We’ll be heading to Las Vegas next week to drive the quickest Kia yet, the new 2023 EV6 GT, a dual-motor electric crossover that can evidently sprint from 0-60 faster than a Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. And we’re going to put it on a race track to sort out what’s what.
Kia’s been touting the all-wheel drive EV6 GT since the launch of the rest of the lineup earlier this year. The top-end variant of the family hauler gets dual electric motors, one on each axle, delivering a combined 577 hp (430 kW / 585 PS) and 546 lb-ft (740 Nm) of peak torque making it Kia’s most powerful production model yet. It’s also the quickest accelerating from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in just 3.4 seconds while top speed is limited to 260 km/h (161 mph).
As a person who had the chance to drive the less performance-focused EV6s before they made it to dealers, I can assure you that they’re very good cars. They’re nimble, fun to drive, and the AWD version is properly quick.
We expect that the GT trim with its more extreme horsepower and torque will be even more engaging. That, to some extent, should go without saying. At the same time, this test won’t be anything like driving the car around northern California the way we did before.
First Drive: The 2022 Kia EV6 Is The New EV Benchmark
Here’s what makes this trip and test a bit different from the everyday review or information you might have heard already. This test will be held at Las Vegas Speedway. That means that lateral grip, handling prowess, and braking will all be key factors in how well the EV6 GT performs. On top of that, its ability to lap a race track at a competitive pace lap after lap might be put to the test too.
Notably, electric vehicles often have a real problem achieving the sort of reliable and repeatable performance that an internal combustion car can on a race track. Considering that, we hope that Kia will have tackled that issue with the EV6 GT. We expect the rest of the car to be pretty much identical to the rest of the EV6 lineup. Priced at $62,695, it’ll go head-to-head with the Tesla Model 3 and the Model Y.
With all of these points in mind, what do you want to know about the most powerful Kia in the history of the brand?