The unique Kia EV6 GT took the Korean automaker to new heights, promising supercar-like efficiency from a stonking 430kW dual-motor electrical drivetrain within the model’s pioneering devoted electrical SUV.
However whereas it had varied chassis and {hardware} revisions to deal with that energy, it all the time felt prefer it was a really quick electrical automobile (EV) that was good in a straight line and never loads else, somewhat than being a correctly sorted high-performance machine – and that’s an essential distinction to make.
Now right here’s the brand new facelifted model, coming with a lot of the {hardware} that has received the excellent Hyundai Ioniq 5 N such crucial plaudits.
A few of this is perhaps controversial – such because the simulated gearshifts and synthesised engine noises – however we’re hoping for excellent issues from the up to date EV6 GT.
Our first style of Kia’s newest high-performance EV happened on among the best driving roads that Scotland has to supply.
How a lot does the Kia EV6 value?
Australian pricing for the upgraded EV6 GT has not but been confirmed, however we’re hopeful it is going to are available someplace round – or higher nonetheless beneath – the present mannequin’s $99,590 plus on-roads sticker.
Certainly, in sure markets, regardless of a hike in peak energy and the additional gear fitted to the brand new GT, Kia has really priced it at a touch decrease stage than its predecessor.
Whether or not that would be the case right here or not, so long as it’s a few thousand {dollars} cheaper than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N ($110,303 earlier than on-roads), it should be tempting for consumers in search of an exhilarating zero-emissions sports activities automotive.
It additionally appears glorious worth for the sheer quantity of efficiency on supply, when you think about a fundamental EV6 Air is available in at $72,590 in pre-facelift guise.
To see how the Kia EV6 strains up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability software
What’s the Kia EV6 like on the within?
The Kia EV6 has all the time been blessed with a high-quality, well-appointed inside, and with the remainder of the vary having already obtained its facelift, the GT now joins ranks with the most recent passenger compartment.
Primarily based on the E-GMP platform, there’s a very flat flooring all through the EV6’s cabin, which helps with practicality points. Not simply within the rear, the place three adults may all sit side-by-side for shorter journeys with out being too cramped, however within the entrance, which permits for the floating central console space.
That is primarily based upon the armrest space between the seats, the place you’ll discover switchgear for the local weather seats, the automobile’s power-up button, its rotary drive selector and likewise some cupholders, a storage space and a wi-fi smartphone charging pad.
Up entrance are the dual 12.3-inch digital screens, for each the infotainment touchscreen and the instrument cluster, plus a customisable head-up show for the motive force too.
Additional, Kia has stored the intelligent strip of digital ‘buttons’ on the centre of the EV6 GT’s fascia, which will be switched from navigation and audio features to climate-control shortcuts by toggling an icon on its left-hand facet.
The entire digital actual property works very nicely and appears sharp, so the EV6 nonetheless feels completely up-to-date and ergonomically right inside.
That simply leaves the GT-specific particulars, together with a completely superb pair of deeply sculpted bucket seats up entrance, that are mounted at simply the proper peak – sitting the motive force good and low within the Kia’s physique.
These are adorned with Neon Inexperienced stitching (a color repeated on the GT’s brake calipers on the surface of the automobile) and a centre stripe in the identical color, and the hue is repeated once more for the centres of the air vents, the stitching and 12 o’clock marker on the steering wheel, after which crucial button within the automotive – the ‘GT Mode’ change hanging off the wheel’s left-hand spoke, which when pressed places the GT into its full 478kW attack-dog setting.
The final fit-and-finish of the EV6 GT’s inside can’t be questioned, neither is there a lot to fault with how intuitive it’s to function a few of its methods – turning off lane-keep help and the speed-limit warning, as an illustration, is just a case of holding down two buttons on the steering wheel for just a few seconds, somewhat than fiddling round with the central touchscreen.
By way of practicality, rear-seat passenger house is notably beneficiant, though there’s not a lot place to place your toes beneath the floor-hugging entrance seats, whereas the boot swallows a helpful 480 litres with all seats in use, rising to 1260L with the second row folded away. There’s an extra 20L of ‘entrance boot’ within the Kia, too.
Due to this fact, the one slight criticism you may stage on the GT is that, for a 478kW machine which might speed up from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.5 seconds, the cabin isn’t significantly flashy, nor massively completely different from that in an entry-level EV6.
Neither of these issues, although, are dealbreakers in our opinion.
To see how the Kia EV6 strains up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability software
What’s beneath the bonnet?
