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Car and Driver
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Car and Driver
2025 Chevrolet Blazer SS vs. Kia EV6 GT Comparison Test
If you like the '70s aesthetic but not necessarily in your living room, check out the Kia EV6 GT and the Chevrolet Blazer EV SS. With more than 600 horsepower each and wild colors (such as Habanero Orange for the Blazer), they've got that vibe. We compare these two electric muscle SUVs side by side and figure out the pros and cons of each. As recent first-time homeowners, my wife and I have spent months arguing over everything from paint colors to faucet finishes. We usually want a similar outcome, but it's the "how" that has led us to butt heads. That tension reminds me of two electric SUVs we've recently tested: the Kia EV6 GT and the Chevy Blazer EV SS. Both pack big horsepower—615 ponies for the Chevy and 641 for the Kia—and both represent their lineup's highest trim level. But each takes a slightly different road in creating a modern, battery-powered version of the muscle-car idea. We pitted them head-to-head to figure out which one truly gets it right. One thing my wife and I agree on: Neither the EV6 GT's Yacht Blue Matte paint nor the Blazer EV SS's Habanero Orange hue would work in our upstairs bathroom. There's something unmistakably 1970s about both shades, which, in the case of our house, is exactly the vibe we're trying to toss out (along with the old shag carpet). But for these quick-accelerating all-wheel-drive EVs, both colors work. The as-tested $65,970 Kia, which recently underwent a minor renovation of its own, borrows performance upgrades from the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N and cements its position as the most fun Kia we've ever driven. The $64,280 Blazer EV SS, meanwhile, carries heavier expectations. Is the "Super Sport" SS badge, with decades of Camaro and Chevelle legacy to live up to, stolen valor? It's really not that deep. The reality is, the Blazer EV SS is easily the quickest-ever SS model to 60 mph. view interior Photos Marc Urbano | Car and Driver Blazer EV SS view interior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver Kia EV6 GT Interior and Exterior Both vehicles feature plenty of piano-black plastic, which at this point is essentially the OSB of the car-interior world. But these EVs attempt to spice things up with colorful stitching, and both have synthetic-leather seats with fabric inserts. The Blazer's front seats have all the bolstering of an Adirondack chair. Meanwhile, the EV6 GT's buckets could have been plucked from a Porsche Cayman. The Kia's steering wheel is nearly as thick as a modern BMW M car's, and its neon-green hash mark at the 12-o'clock position fuels its sports-car persona. The Chevy's wheel skips this detail in favor of an inlaid status bar for its standard Super Cruise hands-free tech. On paper, the two have identical rear passenger volume at 48 cubic feet, and you'd have to be wearing a stovepipe hat to use up the generous rear headroom of either SUV. However, the Blazer's rear seats don't recline, and they have a strange lump between the bottom and back cushion that aggravates the tailbone. You can recline in the EV6. view interior Photos Marc Urbano | Car and Driver Blazer EV SS view interior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver Kia EV6 GT We don't love how screen-dependent car interiors have become, but the trend is inescapable at this point. In the Blazer, even the headlights are toggled via the 17.7-inch Google-based touchscreen. Yet despite all of that screen, there's no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, as it uses Google Built-In instead. Worse, the design of the icons is ambiguous. The "settings" icon, for example, resembles an overinflated tire, while the icon for the camera looks more like a Kodak Brownie than anything I've taken pictures with in the past 30 years. The EV6 GT has similar pitfalls. A funky touchscreen panel operates climate controls, or you can swap to media-player functions, but we wish we could have both without the back-and-forth. Unlike the Blazer, the Kia does have wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility, but in an EV, that means there's inevitably that awkward juggling between Waze and the vehicle's built-in navigation to find a compatible charger on road trips. The Kia's move to an NACS plug improves compatibility with Tesla Superchargers, but most of those are 500-volt units, limiting the EV6's 800-volt system to lower peak charging speeds. At least Kia moved the charge port to the driver's-side rear (where it is on the Tesla Model S, 3, X, and Y), so you won't block the charger like a jerk. The charging port on the Blazer EV, which can also be used at a Tesla Supercharger, is just behind the driver's-side front wheel, and it can require you to nose in uncomfortably close to get the cord to reach. view exterior photos Marc Urbano | Car and Driver Blazer EV SS view exterior photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver Kia EV6 GT Powertrain and Performance The Blazer EV SS we tested weighed 5737 pounds—a whopping 831 more than the EV6 GT. But thanks to its 650 pound-feet of torque, it still lunges to 60 mph in 3.3 seconds. That's just ever so slightly behind the Kia, which hits the mark in 3.2 seconds. By the quarter-mile, however, the EV6 pulls further ahead: 11.2 seconds at 125 mph versus the Blazer's 11.8 at 117. Don't tell your Chevelle-loving uncle. Chevrolet Blazer EV SS Highs: Plenty quick enough to earn its storied badge, strong braking performance, solid EPA range. Lows: Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are AWOL, shapeless seats, chassis can't match Kia's sharpness. Verdict: The SS badge enters the electric age. The performance advantage of the EV6 GT is less decisive during passing maneuvers. The Kia rockets from 30 to 50 mph in just 1.8 seconds and from 50 to 70 mph in 2.1 seconds. In some give-and-take, the Blazer EV SS's times came out at 1.7 and 2.2 seconds, respectively. Minor differences aside, the Kia's acceleration manifests more urgently on the road. The Blazer's power is equally impressive, but it feels less immediate despite the Chevy's torque advantage. Both of these hot rods have robust brake equipment to slow their roll, and stopping is where the Blazer shines. The Blazer EV SS's binders are highlighted by standard six-piston Brembo calipers clamping 15.3-inch front rotors. That hardware, along with the optional Performance package's summer tires and higher-friction brake pads and rotors, hauled the SS to a stop from 70 mph in 157 feet and from 100 mph in 309 feet. The EV6 GT, with 15.0-inch front rotors and 14.2-inch rears, took a slightly longer 163 feet to stop from 70 mph and 331 feet from 100, despite its lower mass. view exterior photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver Driving Performance The EV6 GT is simply a pleasure to drive. It's super agile, especially when you've got the pedal down—so much so that you start wondering, "Who should I call when they arrest me?" Its steering is precise, its body control firm, and the electronic limited-slip differential on the rear axle allows for sharper turn-in. We prefer driving it with the goofy Virtual Gear Shift turned off—it's charming in the Ioniq 5 N, but the Kia's low redline and the fact that it's simulating a six-speed automatic make it feel like a gimmick here. view exterior photos Marc Urbano | Car and Driver The Blazer's Wide Open Watts (WOW) mode unleashes full power, and it's not as jarring to the senses as the video-game theatrics of the EV6. You can drive the SS like a madman, but it has its limits, and Chevy admits the vehicle is not designed for track days. Understeer arrives early, and skidpad grip was limited to 0.89 g, slightly less than the EV6 GT's 0.90 g. Still, that's considerably more than the last Blazer EV RS we tested (which wore all-season rubber), and the SS receives stiffer springs, beefier anti-roll bars, and updated dampers, all of which help it corner much better than lesser electric Blazers. Kia EV6 GT Highs: Righteously quick, plenty of fun to drive, speedy charging. Lows: Limited EPA range, uninspiring Virtual Gear Shift mode, some ergonomic oddities. Verdict: Performance and personality. One clear advantage of the Kia is charging speed. Its 84-kWh battery supports up to 240 kilowatts of peak DC fast-charging—faster than the Blazer's 190-kW rate for its 102-kWh pack. While we didn't test the Kia's fast-charge claim, the mechanically similar Ioniq 5 N charged from 10 to 90 percent in just 35 minutes, and