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Electric crossover
Power: 585 hp
Prix : 72 990 €
Kia has entered another dimension. The Korean brand, once considered exotic on our continent, has managed to find a place for itself in just a decade among the gratin of car manufacturers. The firm has perfectly anticipated the turn to electrification with a range that includes stars such as the Niro, the Sportage and the new EV6, crowned with the title of car of the year 2022.
France, the second market in Europe for the electric Crossover, will welcome the GT version from the beginning of next year, the technical sheet of which is quite unusual for a Kia. Judge for yourself: two permanent magnet synchronous motors for a total of 585 hp, a maximum torque of 740 Nm, a top speed raised to 260 km/h and a 0 to 100 km/h achieved in 3.5 s.
Sold for €72,990, the Kia EV6 GT houses two electric motors for a total power of 585 hp distributed to the 4 wheels. The 0 to 100 km/h is achieved in 3.5 s and the maximum speed reaches 260 km/h.
These performances are simply close to or equivalent to the best electric sports cars of the moment, namely the Porsche Taycan Turbo, the Audi RS E-Tron GT or even the BMW i4 M50. Only the Tesla Model S Plaid and its more than 1,000 hp is currently evolving in another galaxy. Undoubtedly electric technology is reshuffling the cards of the hierarchy of sports cars.
Shields are specific to this version.
Just like the 21” rims equipped with a larger braking system and green calipers.
The Kia EV6 GT, as its name suggests, is an authentic GT and not a sports car cut out for the track. This status can be seen firstly by the almost unchanged look compared to a standard EV6. Only the front and rear bumpers have been slightly modified, the rims are 21” and the green brake calipers signal its new pedigree.
The modern and very well finished interior is almost identical to the high GT-Line finish. Bucket seats, stitching and green inserts are specific to this GT version.
On board, it’s the same thing, a few notes of green come to dress a technological, qualitative and well finished environment. The EV6 GT, sold for €72,990, is based on the top-of-the-range GT-Line finish which features the best of the manufacturer’s equipment catalog and enriches it with bucket seats, a sunroof and controlled suspensions as standard. . Only the heat pump is billed as an option (€1,200). An attractive price compared to the Porsche Taycan Turbo and Audi RS E-Tron GT sold around €130,000, but compared to the Tesla Model Y Performance (€69,990) and BMW i4 M Performance (€73,750), the Korean will have to bread on the board to convince.
The main modifications of this GT concern the engines and running gear. Korean engineers focused on the rear motor by adding a second inverter that boosted battery output power. The function of an inverter is to convert direct current from the battery into alternating current for the electric motors. The power of the rear engine thus climbs to 367 hp. It is complemented by a 218 hp electric motor placed on the front axle. The package provides a total output of 585 hp, making it the most powerful Kia ever produced.
The power of the rear electric motor has been inflated to 376 hp.
This increase in power is largely due to the arrival of a two-level inverter.
All of this burst of power is instantly sent to the wheels with a simple press of the green “GT” button on the steering wheel. We were able to see this change in stature first on the circuit by performing standing starts. Despite the considerable mass to move (2,260 kg), the acceleration is so violent and instantaneous that it causes the car to pitch up slightly at the same time as your cervical muscles. Level brutality, however, we remain a notch below a Tesla “Performance”. We haven’t had the opportunity to check if the thrust is continuous up to 260 km/h. Generally on an electric car the power curve sags at high speed. It is here that the Taycan marks its difference thanks to its gearbox (2-speed) which makes it possible to support excellent performance at high speed.
The other axis of evolution of this GT concerns running gear. The engineers have configured the firmness of the controlled suspensions differently depending on the driving mode. Thus in GT mode are approximately 30% firmer compared to Sport mode, which makes it possible to better compensate for the wheelie in acceleration and the dive in braking. Finally, braking provided by larger diameter discs than the standard version has been added. To top it all off, Kia has implemented the latest version of the electronic limited-slip differential, which distributes the power to each wheel.
The EV6 GT delivers thunderous acceleration and guarantees a top speed of 260 km/h.
Admittedly, given the weight and the large wheelbase of the EV6 (2.90 m), we were skeptical about its performance on the circuit. Obviously the EV6 GT is not a car designed for the track, but on this terrain it particularly surprised us. GT mode engaged, all the electronic systems start to thwart the laws of gravity as much as possible. Well led by a voluntary front axle, the Korean winds the trajectories with dynamism, compensates the roll quite well in support and comes out quite strongly when exiting the curve. It’s rather surprising to see such a “machine” behave like this on the circuit and reassuring on the open road where the traction is excellent. Obviously, when the pace accelerates nature takes over and the understeer is felt more in curves.
Kia has even allowed itself a little madness by adding a “Drift” mode. In reality, it is a question of deactivating the driving aids and of favoring the power of the rear engine. The front engine is never really “disconnected” and picks up grip when the car pulls out from behind. This mode is not as permissive as that of a Focus RS and therefore much less fun.
The EV6 GT is not a pure sports car, it is a GT offering an excellent level of comfort guaranteeing exceptional acceleration.
On the open road, the EV6 GT bears its name particularly well because the level of comfort remains excellent. The suspensions work efficiently and the passengers never feel the imperfections of the road despite the presence of large diameter rims. Cabin insulation is also excellent at high speeds, where wind and road noise are almost non-existent. Braking, however well dimensioned, however, convinced us less. A shorter pedal stroke and more bite would be welcome for sporty use.
The battery with a useful capacity of 77.4 kWh allows a combined cycle range (WLTP) of 424 km. Thanks to its 800 volt architecture, it is capable of accepting higher direct current charging power than the competition, namely 239 kW on average and up to 350 kW at peak. It can be recharged from 10 to 80% in less than 20 minutes on an Ionity terminal for example. The EV6 GT offers a one-year subscription to Ionity to its customers, which grants preferential rates on the eponymous terminals.
The driver always has the choice between six levels of energy recovery ranging from freewheeling to “i-PEDAL” which allows the driver to stop the vehicle on foot lift without having to use the brake pedal. Here the regeneration power can reach 150 kw.
