LAS VEGAS — Most of us travel to Sin City to lose a fortune gambling. For one thing, I don’t. Head to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This is a nice concrete and blacktop in the Nevada Desert to help satisfy your desire for speed. In particular, head to the drag strip. It is here that long ago in the 2022 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 he clocked his quarter-mile time of 10.4 seconds at 140 mph. Officially, this car accelerates from 0 to 100 miles per hour in his 3.3 seconds. It’s so fast, furious, and maddeningly fun that it doesn’t go into the night quietly.
But the 2023 Kia EV6 GT I drove here runs quietly late into the night, simply because it’s a pure battery electric car. Also, Shelby boasts his 760 horsepower, while the Kia EV6 GT has just 576 horsepower, which on paper seems to be a disadvantage. But it’s not. According to Kia, the EV6 GT does him 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds. In fact, at 120 mph on the Las Vegas drag strip he was able to run his 1/4 mile in 11.6 seconds. The EVg GT’s performance is similar to that of an expensive Italian hypercar, but a midsize five-door he hatchback.
And it recharges as fast as it runs. The 800 volt system architecture allows for fast charging up to 235 kW and can be charged from 10% to 80% battery capacity in 18 minutes using a DC fast charger.
The 2023 Kia EV6 GT is the highest performing variant of the Kia EV6, confusingly offered in GT-Line trim. Think of it as someone who dresses for jogging but never jogs. In contrast, there are more ponies under the EV6 GT’s poncho than muscle car stalwarts like the Ford Mustang GT or Dodge Challenger Scat Pack. In fact, Kia claims it accelerates faster than the Ferrari Roma and Lamborghini Huracan Evo Spyder RWD. I don’t doubt it for a second. And the EV6 GT is a utilitarian hatchback, with all-wheel drive and a design reminiscent of funky-styled European metal.
Wrapped on Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP modular skateboard platform shared with the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and Genesis GV60. That’s why it has electronically controlled suspension and a limited-slip rear differential with torque vectoring. The brakes are bigger than a trash can lid (15 inches up front, 14.2 inches in the rear) and are covered in 21-inch Z-rated Goodyear Eagle F1s. That speed and grippy rubber all play into its range, which is rated at 206 miles, not nearly as much as the 310 miles claimed by other EV6 variants.
Power is thanks to a pair of axle-mounted AC synchronous electric motors that produce 576 horsepower and 545 lb-ft of torque. But there are pitfalls. The only way to fully extract all that current is to press his little green GT button on the steering wheel. Otherwise, in normal and sport driving modes, only 430 hp are available. Pressing the GT button also tunes the car’s systems to handle the momentary torque, setting the car for the wildest behaviors. The steering is sharper and the throttle responds faster.
Hit the throttle and hang on your dentures. This puppy flies. It all happens so quickly, and with such rapid force, you’ll swear your guts are pressing against your spine. Really, really quiet. When was sin done so quietly?
As you can imagine, the EV6 GT’s cabin is luxuriously spacious. It should; its wheelbase is as long as the noticeably larger Kia Telluride. But fewer parts are needed, giving people more space. Its vibe is minimalist yet modern, dominated by a large horizontal screen that houses a 12.3-inch reconfigurable gauge cluster as well as a large infotainment touchscreen. It also has all the mods cos like front and rear seat heaters, heads up displays, wireless charging and other goodies. I could list them all but trust me, you You will be pampered.
Keep in mind that the price for all this goodness is $61,600 in this case, or $3,100 less than the base Chevrolet Corvette. And Kia is fast.
And it’s that kind of statistic that begs the question. What is the new performance paradigm for sports cars? Will sports cars become strictly track-time toys? Why should you buy a ?
That said, there are plenty of reasons to buy the former. The EV6 GT is one exciting EV.
2023 Kia EV6 GT
Base price: $61,600
Powertrain: Front and rear AC synchronous permanent magnet motors
Horsepower/Torque: 576/545 lb-ft
Range: 206 miles
Charge rate (240 volts): 7 hours 10 minutes
Length/width/height: 184.8/74.4/60.8 inches.
Ground clearance: 6.1 inches
Payload: 937 lbs
Cargo capacity: 24.4-50.2 cubic feet
Towing capacity: 2,300 lbs
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