we'd expect a similar performance from the Kia. The Blazer took 57 minutes to do the same. We weren't able to run these two through our 75-mph highway range test, but EPA estimates put the Blazer well ahead of the EV6. According to the Feds, the Chevy can travel up to 303 miles per charge, while the Kia does 231. view interior Photos Marc Urbano | Car and Driver Blazer EV SS view interior Photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver Kia EV6 GT And the Winner Is . . . During our two weeks with both vehicles, it was clear that our staffers favored the Kia over the Chevy. But why? view exterior photos Michael Simari | Car and Driver When it comes to driving dynamics, charging speed, and ergonomics, the EV6 GT is enjoyably more fierce. While the Blazer EV SS packs gobs of torque and practical driving range for daily use, it doesn't engender the same emotional connection. And making us giggle is of the utmost importance from any performance model. The Blazer EV SS is a great Blazer EV, but the EV6 GT is the more engaging performance machine. Want to see these vehicles' specs side-by-side? Check out the Chevrolet Blazer EV & Kia EV6 on our new compare tool. Compare Cars Specifications Specifications 2025 Chevrolet Blazer EV SS Vehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon PRICE Base/As Tested: $62,095/$64,280 Options: panoramic sunroof, $1495; Performance package (performance-oriented brake rotors and pads, summer tires), $395; dual-level charging cord, $295 POWERTRAIN Front Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC Rear Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC Combined Power: 615 hp Combined Torque: 650 lb-ft Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 102 kWh Onboard Charger: 11.5 kW Peak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 190 kW Transmissions, F/R: direct-drive CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink Brakes, F/R: 15.3-in vented disc/13.6-in vented disc Tires: Continental Premium Contact 6 275/40R-22 107V TPC Spec 3204 ContiSeal DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 121.8 in Length: 192.6 in Width: 78.0 in Height: 64.8 in Passenger Volume, F/R: 59/48 ft3 Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 60/26 ft3 Curb Weight: 5737 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 3.3 sec 100 mph: 8.3 sec 1/4-Mile: 11.8 sec @ 117 mph 130 mph: 15.6 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 3.5 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 1.7 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.2 sec Top Speed (gov ltd): 131 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 157 ft Braking, 100–0 mph: 309 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.89 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY AND CHARGING Observed: 69 MPGe 75-mph Highway Range: 250 mi Average DC Fast-Charge Rate, 10–90%: 101 kW DC Fast-Charge Time, 10–90%: 57 min EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 85/92/77 MPGe Range: 303 mi -- Specifications 2025 Kia EV6 GT Vehicle Type: front- and rear-motor, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon PRICE Base/As Tested: $65,275/$65,970 Options: Yacht Blue Matte paint, $695 POWERTRAIN Front Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC Rear Motor: permanent-magnet synchronous AC Combined Power: 641 hp Combined Torque: 568 lb-ft Battery Pack: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 84 kWh Onboard Charger: 10.9 kW Peak DC Fast-Charge Rate: 240 kW Transmissions, F/R: direct-drive CHASSIS Suspension, F/R: struts/multilink Brakes, F/R: 15.0-in vented disc/14.2-in vented disc Tires: Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 SUV 255/40R-21 102Y Sound Comfort DIMENSIONS Wheelbase: 114.2 in Length: 184.8 in Width: 74.4 in Height: 60.8 in Passenger Volume, F/R: 52/48 ft3 Cargo Volume, Behind F/R: 48/24 ft3 Curb Weight: 4906 lb C/D TEST RESULTS 60 mph: 3.2 sec 100 mph: 6.9 sec 1/4-Mile: 11.2 sec @ 125 mph 130 mph: 12.4 sec 150 mph: 19.3 sec Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.2 sec. Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 3.4 sec Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 1.8 sec Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 2.1 sec Top Speed (gov ltd): 166 mph Braking, 70–0 mph: 163 ft Braking, 100–0 mph: 331 ft Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.90 g C/D FUEL ECONOMY AND CHARGING Observed: 77 MPGe EPA FUEL ECONOMY Combined/City/Highway: 83/87/79 MPGe Range: 231 mi C/D TESTING EXPLAINED Reviewed by Austin Irwin Technical Editor Austin Irwin has worked for Car and Driver for over 10 years in various roles. He's steadily worked his way from an entry-level data entry position into driving vehicles for photography and video, and is now reviewing and testing cars. What will he do next? Who knows, but he better be fast.
Scottish Sun
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Kia EV6 GT is a ridiculously fast SUV that even boils your kettle – but can it beat a £158k Porsche 911 in a drag race?
The EV6 GT is actually £2,690 cheaper than it was previously KNOCKED FOR EV6 Kia EV6 GT is a ridiculously fast SUV that even boils your kettle – but can it beat a £158k Porsche 911 in a drag race? YOU join us at Santa Pod drag strip for a little 'run what ya brung' showdown. That's Sully in his box-fresh Golf R. 5 The new Kia G6 took on a Golf R and a Porsche 911 GT3 5 The newly-updated EV6 GT is faster than before 5 The EV6 GT smoked the others, doing 11.165 seconds and 124mph on the iconic Santa Pod gantry Credit: Ian Roman Nosh with his dreamy 911 GT3 Touring. Nice cars. Very nice cars. Except I'm going to smoke them in a Kia. Then make a cup of tea with it afterwards. Don't get me wrong, the Golf R is a lovely bit of kit. Nailed-on future classic. Sully's got 333 horses to play with and sticky four-wheel drive to go round significant corners at considerable speeds. But we're doing a quarter-mile drag race here, buddy. Eat my rubber. What can I say about Nosh's Porker? Dang. Inside Kia's refreshed Sportage including comfy cabin, punchy new looks and driving mode young families will love The noise — 510 horses, manual gearbox, red lines at 9,000rpm. No rear wing. Absolute weapon. Just stay away from those concrete barriers, eh, Noshy lad. They look hungry. Right, let's hit you with some times. The Golf R's quickest run was 12.5 seconds, reaching 110mph. The 911 edged it with 12.2 seconds and 119mph. Then it was my turn in Kia's EV6 GT. When electric cars accelerate — even the cheaper ones — they leave your head buried in the back of the headrest. This one, with 641 horses and 770Nm of torques, scrambles your eggs. Needless to say, we blitzed the £158k Porker by more than a second, flashing up 11.165 seconds and 124mph on the iconic Santa Pod gantry. Wallop. 5 The EV6 GT is faster than before, goes further, and recharges quicker Credit: Ian Roman With more road in front of us, like an unrestricted autobahn, we could have kept on pushing to a very un-Kia-like 161mph. New virtual gearshift technology adds simulated gear changes and fake engine sounds if you want them. Otherwise just pin it to win it. My new friend Nosh, an architect from Manchester, was clearly impressed. He said: 'It's amazing isn't it, ridiculously fast. "Eventually, when we have to, I'll probably get one. 'But I'm going to enjoy a manual gearshift and loud engines for as long as I can.' Fair play. He's owned some tasty motors over the years including a Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Porsche 930 Turbo 'Widowmaker'. Right, back on topic. Not only is the newly-updated EV6 GT faster than before, it goes further, recharges more quickerly — like 18 minutes — and the cabin's been given some love too. OUT goes the glossy piano black, replaced by less smudgy brushed plastic. IN comes lots of cool neon-green detailing. The twin-screen dash carries all the latest tech. You can use the car's power supply to boil a kettle or inflate an air bed on festival weekends. Last observation. Price. EV6 GT is actually £2,690 cheaper than before at £59,985. For a better car. Kia is going to take some catching at this rate. Key facts: KIA EV6 GT Price: £59,985 Battery: 84kWh Power: 641hp 0-62mph: 3.5 secs Top speed: 161mph Range: 279 miles Charging: 18 mins Drag time: 11.2 secs 5 The EV6 GT is £2,690 cheaper than before at £59,985 Credit: Ian Roman Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
The Irish Sun
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Kia EV6 GT is a ridiculously fast SUV that even boils your kettle – but can it beat a £158k Porsche 911 in a drag race?
