Kia’s quickest and most powerful electric vehicle is an impressive hoot that’s looking to take on the Tesla Model Y Performance.

Now that we've finally spent time with the new 2023 Kia EV6 GT, it's wild to look back at the automaker just five years ago. It had just unveiled the Stinger, a sports sedan that was just as (if not more) entertaining than the contemporary BMW 3 Series, and worthy enough to be named a 2018 MotorTrend Car of the Year finalist. We marveled at its sharp styling, as well as its twin-turbo V-6 that launched the four-door from 0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds. If you thought the Stinger was peak Kia, however, then you thought wrong.

That's because the EV6 GT is not only the most powerful Kia to date (576 hp!), it's also the quickest, with our test car blasting from 0-60 mph in just 3.2 seconds and through the quarter mile in 11.4 seconds at a blistering 121.0 mph. Plus, it can do those deeds over and over again until you're out of electrons. With those numbers, the EV6 GT outguns an impressive list of cars we've tested. But let's stick to its main competitors, shall we? The 2021 Tesla Model Y Performance, for example, is an obvious bogey that lags behind the Kia to 60 mph and the quarter mile, at respective times of 3.5 and 12.0 seconds. The Ford Mustang Mach-E GT (with GT Performance package) was slower still—although by no means slow—needing 3.6 seconds to hit 60 mph and 12.6 seconds to cover the quarter. One staffer deemed the EV6 GT a "baby Porsche Taycan." A bold take he may want to reconsider seeing as how a comparably powered 2020 Taycan 4S was 0.2 second slower than this Kia in both acceleration benchmarks.

How To Slay A Tesla, Mustang, And Porsche

The EV6 GT sits atop the EV6 lineup and combines a 77.4-kWh battery pack and two motors (one up front and one at the back) with AWD traction. Power output is rated at 576 hp and 545 lb-ft of torque. That's a whopping 256 horsepower bump from the EV6 AWD GT-Line and puts it easily above the 480-horse Mustang Mach-E GT and the 456-hp Model Y Performance.

In addition to more power, Kia further elevates EV6 GT from the rest of the lineup with a number of other performance upgrades, including an electronic limited slip differential, adaptive dampers, larger front and rear brake rotors (the rears are now vented, too), and a quicker steering ratio. The top speed gets a big bump from 117 to 161 mph, as well. Stickier Goodyear Eagle F1 tires help with the work of putting all those horses to the ground.

The EV6 GT also provides drivers a long list of drive modes that tweak everything from accelerator response, steering feel, damper stiffness, the e-diff programming, stability control settings, and the power split between the front and rear motors. In addition to the Eco, Normal, Snow, and Sport modes found in all EV6s, the GT gets a Drift mode (rear motor does all the work here), GT Drive Mode (everything turned to its most aggressive setting), and a My Drive Mode that opens up further customization. Want stiff dampers but prefer the lightest steering feel? My Drive Mode lets you do just that.

A Hefty Hoot

When exploring the handling limits of the EV6 GT it's important to note its weight, all 4,790 pounds of it. Heavy, yes, but not at all shocking compared to the recent slew of high-performance EVs, or EVs in general. The Mach-E GT, for example, tipped our scales at 4,980 pounds, while the Tesla came in at a relatively svelte 4,408. So with that said, the EV6 GT lapped our figure-eight course in 25.1 seconds with a 0.77 g average. Respectable numbers but outgunned by the Ford (24.9 seconds at 0.78 g) and Tesla (24.8 seconds at 0.79 g). What gives? We'd say it's tires, as evidenced by the EV6 GT's 0.87 g average on the skidpad, whereas the Mach-E GT and Model Y Performance were able to stick harder to the skidpad at 0.96 g and 0.91 g, respectively. Coincidentally, both those cars were fitted with Pirelli P Zeros.

But let's not fixate on those figure-eight numbers too much, because the EV6 GT is an absolute thrill to fling around the track. The rear motor is much more powerful and torquey than the front, and the stability control is surprisingly lenient in GT and even in the tamer Sport setting, which means it's quite easy to get the tail end to hang out through the corners. Body roll is significant (again, weight), but the suspension is tuned well and prevents things from feeling sloppy. The steering is quick and precise, and the brakes are solid and dependable. Stopping is augmented, too, by aggressive brake regen in GT mode that Kia says is powerful enough to provide 0.60 g of deceleration on its own.

576 HP On The Daily

Despite the EV6 GT's heft and its big, 21-inch wheels, it also excels as a remarkably quiet and comfortable daily driver. The Eco and Normal drive modes smooth out throttle inputs, and the suspension is quite compliant over rough roads. The front seats are heavily bolstered and provide great lateral support during spirited driving but are comfy enough for long hauls. That said, power-adjustable and ventilated front seats (offered in lesser EV6s) are not offered on the GT; Kia says it couldn't engineer those creature comforts into the sporty seats in time for production, but hopefully that'll change in the future.

The EV6 GT is roomy, too, with plenty of front and rear legroom and adequate cargo space. The interior is well laid out with a futuristic design that complements the EV6 GT's handsome exterior. An impressive list of tech includes a head-up display with augmented reality (mostly for navigation prompts), a wireless phone charger, and a smart cruise control system that can handle stop-and-go traffic and automatically change lanes with the tap of the turn-signal stalk.

Downsides?

For starters, the range is a downside. Use and abuse Eco mode all you want, but the most you'll be able to travel on a single charge is around 206 miles. On the upside, getting most of the 206 miles back is impressively quick, so long as you're recharging at a 350-kW charger and have followed the battery preconditioning procedure. In such an instance, Kia says charging the 77.4-kWh battery pack from 10 to 80 percent capacity should only take 18 minutes, and this was pretty much spot on based on our experience. This isn't going to be an inveterate road-tripper, though.

The EV6 GT is a head-turner, but owners hoping to stand out from lesser EV6s will likely be disappointed, as neon green brake calipers, the larger wheels, and slightly reworked bumpers pretty much sum up the cosmetic differences.

Still, the EV6 GT is hard to dismiss, considering you get its prodigious performance and five-passenger practicality for $62,695. For anyone experiencing sticker shock, perhaps the 1,000 kWh of free charging at Electrify America stations (as of this writing) should take away some of that initial sting. Kia says it's only producing 2,000 to 2,500 units annually, so you may have to get scrappy if you want to get your hands on one.

Source: motortrend.com