Kia has adopted the even-more-powerful twin motors of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, which raises the EV6 GT’s already-beefy outputs from the earlier 430kW/740Nm peaks to an much more colossal 478kW/770Nm.
| Specs | Kia EV6 GT |
|---|---|
| Drivetrain | Twin-motor electrical |
| Battery | 84kWh li-ion – internet |
| Energy | 478kW |
| Torque | 770Nm |
| Pushed wheels | All-wheel drive incl. e-LSD |
| 0-100km/h – claimed | 3.5 seconds |
| Vitality consumption – as examined | 28.2kWh/100km |
| Claimed vary – WLTP | 450km |
| Max AC cost charge | 11kW |
| Max DC cost charge | 258kW |
As a result of a barely enlarged battery pack – elevated by eight per cent from 77.4kWh to 84kWh (80kWh of that is usable) – the burden of the Kia has crept as much as 2200kg, which implies the 2 chief on-paper metrics are not any completely different, and no much less staggering, than they have been earlier than: Kia says 0-100km/h takes 3.5 seconds and the EV6 GT will prime out at 260km/h.
The theoretical most quoted vary of the GT has additionally improved because of the technical adjustments, with Kia quoting 450km of one-shot vary.
In fact, in the event you begin having fun with the pleasures of the 478kW motors, that can quickly lower because of the consumption ramping up from the official 20.7kWh/100km, to extra like 28.2kWh/100km – which is what we noticed on take a look at.
Kia has improved the utmost DC fast-charging charge of the EV6 GT, additionally by eight per cent, to a brand new peak of 258kW. It due to this fact preserves its predecessor’s 18-minute 10-80 per cent DC charging time regardless of the elevated battery capability, because of the superior 800-volt electrical structure.
A ten-100 per cent cost on an 11kW AC connection will take barely greater than seven and a half hours.
To see how the Kia EV6 strains up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability software
How does the Kia EV6 drive?
It takes all of fifty to 100 metres behind the wheel of the brand new EV6 GT to grasp the Hyundai N-inspired adjustments have made this an entirely completely different proposition to the mannequin it replaces.
There’s an inherent high quality really feel to the damping, in all the things it does, that shines by way of in the best way the GT oozes over velocity humps at strolling tempo, to the easy method through which it smothers off crumbling city highway surfaces at as much as 50km/h, to the overall dignified comportment it has at 100km/h and extra.
Don’t get us improper, the 21-inch wheels in any respect corners are typically discernible as unsprung mass, thudding by way of greater imperfections within the asphalt, and there’s all the time an underlying firmness to the Kia’s secondary trip that speaks volumes of its singular intent to have interaction its driver on the restrict.
However the EV6 GT isn’t uncomfortable nor overtly noisy, in order a day-to-day EV it nonetheless does the fundamentals to a excessive sufficient customary to excel.
But the dealing with can also be notably sharpened, the automotive’s weighty, informative and linear steering an actual pleasure to make use of. It instructions a front-end which is remarkably desirous to get itself was bends, in flip teaming with the actions of the rear-mounted electronically managed limited-slip differential to bless the two.2-tonne GT with an agility and liveliness at odds with its mass.
Little question about it, the revised EV6 GT is a considerable enchancment over the automotive it replaces, and one of many best-driving EVs you should buy proper now.
It isn’t, nonetheless, working fairly on the exalted ranges of the Ioniq 5 N. Whether or not that bothers you or not will rely on how demanding a driver you’re.
Perhaps the actual fact this ultra-rapid Kia is known as ‘GT’ within the first place, and it has a extra elegant, smoother and fewer in-your-face form than the Hyundai, means all of it marries up higher into an ideological complete – a barely extra discreet approach of going ridiculously quick in your EV.
Finally, although, it simply seems like Kia didn’t fairly commit (or was allowed to commit) to all the flamboyant chassis trickery and doubtlessly divisive methods that mimic points of internal-combustion motoring that make the 5 N such a completely pleasant steer.
The important thing points include the Digital Gear Shift (VGS) set-up within the EV6 GT, and the Lively Sound Design (ASD) noises.
On the previous, the Kia solely has six ‘ratios’ in its pseudo-gearbox, whereas the 5 N has eight. Interrupting torque supply from its mighty electrical motors to simulate a dual-clutch transmission swapping from cog to cog, it’s a great system within the EV6 GT, but it surely wants extra revs.
By this, we imply that the instrument cluster exhibits a tacho if you’re in full GT Mode and utilizing the VGS – and the automotive ‘revs’ to a most of 6500rpm.
Blasting by way of the gears in extremely quick order, because of the outrageous acceleration the GT can summon up from just about any highway velocity you care to decide on, provides as much as a driving expertise that seems like it’s copying a big-hearted turbo-diesel, somewhat than a high-revving petrol rngine tuned to supply loads of driving enjoyable.