YOU join us at Santa Pod drag strip for a little 'run what ya brung' showdown. That's Sully in his box-fresh 5 The new Kia G6 took on a Golf R and a Porsche 911 GT3 5 The newly-updated EV6 GT is faster than before 5 The EV6 GT smoked the others, doing 11.165 seconds and 124mph on the iconic Santa Pod gantry Credit: Ian Roman Nosh with his dreamy Nice cars. Very nice cars. Except I'm going to smoke them in a read more on motors Then make a cup of tea with it afterwards. Don't get me wrong, the Sully's got 333 horses to play with and sticky four-wheel drive to go round significant corners at considerable speeds. But we're doing a quarter-mile drag race here, buddy. Most read in Motors Eat my rubber. What can I say about Nosh's Porker? Dang. Inside Kia's refreshed Sportage including comfy cabin, punchy new looks and driving mode young families will love The noise — 510 horses, manual gearbox, red lines at 9,000rpm. No rear wing. Absolute weapon. Just stay away from those concrete barriers, eh, Noshy lad. They look hungry. Right, let's hit you with some times. The Golf R's quickest run was 12.5 seconds, reaching 110mph. The 911 edged it with 12.2 seconds and 119mph. Then it was my turn in Kia's EV6 GT. When electric cars accelerate — even the cheaper ones — they leave your head buried in the back of the headrest. This one, with 641 horses and 770Nm of torques, scrambles your eggs. Needless to say, we blitzed the £158k Porker by more than a second, flashing up 11.165 seconds and 124mph on the iconic Wallop. 5 The EV6 GT is faster than before, goes further, and recharges quicker Credit: Ian Roman With more road in front of us, like an unrestricted autobahn, we could have kept on pushing to a very un-Kia-like 161mph. New virtual gearshift technology adds simulated gear changes and fake engine sounds if you want them. Otherwise just pin it to win it. My new friend Nosh, an architect from Manchester, was clearly impressed. He said: 'It's amazing isn't it, ridiculously fast. "Eventually, when we have to, I'll probably get one. 'But I'm going to enjoy a manual gearshift and loud engines for as long as I can.' Fair play. He's owned some tasty motors over the years including a Ferrari 430 Scuderia and Porsche 930 Turbo 'Widowmaker'. Right, back on topic. Not only is the newly-updated EV6 GT faster than before, it goes further, recharges more quickerly — like 18 minutes — and the cabin's been given some love too. OUT goes the glossy piano black, replaced by less smudgy brushed plastic. IN comes lots of cool neon-green detailing. The twin-screen dash carries all the latest tech. You can use the car's power supply to boil a kettle or inflate an air bed on festival weekends. Last observation. Price. EV6 GT is actually £2,690 cheaper than before at £59,985. For a better car. Kia is going to take some catching at this rate. Key facts: KIA EV6 GT Price: £59,985 Battery: 84kWh Power: 641hp 0-62mph: 3.5 secs Top speed: 161mph Range: 279 miles Charging: 18 mins Drag time: 11.2 secs 5 The EV6 GT is £2,690 cheaper than before at £59,985 Credit: Ian Roman Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
The Advertiser
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Advertiser
2025 Kia EV6 GT review: Quick drive
Kia EV6 Pros Kia EV6 Cons Kia EV6 Pros Kia EV6 Cons The original Kia EV6 GT took the Korean automaker to new heights, promising supercar-like performance from a stonking 430kW dual-motor electric drivetrain in the brand's pioneering dedicated electric SUV. But while it had various chassis and hardware revisions to cope with that power, it always felt like it was a very fast electric vehicle (EV) that was good in a straight line and not a lot else, rather than being a properly sorted high-performance machine – and that's an important distinction to make. Now here's the new facelifted version, coming with much of the hardware that has won the outstanding Hyundai Ioniq 5 N such critical plaudits. Some of this might be controversial – such as the simulated gearshifts and synthesised engine noises – but we're hoping for great things from the updated EV6 GT. Our first taste of Kia's latest high-performance EV took place on some of the very best driving roads that Scotland has to offer. Australian pricing for the upgraded EV6 GT has not yet been confirmed, but we're hopeful it will come in somewhere around – or better still below – the current model's $99,590 plus on-roads sticker. Indeed, in certain markets, despite a hike in peak power and the extra equipment fitted to the new GT, Kia has actually priced it at a marginally lower level than its predecessor. Whether that will be the case here or not, as long as it is a few thousand dollars cheaper than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N ($110,303 before on-roads), it ought to be tempting for buyers looking for a thrilling zero-emissions sports car. It also seems excellent value for the sheer amount of performance on offer, when you consider a basic EV6 Air comes in at $72,590 in pre-facelift guise. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool The Kia EV6 has always been blessed with a high-quality, well-appointed interior, and with the rest of the range having already received its facelift, the GT now joins ranks with the latest passenger compartment. Based on the E-GMP platform, there's a completely flat floor throughout the EV6's cabin, which helps with practicality issues. Not just in the rear, where three adults could all sit side-by-side for shorter journeys without being too cramped, but in the front, which allows for the floating central console area. This is based upon the armrest area between the seats, where you'll find switchgear for the climate seats, the vehicle's power-up button, its rotary drive selector and also some cupholders, a storage area and a wireless smartphone charging pad. Up front are the twin 12.3-inch digital screens, for both the infotainment touchscreen and the instrument cluster, plus a customisable head-up display for the driver too. Further, Kia has kept the clever strip of digital 'buttons' on the centre of the EV6 GT's fascia, which can be switched from navigation and audio functions to climate-control shortcuts by toggling an icon on its left-hand side. All of the digital real estate works very well and looks sharp, so the EV6 still feels thoroughly up-to-date and ergonomically correct inside. That just leaves the GT-specific details, including an absolutely glorious pair of deeply sculpted bucket seats up front, which are mounted at just the right height – sitting the driver nice and low in the Kia's body. These are adorned with Neon Green stitching (a colour repeated on the GT's brake calipers on the outside of the vehicle) and a centre stripe in the same colour, and the hue is repeated again for the centres of the air vents, the stitching and 12 o'clock marker on the steering wheel, and then the most important button in the car – the 'GT Mode' switch hanging off the wheel's left-hand spoke, which when pressed puts the GT into its full 478kW attack-dog setting. The general fit-and-finish of the EV6 GT's interior cannot be questioned, nor is there much to fault with how intuitive it is to operate some of its systems – turning off lane-keep assist and the speed-limit warning, for instance, is simply a case of holding down two buttons on the steering wheel for a few seconds, rather than fiddling around with the central touchscreen. In terms of practicality, rear-seat passenger space is notably generous, although there's not much place to put your feet underneath the floor-hugging front seats, while the boot swallows a handy 480 litres with all seats in use, rising to 1260L with the second row folded away. There's a further 20L of 'front boot' in the Kia, too. Therefore, the only slight complaint you might level at the GT is that, for a 478kW machine which can accelerate from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.5 seconds, the cabin isn't particularly flashy, nor massively different from that in an entry-level EV6. Neither of those things, though, are dealbreakers in our opinion. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool Kia has adopted the even-more-powerful dual motors of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, which raises the EV6 GT's already-beefy outputs from the previous 430kW/740Nm peaks to an even more colossal 478kW/770Nm. Due to a slightly enlarged battery pack – increased by eight per cent from 77.4kWh to 84kWh (80kWh of this is usable) – the weight of the Kia has crept up to 2200kg, which means the two chief on-paper metrics are no different, and no less staggering, than they were before: Kia says 0-100km/h takes 3.5 seconds and the EV6 GT will top out at 260km/h. The theoretical maximum quoted range of the GT has also improved as a result of the technical changes, with Kia quoting 450km of one-shot range. Of course, if you start enjoying the pleasures of the 478kW motors, that will soon decrease as a result of the consumption ramping up from the official 20.7kWh/100km, to more like 28.2kWh/100km – which is what we saw on test. Kia has improved the maximum DC fast-charging rate of the EV6 GT, also by eight per cent, to a new peak of 258kW. It therefore preserves its predecessor's 18-minute 10-80 per cent DC charging time despite the increased battery capacity, thanks to the advanced 800-volt electrical architecture. A 10-100 per cent charge on an 11kW AC connection will take slightly more than seven and a half hours. