An electric Kia faster than a Lamborghini? The 2023 EV6 GT, driven

Enlarge / You need a keen eye to spot it's a Kia EV6 GT - the larger wheels and brake calipers neon green are the main clue. Jonathan Gitlin

LAS VEGAS—In January, we got our first chance to drive Kia's new EV6 electric vehicle. Built using Hyundai Motor Group's excellent new E-GMP platform, the EV6 immediately impressed us, offering a less polarizing design and more playful handling than the impressive Hyundai Ioniq 5. Designed as a dedicated EV platform, E-GMP has an 800 V. battery pack that allows fast and fast charging, and both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive can reach excellent levels of efficiency.

On that first drive, and then again on local roads over the summer, my seat time in the EV6 confirmed Hyundai Motor Group's wisdom in hiring Albert Biermann away from BMW to develop the research and development programs of the Korean car manufacturer. But now Kia has turned the dial well past 11 with the new $61,400 EV6 GT, a limited-production variant that can outrun some Ferraris and Lamborghinis and rip the rough tracks of a circuit with the best drivers. between them.

Between the axles of the EV6 GT, you'll find the same 77.4kWh (gross capacity) battery found on other EV6s. The company discontinued the smaller battery variant (the EV6 Light) due to very low demand. But in the EV6 GT, that battery will now provide significantly more power to the pair of electric motors that drive the front and rear wheels. There's a total of 576 hp (430 kW), in fact, plus a combined torque of 545 lb-ft (738 Nm), split between a 215 hp (160 kW) front motor and a 362 hp (270 kW) rear. kW). engine with electronic limited slip differential.

The changes made to the GT are mainly mechanical and software, as opposed to styling changes. Jonathan Gitlin

In the past I've written that the EV6 looks a bit like a Lamborghini Urus. Now it also has as much performance as one. Jonathan Gitlin

At the rear there is a new diffuser. Jonathan Gitlin

To take that power down, the EV6 GT rolls on 21-inch wheels shod in Goodyear Eagle F1 performance tires. And to double down on that, even though Kia has increased the amount of regenerative braking from 0.3G to 0.4G, it has also seen fit to fit the EV6 GT with large (15-inch to front, 14.2 inches at the front). the rear) with one-piece calipers, adorned with a pretty neon green paint. The car rides on electronically controlled dampers with revised spring rates and retuned steering from the lesser quality EV6s, and there are unique front suspension components, along with new traction and steer control algorithms. stability that make it quite a fun car.

To access all that power and torque, you need to press the neon green GT button on the steering wheel, which unlocks the full 576hp and puts the electronic safety net in its most permissive setting. In eco mode, the EV6 GT only sends 287 hp (214 KW) of power to the motors, mainly to the rear motor for better efficiency. In normal and sport modes, the battery boosts the motors' maximum output to 429 hp (320 kW), which is enough to make it a fast EV despite a sizable curb weight of 4,795 lb (2,175 kg). (That also explains the big brakes.)

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