Kia EV6 GT | A Marketing Super Car

We discuss the pros and cons of the Kia EV6 GT, the high-performance cousin of the upcoming Hyundai Ioniq N. The marketing claims supercar-like performance; however, the realities differ. Other EVs to consider are Tesla Model 3, Mustang Mache E, Audi E-Tron, and more.

#cars #engineering #technology

Index:
00:00 Interior and Exterior
1:44 Mechanical Impressions
5:07 Driving Impressions
13:35 Final Thoughts

[forrysc]

I own a Kia EV6 GT. It's my first electric car. I have owned many "affordable" performance cars in the past. I think Mark hits many important points here. It's fast, but not very communicative. It's quiet and smooth, but not enough to be a luxury car. It's all those things. I had an RS3 Audi that I loved, but it was at the dealership with issues more than I would have liked. I had a Lexus ES300H that I loved because it was extremely quiet and smooth but was very limited in performance. The EV6 GT bridges that gap for me perfectly. I've taken several day trips with it and on the highway it returns better than expected range. (I've gotten 250 miles out of a charge) Once you step on it, that range tanks fast. To have the automotive experience that Jack and Mark have, would make me very critical of most cars. I haven't driven a 10th of what they've driven. Being ignorant of what's out there makes a lot of these cars better to the average joe. Still, I value their opinions but with some reservation. The best car I have ever driven is probably middle tier for them. My starting and ending points for what's good are much closer together.

[shizeine]

Touch screen ‘buttons’ need to be banned from consumer design schools world wide. There should be a cane in every classroom specifically designated to punish offenders.

[ExpectoDeleto]

I have an EV6 GT. It is my first EV, but far from my first performance car. Yeah it's heavy, yeah the steering is overboosted. He raises valid points about the chassis not communicating much- which makes sense, it's full of heavy batteries that will dampen the subtle inputs we learn to expect from well sorted cars. That being said, I don't think it's as bad as Mark says. It's still an absolute riot to drive. I've never not realized I was burning tire. Adding oversteer with your foot will never not be fun. The 0-60 is a fun trick to scare unsuspecting passengers, the flat torque curve makes it predictable and easy to push.

On a whole it's an exercise in compromise- a large, comfortable commuter car that can carry a family, be comfortable on the highway, tear up a mountain road, do giant smoky drifts, and sell for $55-$60k is always going to be, be it gas or electric. You aren't going to get all of everything no matter how you slice it- you always lose something. I came directly off of a Fiesta ST into the EV6. It had a better chassis and suspension that the Kia, without question. It was also tiny, rough, loud, uncomfortable for any sort of distance, and cost twice as much to run.

One point that always grinds my gears is the discussion about EV range when you drive like a clown. But like... gas cars are like that too. The ST did 12 MPG at track days. My friend's C6 does 4. It comes with the territory. The real complaint is that there should be more chargers around, and especially at tracks, and I agree with that completely.

Overall my point is that while this is clearly a negative review that touches on valid points, you could do a lot worse if your wants and needs line up with what it offers. I wanted a comfortable, efficient commuter car with a split personality as a crazy muscle/sports car, and I got exactly what I wanted. It won't be right for everyone, and it's not supposed to be.

[whynotthinkwhynot-]

I currently own an EV. I agree with Mark that these things make great daily drivers, grocery getters, and work taxis. I don’t think sporty driving feel is going to be a thing for a while for EVs. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though- more people are now opting for manual transmissions. This means that enthusiast cars aren’t going to disappear as the EV revolution ramps up. What it does mean is that you’ll now have to own both a work taxi, and an enthusiast car. The good thing is- your EV work taxi will save you money, need less maintenance, and you’ll be able to focus your enthusiast car on what you want to do with it instead of compromising it by driving it every day. EVs will get more affordable, and have longer ranges. Even my slow little Bolt is a freaking rocket in traffic making it very easy to avoid the speeding Tahoe sporting 26” wheels, or that pristine F150 4WD with 44” tires!