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool It takes all of 50 to 100 metres behind the wheel of the new EV6 GT to realise the Hyundai N-inspired changes have made this a wholly different proposition to the model it replaces. There's an inherent quality feel to the damping, in everything it does, that shines through in the way the GT oozes over speed humps at walking pace, to the effortless manner in which it smothers off crumbling urban road surfaces at up to 50km/h, to the general dignified comportment it has at 100km/h and more. Don't get us wrong, the 21-inch wheels at all corners are sometimes discernible as unsprung mass, thudding through bigger imperfections in the asphalt, and there's always an underlying firmness to the Kia's secondary ride that speaks volumes of its singular intent to engage its driver at the limit. But the EV6 GT is never uncomfortable nor overtly noisy, so as a day-to-day EV it still does the basics to a high enough standard to excel. Yet the handling is also notably sharpened, the car's weighty, informative and linear steering a real pleasure to use. It commands a front-end which is remarkably eager to get itself turned into bends, in turn teaming with the actions of the rear-mounted electronically controlled limited-slip differential to bless the 2.2-tonne GT with an agility and liveliness at odds with its mass. No doubt about it, the revised EV6 GT is a substantial improvement over the car it replaces, and one of the best-driving EVs you can buy right now. It isn't, however, operating quite at the exalted levels of the Ioniq 5 N. Whether that bothers you or not will depend on how demanding a driver you are. Maybe the fact this ultra-rapid Kia is called 'GT' in the first place, and it has a more elegant, smoother and less in-your-face shape than the Hyundai, means it all marries up better into an ideological whole – a slightly more discreet way of going ridiculously fast in your EV. Ultimately, though, it just feels like Kia didn't quite commit (or was allowed to commit) to all the fancy chassis trickery and potentially divisive systems that mimic aspects of internal-combustion motoring that make the 5 N such a thoroughly delightful steer. The key issues come with the Virtual Gear Shift (VGS) set-up in the EV6 GT, and the Active Sound Design (ASD) noises. On the former, the Kia only has six 'ratios' in its pseudo-gearbox, whereas the 5 N has eight. Interrupting torque delivery from its mighty electric motors to simulate a dual-clutch transmission swapping from cog to cog, it's a good system in the EV6 GT, but it needs more revs. By this, we mean that the instrument cluster shows a tacho when you're in full GT Mode and using the VGS – and the car 'revs' to a maximum of 6500rpm. Blasting through the gears in incredibly short order, due to the outrageous acceleration the GT can summon up from pretty much any road speed you care to choose, adds up to a driving experience that feels like it is copying a big-hearted turbo-diesel, rather than a high-revving petrol rngine tuned to provide plenty of driving fun. And the ASD is nowhere near as successful as the same system in the 5 N, which imitates the four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine from the revered i30 N hot hatch. In the Kia, there's just a thick, cloying, buzzy noise that doesn't sound much like any engine at all. You can switch it through four modes – loud, medium, quiet and off – but even in the first of these, it's subdued and not massively enticing. Kia could've made this car sound like the wonderful old Stinger V6, but didn't. And that's a shame. In isolation, then, you'd drive the Kia EV6 GT and rightly think it was brilliant. But it can never quite replicate that magic trick the Hyundai pulls off, where – at its very best – it can make you forget it's an EV and instead hoodwink you into believing you're driving a big petrol hot hatch. In the Kia, that otherworldly dynamic moment never quite comes. It's very, very close to greatness… but misses it by a matter of mere inches. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool As you'd expect with a Kia, especially in a top-end variant like this, you get pretty much everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. While we're still awaiting confirmation of the price of the revised EV6, and therefore the specifications for our market, we'd expect the car to have the lengthy kit list outlined below, plus much more besides. 2025 Kia EV6 GT equipment highlights: To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool The Kia EV6 range was subjected to ANCAP safety testing in 2022 when it picked up five stars, but that rating explicitly excludes the GT flagship. Nevertheless, with its healthy standard roster of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), it's likely to be every bit as safe as the rest of the EV6 lineup. Standard safety equipment includes: To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool Not only is the Kia EV6 GT an electric vehicle, making it cheap to run – provided you have access to home charging – it comes with the Korean firm's excellent customer service back-up. A seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, up to eight years of roadside assistance cover, and capped-price servicing for seven years or 105,000km mean there can't be many 3.5-second 0-100km/h cars that are more affordable to run than this. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool Make no mistake, the updated Kia EV6 GT is a fantastic performance EV and one of the very finest vehicles of its type. Smart looks on the outside, the usual high-quality cabin within, and a much-improved chassis plus even more power and range all add up to a compelling zero-emissions package. There's the tiny, nagging feeling, however, that if Kia had just gone all out on the VGS, ASD and chassis tuning, we could've been talking about an all-time great here. As it is, we'll settle for the fact Kia has regardless created something quite superb, and therefore we're incredibly happy that the 478kW GT exists. Interested in buying a Kia EV6? Let CarExpert find you the best deal hereMORE: Explore the Kia EV6 showroom Content originally sourced from: Kia EV6 Pros Kia EV6 Cons Kia EV6 Pros Kia EV6 Cons The original Kia EV6 GT took the Korean automaker to new heights, promising supercar-like performance from a stonking 430kW dual-motor electric drivetrain in the brand's pioneering dedicated electric SUV. But while it had various chassis and hardware revisions to cope with that power, it always felt like it was a very fast electric vehicle (EV) that was good in a straight line and not a lot else, rather than being a properly sorted high-performance machine – and that's an important distinction to make. Now here's the new facelifted version, coming with much of the hardware that has won the outstanding Hyundai Ioniq 5 N such critical plaudits. Some of this might be controversial – such as the simulated gearshifts and synthesised engine noises – but we're hoping for great things from the updated EV6 GT. Our first taste of Kia's latest high-performance EV took place on some of the very best driving roads that Scotland has to offer. Australian pricing for the upgraded EV6 GT has not yet been confirmed, but we're hopeful it will come in somewhere around – or better still below – the current model's $99,590 plus on-roads sticker. Indeed, in certain markets, despite a hike in peak power and the extra equipment fitted to the new GT, Kia has actually priced it at a marginally lower level than its predecessor. Whether that will be the case here or not, as long as it is a few thousand dollars cheaper than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N ($110,303 before on-roads), it ought to be tempting for buyers looking for a thrilling zero-emissions sports car. It also seems excellent value for the sheer amount of performance on offer, when you consider a basic EV6 Air comes in at $72,590 in pre-facelift guise. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool The Kia EV6 has always been blessed with a high-quality, well-appointed interior, and with the rest of the range having already received its facelift, the GT now joins ranks with the latest passenger compartment. Based on the E-GMP platform, there's a completely flat floor throughout the EV6's cabin, which helps with practicality issues. Not just in the rear, where three adults could all sit side-by-side for shorter journeys without being too cramped, but in the front, which allows for the floating central console area. This is based upon the armrest area between the seats, where you'll find switchgear for the climate seats, the vehicle's power-up button, its rotary drive selector and also some cupholders, a storage area and a wireless smartphone charging pad. Up front are the twin 12.3-inch digital screens, for both the infotainment touchscreen and the instrument cluster, plus a customisable head-up display for the driver too. Further, Kia has kept the clever strip of digital 'buttons' on the centre of the EV6 GT's fascia, which can be switched from navigation and audio functions to climate-control shortcuts by toggling an icon on its left-hand side. All of the digital real estate works very well and looks sharp, so the EV6 still feels thoroughly up-to-date and ergonomically correct inside. That just leaves the GT-specific details, including an absolutely glorious pair of deeply sculpted bucket seats up front, which are mounted at just the right height – sitting the driver nice and low in the Kia's body. These are adorned with Neon Green stitching (a colour repeated on the GT's brake calipers on the outside of the vehicle) and a centre stripe in the same colour, and the hue is repeated again for the centres of the air vents, the stitching and 12 o'clock marker on the steering wheel, and then the most important button in the car – the 'GT Mode' switch hanging off the wheel's left-hand spoke, which when pressed puts the GT into its full 478kW attack-dog setting. The general fit-and-finish of the EV6 GT's interior cannot be questioned, nor is there much to fault with how intuitive it is to operate some of its systems – turning off lane-keep assist and the speed-limit warning, for instance, is simply a case of holding down two buttons on the steering wheel for a few seconds, rather than fiddling around with the central touchscreen. In terms of practicality, rear-seat passenger space is notably generous, although there's not much place to put your feet underneath the floor-hugging front seats, while the boot swallows a handy 480 litres with all seats in use, rising to 1260L with the second row folded away. There's a further 20L of 'front boot' in the Kia, too. Therefore, the only slight complaint you might level at the GT is that, for a 478kW machine which can accelerate from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.5 seconds, the cabin isn't particularly flashy, nor massively different from that in an entry-level EV6. Neither of those things, though, are dealbreakers in our opinion. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool Kia has adopted the even-more-powerful dual motors of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, which raises the EV6 GT's already-beefy outputs from the previous 430kW/740Nm peaks to an even more colossal 478kW/770Nm. Due to a slightly enlarged battery pack – increased by eight per cent from 77.4kWh to 84kWh (80kWh of this is usable) – the weight of the Kia has crept up to 2200kg, which means the two chief on-paper metrics are no different, and no less staggering, than they were before: Kia says 0-100km/h takes 3.5 seconds and the EV6 GT will top out at 260km/h. The theoretical maximum quoted range of the GT has also improved as a result of the technical changes, with Kia quoting 450km of one-shot range. Of course, if you start enjoying the pleasures of the 478kW motors, that will soon decrease as a result of the consumption ramping up from the official 20.7kWh/100km, to more like 28.2kWh/100km – which is what we saw on test. Kia has improved the maximum DC fast-charging rate of the EV6 GT, also by eight per cent, to a new peak of 258kW. It therefore preserves its predecessor's 18-minute 10-80 per cent DC charging time despite the increased battery capacity, thanks to the advanced 800-volt electrical architecture. A 10-100 per cent charge on an 11kW AC connection will take slightly more than seven and a half hours. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool It takes all of 50 to 100 metres behind the wheel of the new EV6 GT to realise the Hyundai N-inspired changes have made this a wholly different proposition to the model it replaces. There's an inherent quality feel to the damping, in everything it does, that shines through in the way the GT oozes over speed humps at walking pace, to the effortless manner in which it smothers off crumbling urban road surfaces at up to 50km/h, to the general dignified comportment it has at 100km/h and more. Don't get us wrong, the 21-inch wheels at all corners are sometimes discernible as unsprung mass, thudding through bigger imperfections in the asphalt, and there's always an underlying firmness to the Kia's secondary ride that speaks volumes of its singular intent to engage its driver at the limit. But the EV6 GT is never uncomfortable nor overtly noisy, so as a day-to-day EV it still does the basics to a high enough standard to excel. Yet the handling is also notably sharpened, the car's weighty, informative and linear steering a real pleasure to use. It commands a front-end which is remarkably eager to get itself turned into bends, in turn teaming with the actions of the rear-mounted electronically controlled limited-slip differential to bless the 2.2-tonne GT with an agility and liveliness at odds with its mass. No doubt about it, the revised EV6 GT is a substantial improvement over the car it replaces, and one of the best-driving EVs you can buy right now. It isn't, however, operating quite at the exalted levels of the Ioniq 5 N. Whether that bothers you or not will depend on how demanding a driver you are. Maybe the fact this ultra-rapid Kia is called 'GT' in the first place, and it has a more elegant, smoother and less in-your-face shape than the Hyundai, means it all marries up better into an ideological whole – a slightly more discreet way of going ridiculously fast in your EV. Ultimately, though, it just feels like Kia didn't quite commit (or was allowed to commit) to all the fancy chassis trickery and potentially divisive systems that mimic aspects of internal-combustion motoring that make the 5 N such a thoroughly delightful steer. The key issues come with the Virtual Gear Shift (VGS) set-up in the EV6 GT, and the Active Sound Design (ASD) noises. On the former, the Kia only has six 'ratios' in its pseudo-gearbox, whereas the 5 N has eight. Interrupting torque delivery from its mighty electric motors to simulate a dual-clutch transmission swapping from cog to cog, it's a good system in the EV6 GT, but it needs more revs. By this, we mean that the instrument cluster shows a tacho when you're in full GT Mode and using the VGS – and the car 'revs' to a maximum of 6500rpm. Blasting through the gears in incredibly short order, due to the outrageous acceleration the GT can summon up from pretty much any road speed you care to choose, adds up to a driving experience that feels like it is copying a big-hearted turbo-diesel, rather than a high-revving petrol rngine tuned to provide plenty of driving fun. And the ASD is nowhere near as successful as the same system in the 5 N, which imitates the four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine from the revered i30 N hot hatch. In the Kia, there's just a thick, cloying, buzzy noise that doesn't sound much like any engine at all. You can switch it through four modes – loud, medium, quiet and off – but even in the first of these, it's subdued and not massively enticing. Kia could've made this car sound like the wonderful old Stinger V6, but didn't. And that's a shame. In isolation, then, you'd drive the Kia EV6 GT and rightly think it was brilliant. But it can never quite replicate that magic trick the Hyundai pulls off, where – at its very best – it can make you forget it's an EV and instead hoodwink you into believing you're driving a big petrol hot hatch. In the Kia, that otherworldly dynamic moment never quite comes. It's very, very close to greatness… but misses it by a matter of mere inches. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool As you'd expect with a Kia, especially in a top-end variant like this, you get pretty much everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. While we're still awaiting confirmation of the price of the revised EV6, and therefore the specifications for our market, we'd expect the car to have the lengthy kit list outlined below, plus much more besides. 2025 Kia EV6 GT equipment highlights: To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool The Kia EV6 range was subjected to ANCAP safety testing in 2022 when it picked up five stars, but that rating explicitly excludes the GT flagship. Nevertheless, with its healthy standard roster of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), it's likely to be every bit as safe as the rest of the EV6 lineup. Standard safety equipment includes: To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool Not only is the Kia EV6 GT an electric vehicle, making it cheap to run – provided you have access to home charging – it comes with the Korean firm's excellent customer service back-up. A seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, up to eight years of roadside assistance cover, and capped-price servicing for seven years or 105,000km mean there can't be many 3.5-second 0-100km/h cars that are more affordable to run than this. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool Make no mistake, the updated Kia EV6 GT is a fantastic performance EV and one of the very finest vehicles of its type. Smart looks on the outside, the usual high-quality cabin within, and a much-improved chassis plus even more power and range all add up to a compelling zero-emissions package. There's the tiny, nagging feeling, however, that if Kia had just gone all out on the VGS, ASD and chassis tuning, we could've been talking about an all-time great here. As it is, we'll settle for the fact Kia has regardless created something quite superb, and therefore we're incredibly happy that the 478kW GT exists. Interested in buying a Kia EV6? Let CarExpert find you the best deal hereMORE: Explore the Kia EV6 showroom Content originally sourced from: Kia EV6 Pros Kia EV6 Cons Kia EV6 Pros Kia EV6 Cons The original Kia EV6 GT took the Korean automaker to new heights, promising supercar-like performance from a stonking 430kW dual-motor electric drivetrain in the brand's pioneering dedicated electric SUV. But while it had various chassis and hardware revisions to cope with that power, it always felt like it was a very fast electric vehicle (EV) that was good in a straight line and not a lot else, rather than being a properly sorted high-performance machine – and that's an important distinction to make. Now here's the new facelifted version, coming with much of the hardware that has won the outstanding Hyundai Ioniq 5 N such critical plaudits. Some of this might be controversial – such as the simulated gearshifts and synthesised engine noises – but we're hoping for great things from the updated EV6 GT. Our first taste of Kia's latest high-performance EV took place on some of the very best driving roads that Scotland has to offer. Australian pricing for the upgraded EV6 GT has not yet been confirmed, but we're hopeful it will come in somewhere around – or better still below – the current model's $99,590 plus on-roads sticker. Indeed, in certain markets, despite a hike in peak power and the extra equipment fitted to the new GT, Kia has actually priced it at a marginally lower level than its predecessor. Whether that will be the case here or not, as long as it is a few thousand dollars cheaper than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N ($110,303 before on-roads), it ought to be tempting for buyers looking for a thrilling zero-emissions sports car. It also seems excellent value for the sheer amount of performance on offer, when you consider a basic EV6 Air comes in at $72,590 in pre-facelift guise. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool The Kia EV6 has always been blessed with a high-quality, well-appointed interior, and with the rest of the range having already received its facelift, the GT now joins ranks with the latest passenger compartment. Based on the E-GMP platform, there's a completely flat floor throughout the EV6's cabin, which helps with practicality issues. Not just in the rear, where three adults could all sit side-by-side for shorter journeys without being too cramped, but in the front, which allows for the floating central console area. This is based upon the armrest area between the seats, where you'll find switchgear for the climate seats, the vehicle's power-up button, its rotary drive selector and also some cupholders, a storage area and a wireless smartphone charging pad. Up front are the twin 12.3-inch digital screens, for both the infotainment touchscreen and the instrument cluster, plus a customisable head-up display for the driver too. Further, Kia has kept the clever strip of digital 'buttons' on the centre of the EV6 GT's fascia, which can be switched from navigation and audio functions to climate-control shortcuts by toggling an icon on its left-hand side. All of the digital real estate works very well and looks sharp, so the EV6 still feels thoroughly up-to-date and ergonomically correct inside. That just leaves the GT-specific details, including an absolutely glorious pair of deeply sculpted bucket seats up front, which are mounted at just the right height – sitting the driver nice and low in the Kia's body. These are adorned with Neon Green stitching (a colour repeated on the GT's brake calipers on the outside of the vehicle) and a centre stripe in the same colour, and the hue is repeated again for the centres of the air vents, the stitching and 12 o'clock marker on the steering wheel, and then the most important button in the car – the 'GT Mode' switch hanging off the wheel's left-hand spoke, which when pressed puts the GT into its full 478kW attack-dog setting. The general fit-and-finish of the EV6 GT's interior cannot be questioned, nor is there much to fault with how intuitive it is to operate some of its systems – turning off lane-keep assist and the speed-limit warning, for instance, is simply a case of holding down two buttons on the steering wheel for a few seconds, rather than fiddling around with the central touchscreen. In terms of practicality, rear-seat passenger space is notably generous, although there's not much place to put your feet underneath the floor-hugging front seats, while the boot swallows a handy 480 litres with all seats in use, rising to 1260L with the second row folded away. There's a further 20L of 'front boot' in the Kia, too. Therefore, the only slight complaint you might level at the GT is that, for a 478kW machine which can accelerate from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.5 seconds, the cabin isn't particularly flashy, nor massively different from that in an entry-level EV6. Neither of those things, though, are dealbreakers in our opinion. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool Kia has adopted the even-more-powerful dual motors of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, which raises the EV6 GT's already-beefy outputs from the previous 430kW/740Nm peaks to an even more colossal 478kW/770Nm. Due to a slightly enlarged battery pack – increased by eight per cent from 77.4kWh to 84kWh (80kWh of this is usable) – the weight of the Kia has crept up to 2200kg, which means the two chief on-paper metrics are no different, and no less staggering, than they were before: Kia says 0-100km/h takes 3.5 seconds and the EV6 GT will top out at 260km/h. The theoretical maximum quoted range of the GT has also improved as a result of the technical changes, with Kia quoting 450km of one-shot range. Of course, if you start enjoying the pleasures of the 478kW motors, that will soon decrease as a result of the consumption ramping up from the official 20.7kWh/100km, to more like 28.2kWh/100km – which is what we saw on test. Kia has improved the maximum DC fast-charging rate of the EV6 GT, also by eight per cent, to a new peak of 258kW. It therefore preserves its predecessor's 18-minute 10-80 per cent DC charging time despite the increased battery capacity, thanks to the advanced 800-volt electrical architecture. A 10-100 per cent charge on an 11kW AC connection will take slightly more than seven and a half hours. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool It takes all of 50 to 100 metres behind the wheel of the new EV6 GT to realise the Hyundai N-inspired changes have made this a wholly different proposition to the model it replaces. There's an inherent quality feel to the damping, in everything it does, that shines through in the way the GT oozes over speed humps at walking pace, to the effortless manner in which it smothers off crumbling urban road surfaces at up to 50km/h, to the general dignified comportment it has at 100km/h and more. Don't get us wrong, the 21-inch wheels at all corners are sometimes discernible as unsprung mass, thudding through bigger imperfections in the asphalt, and there's always an underlying firmness to the Kia's secondary ride that speaks volumes of its singular intent to engage its driver at the limit. But the EV6 GT is never uncomfortable nor overtly noisy, so as a day-to-day EV it still does the basics to a high enough standard to excel. Yet the handling is also notably sharpened, the car's weighty, informative and linear steering a real pleasure to use. It commands a front-end which is remarkably eager to get itself turned into bends, in turn teaming with the actions of the rear-mounted electronically controlled limited-slip differential to bless the 2.2-tonne GT with an agility and liveliness at odds with its mass. No doubt about it, the revised EV6 GT is a substantial improvement over the car it replaces, and one of the best-driving EVs you can buy right now. It isn't, however, operating quite at the exalted levels of the Ioniq 5 N. Whether that bothers you or not will depend on how demanding a driver you are. Maybe the fact this ultra-rapid Kia is called 'GT' in the first place, and it has a more elegant, smoother and less in-your-face shape than the Hyundai, means it all marries up better into an ideological whole – a slightly more discreet way of going ridiculously fast in your EV. Ultimately, though, it just feels like Kia didn't quite commit (or was allowed to commit) to all the fancy chassis trickery and potentially divisive systems that mimic aspects of internal-combustion motoring that make the 5 N such a thoroughly delightful steer. The key issues come with the Virtual Gear Shift (VGS) set-up in the EV6 GT, and the Active Sound Design (ASD) noises. On the former, the Kia only has six 'ratios' in its pseudo-gearbox, whereas the 5 N has eight. Interrupting torque delivery from its mighty electric motors to simulate a dual-clutch transmission swapping from cog to cog, it's a good