Kia’s EV6 electric vehicle (EV) was one of the most acclaimed new releases of 2022 and now the Korean car maker is set to double down on its success by releasing the sports-oriented EV6 GT.

Hailed as the Kia’s most powerful production car ever and capable of accelerating from 0–100km/h in a blistering 3.5 seconds, the EV6 GT’s all-electric powertrain delivers a bristling 430kW of power and 740Nm of torque.

That’s up a substantial 191kW and 135Nm on the most powerful EV6 model currently, the $87,590 GT-Line AWD.

The new all-wheel drive performance model features a front-axle-mounted motor that delivers 160kW, paired with a rear-mounted motor producing 270kW.

Both are supplied by a 77.4kwh long range battery, enabling an expected range of 420km, provided you’re not using all that power too often.

The GT body design is distinguished by larger brakes and 21-inch alloy wheels clad with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S Tyres.

Naturally, the brakes are bigger to cope with the extra performance and painted a distinctive neon green.

Up front are four-piston high-performance calipers clamping larger 380mm ventilated discs, while the 360mm solid rear discs are 35mm larger than on regular EV6 models.

Signature styling traits include LED headlights, taillights and DRL’s plus sequential indicators that should lend the new model a distinctive lighting signature.

Other exterior highlights include auto folding flush door handles, aero wipers, power folding mirrors, and privacy glass on the rear doors and tailgate.

Under the EV6 GT’s skin are a range of performance-oriented enhancements including dedicated GT drive modes that unlock the full capability of the new Electronic Controlled Suspension (ECS) and the EV6 GT’s E-LSD (Electronic Limited Slip Differential).  

The suspension has benefited from local ride and handling tuning, with the EV6 GT only the second Kia model to feature electronic controlled semi-active suspension, which controls the vehicle dampers to maximise driving comfort and handling performance according to road conditions.

The system also helps mitigate roll when cornering or making high-speed lane changes and can also limit squat and dive during rapid acceleration or braking.

Meanwhile, the E-LSD controls the differential functions of the rear wheels to help improve launch performance, prevent slipping on rainy or snowy roads, and improve steering performance at high speed.

The driver-selectable GT Drive Mode automatically configures the vehicle’s e-motors, braking, steering, semi-active dampers, e-LSD and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) systems into their most dynamic settings.

Kia said the three-mode ESC system had also been tuned extensively on roads in and around Sydney and Canberra to provide good differentiation between Normal, Sport, and GT modes, claiming it is well suited to typical Australian road and driving characteristics.

The GT also gains its own variable gear ratio steering system, designed to be more communicative and to build weight progressively as speeds increase.

The steering ratio is a faster 2.3 turns lock-to-lock, compared with 2.67 for the standard EV6, which will be handy when the car’s Drift Mode function is enabled and 100% of torque is sent to the rear wheels.

The EV6 GT also features additional bracing to increase the stiffness of the body to aid vehicle response and handling.

In addition to the above mentioned technical and styling enhancements, additional EV6 GT interior features over and above the current range topping EV6 GT-Line AWD model include a GT mode button on the steering wheel, artificial leather and suede bucket seats, and Heated Seats (Front + Rear)

There’s no announcement yet from Kia on what the new EV6 GT will cost when it launches in January 2023, but based on the extra performance and features we don’t expect there to be much change out of $100,000.

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