[aerialbugsmasher]

I own a GT (my 3rd EV after 2x Bolts, 1st gen and facelift) and took it to the track and it was an absolute beast. A VW GTI was my last ICE car and this thing feels nearly every bit as nimble (though much heavier, but it hides its weight well). I strongly disagree with mark on how numb this feels. Sure, it doesn't have the liveliness of a track tuned ICE car but not once did I feel like I was missing out on anything other than the ICE noise. My driving instructor even remarked about how well it felt. And yeah, probably none of the average Joes getting these will drift/track these, but a few of us will, and I'm already needing new tires after only 6000 miles do to having so much fun with it. Also strongly disagree with mark with how inaccurate the range indicator is. I find it MUCH more accurate than the Bolt's by a long shot, like I actually fully trust this one. I don't have the breadth of experience the SG crew has in terms of different quantities of cars drive but definitely much more than your average joe and with more than enough autox and track experience to have a baseline. And no I'm far from a KIA shill, but from a mere mortal perspective, it's an excellent car for what it is, the performance is unbeatable at this price point (especially in turns, it's not a straight line car like most muscle cars) build quality is very good, and it really turns heads and will likely age well aesthetically.

My biggest gripes with this car are a lot of the convenience features are excruciatingly frustrating and poorly thought out. The car will automatically unlock, but when I approach it from the copilot side, it will unlock, and by the time I walk back to the charging plug, then circle around to the driver door, it locks itself up. If the radar sensors detect you're too close to an object (ie a wall in the garage) the car will stop creeping altogether (like an automatic would at idle on D) so the only way to move is to press the throttle, which only results in the car moving in jolts since it's holding the brakes for you making it impossible to slowly and accurately creep closer. The car wont automatically lock itself when walking away (my bolts did). The preconditioning lasts only 20 minutes (vs 40 minutes on the bolt). If you park the GT while running and leave, it will not let you lock it. The bolt however would still lock itself and would stay running for up to 2 hours unattended which was awesome when running errands on a very hot/cold day. NO WIRELESS PHONE CONNECTIVITY IN 2023 FFS, you need to get a dongle, apparently it's some licensing issue that KIA was too cheap to pay for. Settings like automatic high beams and single-pedal drive mode ALWAYS get reset after every time you turn the car off (the Bolt would remember the last settings). There's tons more useability annoyances I"m probably forgetting. It feels like they strictly used the german engineers they poached from BMW etc for the driveline and interior (which is a good thing), but left the software and everything else to the engineers that were in charge of the original KIA Rio decades ago.

IDGAF about the "Short" range as it's more than enough to criss cross one of the largest metro areas in the US that I currently live at 4x without having to recharge, so my wimpy 120v wall wart is more than enough. I don't really do road trips (that's what plane tickets are for) but it still has more than enough range to get to the next largest city if need be, but with the ridiculously fast charging this thing has I'm not worried at all going long distances as it charges not much longer than your average gas-up/pee/snack break takes. Coming from a chevy bolt with painfully slow 50kw "fast" charging the 18 minute fast charge time on these is absolutely mind blowing. Being able to plug in at 10%, walk a little ways to a restaurant, put my order, sit down, get my food, then check the app and see my car is already at 50% charge, and by the time I get back in it it's north of 85% is genuinely shocking.

In all honestly I really miss the bolt, it was surprisingly a much better thought out car in terms of convenience and well designed features (supercruise is AMAZING), but as a car guy, it's hard to say no to nearly 600hp and good looks, and MUCH better build quality (low bar when comparing to a GM product I suppose). It's a perfect daily that you can take to the track straight from the factory without any need for mods.

[blackfireball]

I always appreciate the straight-forward honesty with their reviews. I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the Ioniq 5 N review. Every time I search google for news on it and see the same articles from June/July I get sad. So excited that new content and information will be coming out very soon!

[JHONNYR]

POV: You just bought a Toyota Supra A91, and decided to pick the automatic since it has the quicker acceleration times. You pull up to a traffic light feeling all smug cause you have a pretty quick car. All of a sudden you hear a plastic booming sound, and a Kia EV6 GT with a baby on board sticker pulls up playing Lil Baby on full blast. When the light turns green you hear a quick screeching of tires and the Kia is gone...