system in the EV6 GT, but it needs more revs. By this, we mean that the instrument cluster shows a tacho when you're in full GT Mode and using the VGS – and the car 'revs' to a maximum of 6500rpm. Blasting through the gears in incredibly short order, due to the outrageous acceleration the GT can summon up from pretty much any road speed you care to choose, adds up to a driving experience that feels like it is copying a big-hearted turbo-diesel, rather than a high-revving petrol rngine tuned to provide plenty of driving fun. And the ASD is nowhere near as successful as the same system in the 5 N, which imitates the four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine from the revered i30 N hot hatch. In the Kia, there's just a thick, cloying, buzzy noise that doesn't sound much like any engine at all. You can switch it through four modes – loud, medium, quiet and off – but even in the first of these, it's subdued and not massively enticing. Kia could've made this car sound like the wonderful old Stinger V6, but didn't. And that's a shame. In isolation, then, you'd drive the Kia EV6 GT and rightly think it was brilliant. But it can never quite replicate that magic trick the Hyundai pulls off, where – at its very best – it can make you forget it's an EV and instead hoodwink you into believing you're driving a big petrol hot hatch. In the Kia, that otherworldly dynamic moment never quite comes. It's very, very close to greatness… but misses it by a matter of mere inches. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool As you'd expect with a Kia, especially in a top-end variant like this, you get pretty much everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. While we're still awaiting confirmation of the price of the revised EV6, and therefore the specifications for our market, we'd expect the car to have the lengthy kit list outlined below, plus much more besides. 2025 Kia EV6 GT equipment highlights: To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool The Kia EV6 range was subjected to ANCAP safety testing in 2022 when it picked up five stars, but that rating explicitly excludes the GT flagship. Nevertheless, with its healthy standard roster of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), it's likely to be every bit as safe as the rest of the EV6 lineup. Standard safety equipment includes: To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool Not only is the Kia EV6 GT an electric vehicle, making it cheap to run – provided you have access to home charging – it comes with the Korean firm's excellent customer service back-up. A seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, up to eight years of roadside assistance cover, and capped-price servicing for seven years or 105,000km mean there can't be many 3.5-second 0-100km/h cars that are more affordable to run than this. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool Make no mistake, the updated Kia EV6 GT is a fantastic performance EV and one of the very finest vehicles of its type. Smart looks on the outside, the usual high-quality cabin within, and a much-improved chassis plus even more power and range all add up to a compelling zero-emissions package. There's the tiny, nagging feeling, however, that if Kia had just gone all out on the VGS, ASD and chassis tuning, we could've been talking about an all-time great here. As it is, we'll settle for the fact Kia has regardless created something quite superb, and therefore we're incredibly happy that the 478kW GT exists. Interested in buying a Kia EV6? Let CarExpert find you the best deal hereMORE: Explore the Kia EV6 showroom Content originally sourced from: Kia EV6 Pros Kia EV6 Cons Kia EV6 Pros Kia EV6 Cons The original Kia EV6 GT took the Korean automaker to new heights, promising supercar-like performance from a stonking 430kW dual-motor electric drivetrain in the brand's pioneering dedicated electric SUV. But while it had various chassis and hardware revisions to cope with that power, it always felt like it was a very fast electric vehicle (EV) that was good in a straight line and not a lot else, rather than being a properly sorted high-performance machine – and that's an important distinction to make. Now here's the new facelifted version, coming with much of the hardware that has won the outstanding Hyundai Ioniq 5 N such critical plaudits. Some of this might be controversial – such as the simulated gearshifts and synthesised engine noises – but we're hoping for great things from the updated EV6 GT. Our first taste of Kia's latest high-performance EV took place on some of the very best driving roads that Scotland has to offer. Australian pricing for the upgraded EV6 GT has not yet been confirmed, but we're hopeful it will come in somewhere around – or better still below – the current model's $99,590 plus on-roads sticker. Indeed, in certain markets, despite a hike in peak power and the extra equipment fitted to the new GT, Kia has actually priced it at a marginally lower level than its predecessor. Whether that will be the case here or not, as long as it is a few thousand dollars cheaper than the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N ($110,303 before on-roads), it ought to be tempting for buyers looking for a thrilling zero-emissions sports car. It also seems excellent value for the sheer amount of performance on offer, when you consider a basic EV6 Air comes in at $72,590 in pre-facelift guise. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool The Kia EV6 has always been blessed with a high-quality, well-appointed interior, and with the rest of the range having already received its facelift, the GT now joins ranks with the latest passenger compartment. Based on the E-GMP platform, there's a completely flat floor throughout the EV6's cabin, which helps with practicality issues. Not just in the rear, where three adults could all sit side-by-side for shorter journeys without being too cramped, but in the front, which allows for the floating central console area. This is based upon the armrest area between the seats, where you'll find switchgear for the climate seats, the vehicle's power-up button, its rotary drive selector and also some cupholders, a storage area and a wireless smartphone charging pad. Up front are the twin 12.3-inch digital screens, for both the infotainment touchscreen and the instrument cluster, plus a customisable head-up display for the driver too. Further, Kia has kept the clever strip of digital 'buttons' on the centre of the EV6 GT's fascia, which can be switched from navigation and audio functions to climate-control shortcuts by toggling an icon on its left-hand side. All of the digital real estate works very well and looks sharp, so the EV6 still feels thoroughly up-to-date and ergonomically correct inside. That just leaves the GT-specific details, including an absolutely glorious pair of deeply sculpted bucket seats up front, which are mounted at just the right height – sitting the driver nice and low in the Kia's body. These are adorned with Neon Green stitching (a colour repeated on the GT's brake calipers on the outside of the vehicle) and a centre stripe in the same colour, and the hue is repeated again for the centres of the air vents, the stitching and 12 o'clock marker on the steering wheel, and then the most important button in the car – the 'GT Mode' switch hanging off the wheel's left-hand spoke, which when pressed puts the GT into its full 478kW attack-dog setting. The general fit-and-finish of the EV6 GT's interior cannot be questioned, nor is there much to fault with how intuitive it is to operate some of its systems – turning off lane-keep assist and the speed-limit warning, for instance, is simply a case of holding down two buttons on the steering wheel for a few seconds, rather than fiddling around with the central touchscreen. In terms of practicality, rear-seat passenger space is notably generous, although there's not much place to put your feet underneath the floor-hugging front seats, while the boot swallows a handy 480 litres with all seats in use, rising to 1260L with the second row folded away. There's a further 20L of 'front boot' in the Kia, too. Therefore, the only slight complaint you might level at the GT is that, for a 478kW machine which can accelerate from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.5 seconds, the cabin isn't particularly flashy, nor massively different from that in an entry-level EV6. Neither of those things, though, are dealbreakers in our opinion. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool Kia has adopted the even-more-powerful dual motors of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, which raises the EV6 GT's already-beefy outputs from the previous 430kW/740Nm peaks to an even more colossal 478kW/770Nm. Due to a slightly enlarged battery pack – increased by eight per cent from 77.4kWh to 84kWh (80kWh of this is usable) – the weight of the Kia has crept up to 2200kg, which means the two chief on-paper metrics are no different, and no less staggering, than they were before: Kia says 0-100km/h takes 3.5 seconds and the EV6 GT will top out at 260km/h. The theoretical maximum quoted range of the GT has also improved as a result of the technical changes, with Kia quoting 450km of one-shot range. Of course, if you start enjoying the pleasures of the 478kW motors, that will soon decrease as a result of the consumption ramping up from the official 20.7kWh/100km, to more like 28.2kWh/100km – which is what we saw on test. Kia has improved the maximum DC fast-charging rate of the EV6 GT, also by eight per cent, to a new peak of 258kW. It therefore preserves its predecessor's 18-minute 10-80 per cent DC charging time despite the increased battery capacity, thanks to the advanced 800-volt electrical architecture. A 10-100 per cent charge on an 11kW AC connection will take slightly more than seven and a half hours. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool It takes all of 50 to 100 metres behind the wheel of the new EV6 GT to realise the Hyundai N-inspired changes have made this a wholly different proposition to the model it replaces. There's an inherent quality feel to the damping, in everything it does, that shines through in the way the GT oozes over speed humps at walking pace, to the effortless manner in which it smothers off crumbling urban road surfaces at up to 50km/h, to the general dignified comportment it has at 100km/h and more. Don't get us wrong, the 21-inch wheels at all corners are sometimes discernible as unsprung mass, thudding through bigger imperfections in the asphalt, and there's always an underlying firmness to the Kia's secondary ride that speaks volumes of its singular intent to engage its driver at the limit. But the EV6 GT is never uncomfortable nor overtly noisy, so as a day-to-day EV it still does the basics to a high enough standard to excel. Yet the handling is also notably sharpened, the car's weighty, informative and linear steering a real pleasure to use. It commands a front-end which is remarkably eager to get itself turned into bends, in turn teaming with the actions of the rear-mounted electronically controlled limited-slip differential to bless the 2.2-tonne GT with an agility and liveliness at odds with its mass. No doubt about it, the revised EV6 GT is a substantial improvement over the car it replaces, and one of the best-driving EVs you can buy right now. It isn't, however, operating quite at the exalted levels of the Ioniq 5 N. Whether that bothers you or not will depend on how demanding a driver you are. Maybe the fact this ultra-rapid Kia is called 'GT' in the first place, and it has a more elegant, smoother and less in-your-face shape than the Hyundai, means it all marries up better into an ideological whole – a slightly more discreet way of going ridiculously fast in your EV. Ultimately, though, it just feels like Kia didn't quite commit (or was allowed to commit) to all the fancy chassis trickery and potentially divisive systems that mimic aspects of internal-combustion motoring that make the 5 N such a thoroughly delightful steer. The key issues come with the Virtual Gear Shift (VGS) set-up in the EV6 GT, and the Active Sound Design (ASD) noises. On the former, the Kia only has six 'ratios' in its pseudo-gearbox, whereas the 5 N has eight. Interrupting torque delivery from its mighty electric motors to simulate a dual-clutch transmission swapping from cog to cog, it's a good system in the EV6 GT, but it needs more revs. By this, we mean that the instrument cluster shows a tacho when you're in full GT Mode and using the VGS – and the car 'revs' to a maximum of 6500rpm. Blasting through the gears in incredibly short order, due to the outrageous acceleration the GT can summon up from pretty much any road speed you care to choose, adds up to a driving experience that feels like it is copying a big-hearted turbo-diesel, rather than a high-revving petrol rngine tuned to provide plenty of driving fun. And the ASD is nowhere near as successful as the same system in the 5 N, which imitates the four-cylinder 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine from the revered i30 N hot hatch. In the Kia, there's just a thick, cloying, buzzy noise that doesn't sound much like any engine at all. You can switch it through four modes – loud, medium, quiet and off – but even in the first of these, it's subdued and not massively enticing. Kia could've made this car sound like the wonderful old Stinger V6, but didn't. And that's a shame. In isolation, then, you'd drive the Kia EV6 GT and rightly think it was brilliant. But it can never quite replicate that magic trick the Hyundai pulls off, where – at its very best – it can make you forget it's an EV and instead hoodwink you into believing you're driving a big petrol hot hatch. In the Kia, that otherworldly dynamic moment never quite comes. It's very, very close to greatness… but misses it by a matter of mere inches. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool As you'd expect with a Kia, especially in a top-end variant like this, you get pretty much everything but the kitchen sink thrown in. While we're still awaiting confirmation of the price of the revised EV6, and therefore the specifications for our market, we'd expect the car to have the lengthy kit list outlined below, plus much more besides. 2025 Kia EV6 GT equipment highlights: To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool The Kia EV6 range was subjected to ANCAP safety testing in 2022 when it picked up five stars, but that rating explicitly excludes the GT flagship. Nevertheless, with its healthy standard roster of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), it's likely to be every bit as safe as the rest of the EV6 lineup. Standard safety equipment includes: To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool Not only is the Kia EV6 GT an electric vehicle, making it cheap to run – provided you have access to home charging – it comes with the Korean firm's excellent customer service back-up. A seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, up to eight years of roadside assistance cover, and capped-price servicing for seven years or 105,000km mean there can't be many 3.5-second 0-100km/h cars that are more affordable to run than this. To see how the Kia EV6 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool Make no mistake, the updated Kia EV6 GT is a fantastic performance EV and one of the very finest vehicles of its type. Smart looks on the outside, the usual high-quality cabin within, and a much-improved chassis plus even more power and range all add up to a compelling zero-emissions package. There's the tiny, nagging feeling, however, that if Kia had just gone all out on the VGS, ASD and chassis tuning, we could've been talking about an all-time great here. As it is, we'll settle for the fact Kia has regardless created something quite superb, and therefore we're incredibly happy that the 478kW GT exists. Interested in buying a Kia EV6? Let CarExpert find you the best deal hereMORE: Explore the Kia EV6 showroom Content originally sourced from:
Miami Herald
09-06-2025
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Kia EV5 GT Spotted Testing In Korea
If Hyundai has its N performance vehicle family, Kia answers with its GT badge, especially on its burgeoning line of electric vehicles. The Korean marque already offers the EV6 GT and EV9 GT, both topping their respective ranges with outstanding performance. Even the US-bound Kia EV3 is rumored to receive a high-performance GT version. We also know that the EV5, which sits right below the EV6, is getting the GT treatment. While its design may have been leaked in China last year, a prototype has already been spotted on the road, thanks to Shorts Car on Instagram, signaling an imminent official debut. Even through the camo, there are clues. The EV5 GT prototype wears a set of sporty alloy wheels that bear a strong resemblance to those on the EV6 GT. Yellow brake calipers peek through the spokes, hinting at upgraded stopping power, while a wider stance and lower ride height suggest revised suspension tuning and stickier rubber underneath. In typical GT fashion, the visual changes are purposeful, not just cosmetic. Stylistically, the EV5 GT will borrow heavily from Kia's latest EV design playbook. Think EV6 and EV9, but with added aggression unique to the GT family. Unlike the EV6, the EV5 GT will have a boxy body, closely resembling the EV9. Unlike China's EV5, the GT model is based on the global version, which means revisions aimed at broader markets. Chief among them is a redesigned center console, replacing the less conventional jump seat setup with a more premium, practical armrest. Official details of what's under the EV5 GT's skin are still scarce, but the EV6 GT should set a benchmark at 576 hp and a 0-62 mph time of 3.5 seconds. It's unclear if the EV5 GT will have the same output, but a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup is almost certain at this point. Inside reports point to using an 82 kWh nickel-cobalt-manganese battery, with a projected range between 373 and 435 miles. The Kia EV5 GT will be produced in China and Korea, so it's unlikely to reach the U.S. market, at least for now. If the automaker introduces it stateside, local production is expected in hopes of curbing the current tariffs imposed on imported vehicles and parts. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
