I drove Kia's high-performance electric SUV: the 2023 EV6 GT.
It's quick, stylish, and high-tech, but suffers from short range and no front trunk.
The EV6 GT that Kia lent me cost around $63,000, including a destination fee.
A super-sporty version of Kia's EV6 series, the 2023 EV6 GT is one of the coolest electric cars I've driven recently — but it isn't perfect.
Do the pluses of the little $63,000 SUV outweigh its drawbacks? You be the judge.
Pro: Impeccable style
The 2023 Kia EV6 GT.Tim Levin/Insider
To be perfectly honest, I found the EV6 kind of ugly when I first saw photos of it online. But its stubby hood, swoopy rear end, and other unusual features grew on me the more time I spent with it. Much like when the nerdy girl in a high-school movie takes off her glasses and becomes prom queen, it turns out the EV6's beauty was hiding in plain sight all along.
ADVERTISEMENT
The GT version adds radioactive-green brake calipers and bigger wheels for a little extra flair.
The EV6's interior is stylish, too, featuring a two-spoke steering wheel, floating center console, and more bright-green accents.
In the EV6 GT, there's a tiny storage cubby under the hood, but it doesn't seem all that useful. It's unfortunate, because although the the EV6 GT seats four comfortably thanks to a stretched wheelbase and a flat floor, competitors offer more space for non-human items.
Pro: Supercar-like quickness
The 2023 Kia EV6 GT.Tim Levin/Insider
The GT is like a regular EV6 on a cocktail of steroids and Red Bull.
Its two motors jointly pump out 576 horsepower and 545 pound-feet of torque, more than double the base model. And since this is an EV, all that oomph arrives instantly. There's no lag, no delay, no waiting for an engine to rev up to speed — just mind-melting, adrenaline-inducing acceleration with every nudge of the right pedal.
Moreover, the GT feels agile and planted around corners.
Con: Stiff ride
The 2023 Kia EV6 GT.Tim Levin/Insider
The EV6 GT is more for thrill-seekers than casual grocery-getters. While its stiffened suspension aids handling, it also translates road imperfections directly into your rear end.
Con: Limited range
The 2023 Kia EV6 GT.Tim Levin/Insider
In the EV6 GT, you'll be tempted to stomp the accelerator whenever traffic opens up. But watch its battery gauge closely so you don't drain all of its energy too quickly.
Kia gave the GT more powerful motors without enlarging its battery pack, so its EPA-estimated driving range comes in at a disappointing 206 miles. That's pretty weak compared to direct competitors like the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT (270 miles) and Tesla Model Y Performance (303 miles).
Pro: Lightning-fast charging
The 2023 Kia EV6 GT.Tim Levin/Insider
The EV6's saving grace is it offers some of the quickest charging on the electric-car market. Without getting into all the nerdy stuff relating to wattage, amperage, and 800-volt architectures, just know that the EV6 can take better advantage of the most powerful EV charging stations than most rivals.
Kia says it can charge from 10%-80% in a breezy 18 minutes.
Pro: Packed with tech and safety features
The 2022 Kia EV6.Tim Levin/Insider
The EV6 GT comes loaded with impressive features that make driving it feel safe and convenient. On top of the EV6's generous array of standard driver-assistance tech (which includes blind-spot monitoring and lane keeping), the EV6 GT comes with a helpful 360-degree parking camera and blind-spot camera views that pop up in the driver-facing screen whenever you go to make a lane change.
It also provides a couple of household power outlets, which you don't get in every EV, much less every car. I used them to make breakfast last year.
Ana Navarro, a long-time co-host of The View, posted on her Instagram Thursday an old photo of nude Melania Trump as a way to troll her husband’s supporters, saying: “You wanna go low? ... I’ll happily go 20,000 leagues under the sea.”It was a picture from 2000 featured in British GQ, five years before Donald Trump married her.Navarro also included a picture of both Trumps partying with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, also from 2000. Her explanation for posting these images was that it wa
Donald Trump ditched his ear bandage for his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday. The former president’s right ear returned to public life after being injured during the assassination attempt on the former president on July 13.The former president’s large bandage became an impromptu fashion statement during the Republican National Convention with some attendees donning DIY wound dressings. Following the convention, Trump swapped out his bulky white gauze for a thin n
FBI Director Christopher Wray revealed during a marathon testimony on Wednesday that investigators still do not know if former President Donald Trump was grazed by a bullet or a piece of shrapnel during his attempted assassination.Twice during the hours-long session, Wray told lawmakers that the FBI was still working to determine what exactly struck the former president on his right ear during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. “My understanding is that either it [a bullet] or some shrapnel is wha
The father of a 15-year-old girl whose missing persons case made national headlines has been arrested and faces possible charges for child abduction, conspiracy and falsifying a police report. On Friday, the Monterey Park Police Department announced that Jeffery Chao was arrested following an “extensive investigation.” Chao’s daughter, Alison, was reported missing on July 16 […]
Vice President Harris’s campaign hit at former President Trump’s interview on Fox News on Thursday, questioning his age and mental stamina. The campaign released a “Statement on a 78-Year-Old Criminal’s Fox News Appearance,” knocking Trump for his age in an effort to turn the tables after President Biden, 81, dropped his bid over questions about…
The NYPD said Friday morning that Marisa Galloway, 46, had been gunned down on a Manhattan street by Kathleen Leigh, the 66-year-old grandmother of her 4-year-old son.
J.D. Vance’s sister has come to the defense of the GOP vice presidential candidate after he was criticized by actress Jennifer Aniston for a past remark that America was run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies.”Lindsay Lewis Ratliff, 44, said in a statement released by his campaign that her brother “was raised by some of the strongest women I know and went on to marry an incredibly strong woman in Usha.”Married with three children, Ratliff added: “J.D. is a testament to the women in his life, an
The 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), signed by then-President Trump, was the most recent major overhaul to the IRS tax code. However, the legislation was criticized -- by his opponents -- for...