The Kia EV6 crossover is one of the best all-around electric cars on the market, with great handling, a well-rounded interior, fast charging speeds and an EPA-estimated driving range of over 300 miles on certain trims.
In fact, our own Editor-in-chief Patrick George recently picked one up for a two-year lease, and you can read more about that journey here. But Kia offers no fewer than eight versions of the EV6 in the United States, which can be a bit daunting when shopping around, so which one is the best in terms of comfort, performance and price?
Get Fully Charged
More for less?
The top-spec Kia EV6 GT might have all the bells and whistles, including a rather impressive 576-horsepower dual-motor drivetrain. But not everybody wants break-neck suspension and off-the line performance. Some might prefer a gentler ride, which is where the slightly less expensive and less powerful GT-Line AWD comes into play
There’s a base model with rear-wheel drive and a rather small, 58-kilowatt-hour battery, while on the other end of the spectrum, you have the rather hardcore GT trim with all-wheel drive, a 77.4-kWh battery pack, 576 horsepower, stiffer suspension, a limited-slip differential at the rear and a bunch of other performance features. It’s also a $63,000 car here in the U.S., so what if you could have most of the performance but with a slightly lower price tag and a cushier suspension for those boring commutes?
That’s where the GT-Line AWD comes into play. It’s $4,000 cheaper than the full-on GT but it retains the 77.4-kWh battery and all-wheel drive. It also has 252 miles of range on a full charge, whereas the more expensive GT offers 218 miles.
It almost sounds too good to be true, and it is. That’s because the GT-Line has 320 horsepower and a softer suspension setup, so if you’re after full-on performance, you’re bound to spend the extra $4,000. However, if an extremely well-rounded EV tickles your fancy, the GT-Line might be your best bet, and the Nurburgring lap embedded at the top of this page tells a compelling story.
Believe it or not, the car in the video was lent by its owner to Kyle Conner from Out of Spec Reviews after a quick chat in a charging station parking lot. A long-time friend of InsideEVs, Kyle was waiting for a Porsche Taycan to recharge when the owner of the EV6 came up to him to say “hi” and a few minutes later agreed to take his car on the famed Nurburgring for a quick lap.
The EV6 was first DC charged to 80%, then sport mode was switched on and the stability control was partially disabled. The tires are not the stock ones, but rather a new set that’s eco-friendly and not performance-oriented. That said, the tires seem to have good grip throughout the grueling 13-mile circuit and the car had no problem keeping up with Porsche 911s and other cars that cost twice as much.
Gallery: 2024 Kia EV6
The battery-powered Kia reached its limited top speed of 120 miles per hour (194 kilometers per hour) several times during the lap, which isn’t something we could say about the South Korean automaker’s models 10 or 15 years ago.
The suspension was quite soft, but the balance was “amazing” and the brake pedal felt “awesome,” according to Kyle Conner. It’s worth noting, however, that at the end of the run, the brakes were quite hot and the car needed a cooldown drive to prevent the rotors from warping. Furthermore, those eco tires (we don’t know what brand or model) were the only thing that kept the EV6 GT-Line from being an extremely well-rounded car. Blast down the Autobahn in complete comfort during the week, then unwind on the circuit in the weekend–it’s that type of car, it seems.
