About meetings and contacts in other places you will surely have read some, but, in Mexico, Autocosmos has been the first specialized media to get its hands on the first electric sports car that KIA presents to the world and, modesty aside, we are also the first to verify that Yeah, with the KIA EV6 GT the Korean firm takes a quantum leap between what we have known up to now and what will be its future; and if that’s how the road looks, welcome!
KIA EV6 GT 2024 on test: Electric, crossover, sports car; is what you want
That’s how disruptive it is. For reasons of design and aerodynamics, in the EV6 there was no longer a place for those wide central and lower grilles that we know in the KIA range. Now we have a body that lives in the limit of 5 meters in length, 4.6 to be exact; 1.8 meters wide and 1.5 m high; D Segment Stuff, but that does not take away from the sophisticated and sporty aspect of a silhouette that exudes minimalism, especially with the exclusive matte finish of the GT version that we tested.
KIA has decided to name this visual language as “Digital Tiger Face”, making clear reference to the electrification and technology contained in the EV6 GT, visually projected through different components:
- Center grill is narrow, fully sealed and includes a chamber
- The defense is sporty, with well-defined lines that obey aerodynamic tasks
- Full LED headlights extend to the edge of the fender
- Lower front area accommodates fog lights and a center grille with active sunblinds
- 21” wheels
- The green painted calipers remind us of Aston Martin’s “Acid Lemon”.
On the sides stand out the folding handles, a discreet central line on the doors, as well as side diffusers. The protruding rear fenders are the exact starting point for KIA to create one of the most disruptive rears where LED taillights (because they don’t look like cloves) steal the spotlight with a design that runs the width of the tailgate, along with a trim. dark chrome finish; while in the lower area it shows off a two-tone diffuser. It has an upper spoiler and, as expected, the glass design is wide, but somewhat narrow; This sector, in my opinion, is the most dramatic area of the car; well there.
KIA EV6 GT 2024 on test: Space and premium technology
When KIA announced the arrival of its first electric sports car, it knew perfectly well where the EV6 should point, and that is that it is one thing to be electrified, and quite another is the way in which it is offered. So when the new E-GMP architecture was ready, the benefits came automatically. One of them is the gain of space inside the cabin. But KIA EV6 GT is more than comfort and ergonomics.
Indoors KIA EV6 maintains that disruptive proposal projected on the body. first-class materials, design, ergonomics, components and technology coexist in a sporty and sophisticated environment:
- Sports steering wheel provides access to most menus
- The sports seats are bucket type, with suede and synthetic leather upholstery.
- The green color of the calipers has been replicated in the interior seams
- The entire cabin has a dark coating: pillars, roof, doors and dashboard
- The central console is of a cantilever design, favoring the storage of objects
- The flat floor provides good legroom, as well as good rear habitability
- It has 520 liters of cargo capacity in the trunk, expandable to 1,260 liters
- Using an adapter, the 74 kW battery with bi-directional charging allows you to charge any device.
LThe presence of the black finish was inevitable, but KIA “turned it around” with texture and lighting in the central area of the dashboard. You can not fail to notice the configuration of both the display and the main screen, KIA calls it a panoramic dual screen and offers a curve of up to 24 “; This is the nerve center of the EV6: information, driving, driving modes, navigation, charging, consumption ranges, everything is contained there. By the way, the audio system signed by Meridian is a joy!
KIA EV6 GT 2024: Display of energy
The arrival of the EV6 could not be understood without the E-GMP platform, a development of the group that although it shares with Hyundai IONIC-5, KIA gave it two different approaches for its first electrified model. KIA EV6 GT-Line obeys to energy efficiency and performance. It is the rational and “good manners” brother who, with his only electric motor, manages to extend his autonomy up to 500 km in WLTP.
For its part, KIA EV6 GT (our test model) is the polar opposite, the athletic and sporty rebel brother that stands out for being competitive; so much so that it has put a certain Italian supercar with the name of a bull in a bind. KIA configured the EV6 GT to display acceleration power, competent dynamics and even the ability to run out of tires with the simple touch of the “GT” button located on the steering wheel; disengaging traction control is the path to fun; Drifting, some say. With these letters of introduction we could omit the limited 370 kilometers of autonomy in WLTP that its two electric motors provide.
2024 KIA EV6 GT: Dynamic Capabilities
Being behind the wheel of the KIA EV6 GT is not that different from the feeling that an e-tron or an X, even a volvo, could give you. and in this sense, the desire of the Korean house to demonstrate progress is noticeable:
- Its stealthy march, nothing interrupts the impeccable hermeticism, it feels and smells premium.
- Digital cluster helps you stay on track as the pace picks up
- Steering is communicative, no turn delays
- As a good electric, he does not hesitate when it comes to accelerating
- The suspension adjustment does not feel like an SUV. It is stable, firm, very contained in the transfer of weights.
- The position of the battery (74 kW) optimizes the car’s center of gravity
- The Twin Engine configuration places the least powerful engine (160 HP) in the front axle, and the most powerful (270 Hp) in the rear axle.
- The EV6 all-wheel drive contains reactions and errors. In normal driving situations, it gives sensations of control, firmness and poise.
TOBy pressing the GT button placed on the KIA EV6 GT steering wheel, you will be ready to lose your composure and the adrenaline will start to flow. I will not deny it, the roar of a heat engine is missed, but the power that it is capable of deploying, and above all, the forcefulness with which it applies force may be silent but not imperceptible; after all it’s 576 Hp and 546 Lb-ft that’s available on the ft immediately.
- KIA says it does 0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds, our best run was 3.8 seconds. Nothing happens, they are still high-performance car figures, electric aside.
- The brakes are superb. Good bite, moderate fatigue and firm pedal.
- From the first moment that we begin to demand it, the battery charge begins to disappear; normal.
- The 21” Good Year Eagle F1s do well, but I think a Michelin Pilot Sport would do better.
- Although there was no need, KIA EV6 GT can recharge its battery from 20% to 80% in almost 20 minutes.
KIA EV6 GT 2024: Security
It is not the first time that a new architecture benefits a model so much. KIA EV6 GT was no exception, so the brand poured its best weapons on security issues into it. The brand itself defines it as the safest KIA ever built. Without being intrusive, the aids are there, there are also various comfort aids and security such as the Surround view monitor (SVM) system, as well as the essential ABS, ESC, HAC or MCB. It has 7 airbags, cruise control, and as expected, a good compendium of ADAS: BCA, LKA, FCA, PDW, LFA.
KIA EV6 GT could be the sign that you can aspire to more, speaking of development in general. We are in an era in which technology, techniques and manufacturing are shared and collaborate to reach products like the one we have here, the first electric sports car from a brand that has not stopped despite its path, but above all, who dares. It’s turned out pretty well for it, and we look forward to seeing that go its way, even for traditional models. Good, Kia.
KIA EV6 GT 2024: Price
The Korean firm is still evaluating the final portfolio for the EV6 in Mexico. It is uncertain if only KIA EV6 GT-Line or EV6 GT will arrive, or hypothetically both versions. In any case, In Europe, for example, this electric crossover starts at 48,000 Euros; almost a million pesos, everything remains to be seen, but it could be the first “accessible” electric sports car in Mexico.
