We recently had the chance to test the new 2023 Kia EV6 GT around Las Vegas. That included time on the street and on the track. Here’s everything you wanted to know about the most powerful production Kia in history.
How does it perform compared to this car or that car?
A bunch of you asked about how the EV6 GT compares to specific vehicles so let’s break down a few of them here. First up, the biggest competition is from Tesla. The Model 3 Performance can do the 0-60 mph sprint in just 3.1 seconds.
That’s faster than the 3.4 seconds that Kia quotes for the EV6 GT. Of course, the Kia will do the quarter mile in 11.4 while the Tesla can only manage 11.6. The Model Y Performance is even slower with a 0-60 time of 3.6 seconds and a quarter mile time of 12 seconds.
Driven: The 2023 Kia EV6 GT Is A Family Car That’s Nearly As Fast As A Lambo Urus
What about the Mustang Mach-E GT Performance? Well, it’s actually got less torque (546 lb-ft/740 Nm) than the Ford (634 lb-ft/860 Nm) but it’s still faster. Part of that has to do with having about 80 more ponies under the hood and part of it has to do with Ford limiting performance in the Mach-E. In fact, the EV6 GT’s power above 100 mph is one of its most impressive abilities.
How about the Audi RS e-Tron GT and the Porsche Taycan? Ok, well, now we’re officially in giant-killing territory if the EV6 GT can keep up. Sadly, it can’t. But it’s really close. The Audi does 0-60 in 2.9 seconds and the quarter mile in 11 seconds. The Porsche in its most potent form can do 0-60 in 2.4 seconds and the quarter mile in 10.5. Of course, those cars both cost around $100k more than the Kia.
Is it fun beyond the drag strip?
Bigcjm and JohnTaurus both wondered about real-world driving conditions and if the fun factor translated too. The quick answer is yes. It’s magnificent to have that much power on tap almost all of the time. Firstly, it’s more than happy to flick the tail out on command. Torque steer was non-existent in our time with the car too.
Secondly, in a more practical scenario, it always has that EV instant torque, even when low on battery. That makes slipping into gaps in traffic hilariously easy. The only downside is the seating which is a bit stiff after an entire day behind the wheel.
EV Concerns
GranTourism had some great questions surrounding the EV platform, specifically about how efficient it is and how quickly it can charge. It’s the least efficient of the EV6 lineup but that’s to be expected thanks to its huge power numbers. It’s EPA-rated at 206 miles of range. Thankfully, its 800-volt architecture allows users to charge from 10 percent to 80 in as little as 18 minutes when hooked up to a DC fast charger.
RagerBlaster and Spokering both had concerns about what range looks like in Eco mode. Sadly, range doesn’t get much better when you swap over to Eco mode. In our car, we saw an Eco mode range estimate of 209 miles at 99 percent SOC.
