeAuto holdHands-free energy tailgateRear privateness glassRemote Good Park AssistKey fob parking operationSemi-autonomous parking assist12.3-inch digital instrument cluster12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment systemWired Apple CarPlay and Android AutoSatellite navigationDAB digital radio14-speaker Meridian sound systemWireless cellphone chargerHead-up displaySuede/leatherette upholsterySix-way handbook entrance sports activities seatsHeated entrance seatsHeated rear seatsHeated steering wheelTilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustmentElectrochromic rear-view mirror4 x USB-C retailers (two up entrance, two within the rear)1 x USB-A outlet (entrance; for information switch)64-colour ambient lighting
Is the Kia EV6 secure?
The Kia EV6 Air and GT-Line have a five-star ANCAP score, however the GT stays unrated.
Normal security gear contains:
Autonomous emergency brakingPedestrian detectionCyclist detectionVehicle detectionJunction turning assistReverse AEBAdaptive cruise management with cease/goBlind-spot assistBlind-Spot View MonitorIntelligent pace restrict assistLane-keep assistLane Following Help (lane centring)Rear cross-traffic assistRear occupant alertSafe exit assistFront and rear parking sensorsSurround-view digital camera with 3D modeFront, front-side, front-centre and curtain airbags
How a lot does the Kia EV6 price to run?
Kia backs the EV6 GT with a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre automobile guarantee, plus a seven-year, 150,000km guarantee for the high-voltage electrical elements just like the battery.
Servicing is required each 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.
The corporate provides three-, five- and seven-year pre-paid service plans, priced at $835, $1561 and $2309, respectively – barely pricier than the identical plans on extra inexpensive EV6 fashions.
CarExpert’s Tackle the Kia EV6 GT
The EV6 GT is bloody quick, handles properly, and but generally is a comfy and calm commuter.
By any measure, it’s a superb automotive. So why is it not my electrical automotive of selection at this finish of the market?
The EV6 GT is very adjustable, however its Hyundai sibling simply provides that little bit extra and is a extra partaking automobile to drive consequently. It additionally has an inside that feels nicer.
After which there’s the EV6 GT-Line. If you happen to don’t need the outright tempo of the GT, the GT-Line continues to be far faster than you arguably want, whereas being extra inexpensive and comfy.
There’s additionally the looming replace for the EV6 GT, which guarantees to incorporate some worthwhile enhancements together with the most recent expertise from Kia.
The EV6 GT is a good automotive, no bones about it. However we’d advocate fastidiously evaluating what you need in a high-performance electrical automotive earlier than signing on the dotted line.
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