LAS VEGAS — In 2015, videos appeared on YouTube of Tesla Model S sedans blowing away Corvettes and Mustang GT500s on drag strips. The videos remade electric vehicles’ image as objects for enthusiasts, not just tree huggers. The Tesla numbers were staggering. The all-wheel-drive Model S P90D was shredding the quarter mile in less than 12 seconds at 116 mph. Also staggering was the sticker price: $140,000 for the top line trim.
It’s 2022 and I just smoked the quarter-mile at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in an EV at 11.6 seconds at 117 mph. A Tesla? Nope, a $62,000 Kia EV6 GT.
Like Tesla before it, Korean automaker Kia is determined to make a brand statement with its first electric vehicle. Unlike the Silicon Valley startup which achieved meteoric success — not through advertising or media tests, but through a rabid fan base on social media — Kia invited a pack of journalists to Vegas to put its top-trim EV6 to a test.
Sin City suits the EV6 GT.
Dressed in red with wicked-looking 21-inch tires, the GT features a devilish 567 horsepower from front and rear motors. GT wants to boogie.
Echoing Tesla, the EV6 performance model’s appearance is not significantly altered from the $50,000 base SUV. Indeed, EV6 GT looks identical to the AWD 360-horsepower GT-line that I flogged up north this summer, and that was no slouch in the performance department with a 0-60 mph time of 5.1-seconds. Its price/footprint are in line with a Tesla Model 3 Performance, but with interior dimensions on par with a Model S — its deep 39 inches of rear legroom will comfortably fit two Las Vegas Raiders offensive linemen.
Unlike the iPhone-simple Tesla, EV6 is covered in bling, punctuated by a dramatic ducktail that is rimmed with red LED lighting. Inside, EV6 bears a close resemblance to the Cadillac Lyriq, the fanciest EV this side of the Mercedes EQE.
Vegas, take notice. Across the pin-striped dash, a single hoodless pane of glass houses twin 12.3-inch displays for the instrument console and infotainment. A floating console between the seats juts forward like a ship’s bow (underneath is open space for tablets, purses, maps) with a rotary shifter on its leading edge.
But what’s this? Manual seats?
With its focus on performance, the GT’s sporty thrones must be adjusted just like a Porsche 911 GT3. When you’re shooting for sub-12 seconds in the quarter mile, you save weight where you can.
Still, this is a porky vehicle tipping the scales at 4,795 pounds. GT’s girth was palpable on the writhing curves of Route 167 to Lake Meade — one of many natural wonders to the east of Vegas’s desert mirage. The GT has been upgraded with massive, lime-green 15-inch brakes and suspension tuning to manage its power, and I pushed it hard thought the twisties. Just 30 miles away, Lake Meade was an easy EV commute even in cold 40-degree winter temps.
For trips further east to spectacular Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon, you’ll want to, um, take the gas-powered Kia Telluride SUV.
While the Model S P90D has an upgraded battery (90 means 90 kWh), EV6 GT sticks with the standard car’s 77 kWh lithium ion pack. Now you know why it costs so much less than the Tesla. Range drops from 274 miles for the AWD GT-line to just 204 miles in the electron-guzzling GT. You’ll be lucky to get to Zion on a full charge, and Electrify America fast chargers (free to Kia customers) are scarce.
So the GT — like many premium electrics in today’s market — is a second or third car best suited for metro duty. Especially metro areas like Vegas and Detroit with drag strips nearby.
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a delightful campus just 18 miles outside Vegas (closer to home, southeast Michigan’s Milan Dragway is just 22 miles south of Ann Arbor). It houses a NASCAR oval road course, and ¼ mile dragstrip which occasionally opens for public racing.
This is GT’s natural playground.
I’ll never forget the first time I floored a 2015 Model S P90D. Its instant, 100% torque snapped my neck, crushing my back into the seat on its way to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds. EV GT is like that.
On the Vegas (drag) strip I slowly staged, watching the Christmas tree lights change blue to indicate the timer had me locked in. Then I released the Kraken. No launch control. Just toggle the GT button on the steering wheel for maximum response, floor it, go. As I blew though the quarter-mile lights at 117 mph, the GT wanted more. I repeated the run three times, the Kia never tiring or complaining of heat issues.
It has more tricks up its sleeves for the street. Its 800-volt system (compared to its Mustang Mach-E GT and Tesla Model Y Performance competitors’ 400 volts) means quicker charging. Kia-Hyundai have been aggressive in driver-assist systems, and EV6 boasts the same adaptive cruise system I’ve raved about on the Kia Sportage. Its lane-keep and auto-follow systems formed a safety cocoon around the car in Vegas traffic.
More toys? Kia has always experimented with sound (see its Sounds of Nature feature) and GT rocks three drivetrain audio options — STYLISH, DYNAMIC, CYBER — if you like a sound track with your stoplight launches.
The instrument display also changes depending on drive mode — ECO, NORMAL, SPORT, GT — and icons can be moved around the screen like a smartphone depending on your preference.
Looks, speed, tech, comfort. GT’s biggest challenge may be ID. Where Tesla was instantly recognizable as a new breed, Kia is trying to evolve from an economy brand to a premium brand. That includes a new logo on the hood that has left people scratching their heads.
“What is KN Motors?” asks many a Google query. Mistaking KN for KIA is so common that the company bought “KN” for Google search optimization.
Stomp the throttle and you’ll confuse it for a Tesla.
2023 Kia EV6 GT
Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive five-passenger SUV
Price: $62,865, including $1,295 destination fee ($49,795 for base, RWD Wind model)
Powerplant: 77.4 kWh lithium-ion battery with dual electric-motors
Power: 576 horsepower, 545 pound-feet torque
Transmission: Single-speed direct drive
Performance: 0-60 mph, 3.4 seconds (mfr.); top speed, 161 mph
Weight: 4,795 pounds
Fuel economy: EPA 79 MPGe; range, 206 miles
Report card
Highs: Hard-core acceleration; high-tech, roomy interior
Lows: Looks fat; fat price for a Kia
Overall: 3 stars
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