[anotheran]

Summary: “really really hoping this car isn’t a set up for [N] because it’s on the same fundamental foundation, on the same architecture, and if it’s going to feel like that it’s going to be a pile shit.” Mark just lays it on at 8:50

[Druezy]

I can't wait until we see the next generations of all of these cars. I'm sure it is going to feel a lot like how the cellphone did, we all have old phones in drawers lol

[justinthomas]

Not at all disagreeing with certain aspects, but i also don't test drive nearly the amount of cars you do, so i can't compare. But i have a GT for a few months now, and i really, really enjoy this car. Have a level 2 at home and at work. I get in the car and smile. That's the key for me.

[trykpaa]

Have one for 10months. Don't disagree with your observations, but I will add that for the money it's still the most involving (performance) EV on the market.

Note: I'm not too bothered by the range, and here in Denmark it cost less than an I30N due to taxation.

Thanks for the review

[MatthewGaither]

I think the regular EV6 or Ioniq 5 are just a lot more compelling. The AWD versions are plenty fast and they have more range and more comfort. I do like the EV6 GT and what its trying to do and I appreciate Hyundai and Kia making the effort. The price-point is good and the cars that come after this one will benefit from what is learned.

[protovack]

who reviews a performance/grand-touring version of a crossover as if it should be a sports car? come on guys...quit doing this. It's. A. Grand. Touring. Crossover. You do actually *know* what GT means, right? It's meant to be super quiet and comfortable on long distance drives, but be capable of the performance if you need or want it. It isn't a sports coupe. Yes the marketing would have you believe its a fun track monster (which it probably is in some ways). But review the car, not the marketing. You guys are always making this mistake and its the reason I haven't subscribed and don't watch your videos often. Contrast that with Kyle from out-of-spec who got this same car, did a very fun, informal review on it, had a blast, and just basically reviewed it as exactly what it is. Oh, and he also used it how it was supposed to be used...blasting down the Autobahn at high speeds. That's what a grand touring car is for. grand. touring. The EV6 GT is an awesome grand touring crossover, but a casual viewer of your video would never know it. If the Porsche 718 EV comes out and has poor feedback, for sure, you should lay into it. But this? And then your lecture about how current EVs suck and you shouldn't buy one yet, snuck in at the end of a review video but having nothing specifically to do with Kia or the EV6. Saying that a Tesla is only good for point A-B driving and that is their "niche"? You have to be really ignorant to not know that there are tens of thousands of people tracking Teslas all over the world and having a great time. Once again, another reason not to subscribe, and precisely why Kyle gets far more views and subscriptions. He knows just as much or more about the cars than you do.

[WKaznartist]

I test drove this, and man, I've had a wide smile on my face. I haven't experienced that since test driving the Genesis Coupe, Accord Coupe V6, and TLX Type S.

[micws]

Great review was always guys. You nailed it when you said about these cars are in their infancy Mark. We just leased a 2023 Kona SEL electric. So far, the range is better than we expected. It’s a great car firm point a to point b. We leased it because we know that the technology will be changing rapidly in the 3 years we leased it for.

[natemoothart]

"None of their other cars have great dynamics..." Elantra N would like a word.

[jerrybarrax]

As always, I LOVE the candor of this channel. Mark does Not mince words. Thanks for another honest review from a buyer's/ driver's perspetive.

[Acontinouslean]

This is the perfect length video . When I see an hour an a half, I don’t even bother

[CaptainRasmus]

It's a revelation to find reviewers who are truly looking out for the consumer. Thank you so much and keep up the good work.

[sphynx]

As a performance/fun option I agree with your assessment 100%. I just bought an Ioniq 6 AWD and while the torque from a standstill is fun it’s pretty much lifeless otherwise.

As a commuter/everyday option though I genuinely think EV’s have leapfrogged ICE cars already. If you are in the market for a nice-ish everyday car for around 40-50k I think any of the newer gen EV’s (Ioniq 5/6, latest model 3, normal EV6) make way more sense than something like an IS or TLX.