And the ASD is nowhere close to as profitable as the identical system within the 5 N, which imitates the four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine from the revered i30 N sizzling hatch.
Within the Kia, there’s only a thick, cloying, buzzy noise that doesn’t sound very similar to any engine in any respect. You may change it by way of 4 modes – loud, medium, quiet and off – however even within the first of those, it’s subdued and never massively engaging.
Kia may’ve made this automotive sound just like the fantastic previous Stinger V6, however didn’t. And that’s a disgrace. In isolation, then, you’d drive the Kia EV6 GT and rightly assume it was good.
However it will probably by no means fairly replicate that magic trick the Hyundai pulls off, the place – at its best – it will probably make you overlook it’s an EV and as a substitute hoodwink you into believing you’re driving a giant petrol sizzling hatch.
Within the Kia, that otherworldly dynamic second by no means fairly comes. It’s very, very near greatness… however misses it by a matter of mere inches.
To see how the Kia EV6 strains up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability software
What do you get?
As you’d count on with a Kia, particularly in a top-end variant like this, you get just about all the things however the kitchen sink thrown in.
Whereas we’re nonetheless awaiting affirmation of the value of the revised EV6, and due to this fact the specs for our market, we’d count on the automotive to have the prolonged equipment listing outlined beneath, plus way more in addition to.
2025 Kia EV6 GT gear highlights:
- 21-inch alloy wheels
- LED exterior lighting
- Curved Show
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment
- Augmented actuality head-up show
- Apple CarPlay – wi-fi
- Android Auto – wi-fi
- Twin-zone local weather management
- 8-way powered GT entrance bucket seats
- Heated, ventilated entrance seats
- Heated rear seats
- Heated steering wheel
- Arms-free powered tailgate
- Tilt-and-slide extensive sunroof
- Superior sensible cruise management
- Alloy sports activities pedal
- 64-colour ambient lighting
- Wi-fi smartphone charging pad
- 14-speaker Meridian premium sound
To see how the Kia EV6 strains up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability software
Is the Kia EV6 protected?
The Kia EV6 vary was subjected to ANCAP security testing in 2022 when it picked up 5 stars, however that ranking explicitly excludes the GT flagship.
Nonetheless, with its wholesome customary roster of superior driver help methods (ADAS), it’s prone to be each bit as protected as the remainder of the EV6 lineup.
Customary security gear consists of:
- Multi-collision braking
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Automobile, pedestrian, bicycle owner detection
- Junction turning help
- Lane following help
- Lane-keep help
- Blind-spot help
- Rear cross-traffic help
- Secure exit warning
- Secure exit help
- Parking collision avoidance help – reverse
- Driver consideration alert
- Lead automobile departure alert
- Clever velocity restrict help
- Entrance and rear parking sensors
- Rear-view digicam with dynamic parking pointers
- Encompass view monitor with 3D mode
- Blind spot view monitor
- Excessive beam help
To see how the Kia EV6 strains up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability software
How a lot does the Kia EV6 value to run?
Not solely is the Kia EV6 GT an electrical automobile, making it low-cost to run – offered you’ve gotten entry to house charging – it comes with the Korean agency’s glorious customer support back-up.
| Servicing and Guarantee | Kia EV6 GT |
|---|---|
| Guarantee | 7 years, limitless distance |
| Roadside help | As much as 8 years |
| Capped-price servicing | 7 years or 105,000km |
A seven-year, unlimited-kilometre guarantee, as much as eight years of roadside help cowl, and capped-price servicing for seven years or 105,000km imply there can’t be many 3.5-second 0-100km/h vehicles which are extra reasonably priced to run than this.
To see how the Kia EV6 strains up towards the competitors, take a look at our comparability software
CarExpert’s Tackle the Kia EV6 GT
Make no mistake, the up to date Kia EV6 GT is a implausible efficiency EV and one of many very best autos of its kind.
Sensible seems on the surface, the standard high-quality cabin inside, and a much-improved chassis plus much more energy and vary all add as much as a compelling zero-emissions bundle.
There’s the tiny, nagging feeling, nonetheless, that if Kia had simply gone all out on the VGS, ASD and chassis tuning, we may’ve been speaking about an all-time nice right here.
As it’s, we’ll accept the actual fact Kia has regardless created one thing fairly excellent, and due to this fact we’re extremely glad that the 478kW GT exists.
Concerned about shopping for a Kia EV6? Let CarExpert discover you the most effective deal right here
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