KOREAN manufacturer KIA has continued its quest to reach the top of the automotive tree, with the launch of one of the fastest mass production cars to ever go on sale in Australia, the EV6 GT.
Despite weighing in at 2.1 tonnes, the EV6 GT is capable of 0-100km/h in under four seconds, while carrying four passengers, and then returning to a full stop in under 10 seconds, placing it in very rare company.
Starting with the EV6 hatchback as a base, KIA's engineers have created a genuine 'halo' car for the EV world, not just their own product range, but one which is a champion for the emerging and evolving world of electric driving.
Visually, the GT is all angles and edges, as though it is carving through the air, it is more a modern art representation of speed through technology, rather than the classical beauty of perhaps a 1950s Ferrari or Maserati.
Following current practice, there are no radiator air inlets, allowing designers to maximise the frontal wedge, with high output LED lights nestled in the 'Digital Tiger Face' which is shared across the KIA range.
With the GT running on 21" rims, the ride height is a bit of a surprise, with a minimum ground clearance of 155mm, normally designers aim for closer to 100mm, or even lower, as they chase a groundhugging 'racer' look, although for taller and older drivers, it is nice to not drop quite so far entering the car!
I am a fan of the flush-mount door handles, they pivot outwards with a push on the leading edge, and then retract when the doors are locked.
While we are all conditioned to see red as 'fast', KIA has gone the other way with the GT, instead, it is a case of 'Green Means Go', with the huge front brake callipers almost leaping out of the wheel arches as they scream for attention.
Mounted on enormous 380mm front discs and 360mm diameter rear discs, there is no doubting the serious nature of the braking system, one look confirms this a car that is designed to be driven hard.
Unlike many other recent GT-style offerings, the KIA is not wrapped in outlandish body add-ons, there is a discreet spoiler extending the roofline for more downforce, and an integrated, full-width ducktail rear spoiler incorporating a rear-facing light panel.
The wheel arches are mildly flared out from the bodywork, but there are no massive, boxy, Group 5-style overfenders, instead the wheels and tyres are tucked neatly inside the body line, while going for maximum track width.
Not surprisingly, given their other offerings in recent years, the external build quality of the GT is top shelf, panel tolerances are minimal and precise, while doors and windows open and close with an exactness that inspires confidence.
One aspect of the increasing number of EVs on the road is the renewed focus manufacturers are putting on NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) levels that are transmitted into the cabin, detracting from the driving experience.
With no engine noise, EVs especially are prone to highlight these kinds of flaws, KIA can be rightfully proud of the work done to eliminate whistles and rumbles from the driving experience, with a large part of this coming from the improved manufacturing processes, as well as higher quality materials.
Inside, the quality story continues, while many of the materials are manufactured, including the artificial suede of the seats, there is no drop-off in the look or feel of the fit out, it feels 'right' for the car.
While the 'black on black' look suits the overall feel of the car, I do have a concern about some of the grey trim finishes used in high-wear areas, I have seen the ability of my own children to scuff trim pieces in our personal cars, perhaps a darker colour may have been a wiser choice?
The increasing use of drive-by-wire technologies allow manufacturers to do things undreamed of in production cars even 20 years ago, and the GT is a classic example, with KIA making use of touchscreen technologies throughout the car.
While the central display unit is becoming de rigeur in most vehicles, KIA has upped the ante, and uses a switchable control panel for the entertainment and climate control systems, with a single touch changing the display to the preferred mode.
While the GT is not the first KIA to use this technology, it is a good example of the level of integration now on offer, with systems blending together, not only to reduce cockpit 'clutter' with fewer displays for the same tasks, but also reducing the raw materials used in manufacturing.
Using a large-medium car as the base, KIA has built in plenty of room, I had no issues at 186cm, and neither did my 190+cm sons, while my 160cm mechanic was just as comfortable, and there was always plenty of room across the back seat.
The rear seats feel low, but without impacting leg or foot room, but the big advantage was head room for passengers, no one reported claustrophobia from the curved roofline, an issue we have had with SUVs in recent times.
Another benefit of the large platform was the rear luggage space, not only was it deep, with no fuel filler or tank to eat into the available room, but it also accommodated taller items without needing to lay the rear seats down.
The driving position screams sportiness, you slide in behind the large D-shaped steering wheel, with the big green button just under the right thumb, and drop your left hand to press the 'EV' button on the centre console, before sliding backwards to select the Drive mode, and the GT is ready for action.
As much as I love driving EVs, the 'silent but deadly' menace can leave you a little short, there is no indication of the raw power at your disposal, no 'look at me' bellow from the exhausts, no angry torque twist at idle.
Instead, you are sitting, sliding the seat forward another notch in anticipation of the coming g-forces, surrounded by a complete stillness, it just doesn't feel right to dial up AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell', perhaps I should try 'High Voltage' as more appropriate?
The good news is, what ever you choose sounds perfect pumping through the 14 speaker Meridian sound system, the cabin acoustics capture the sound perfectly, and you are ready to go.
While there are wheel-mounted paddles for the driver, these are actually brake adjusters rather than gear shifters, the GT uses a single-speed direct drive transmission, the more you push the accelerator, the faster you go.
The shifters instead dictate the amount of energy capture by the regenerative braking system, from a 'barely there' skim of the road speed to a full-on, dead stop on a downhill-level of energy capture and speed reduction.
My only dislike is the steering wheel feels a bit thin-rimmed, my personal preference is for something a size smaller, and with an extra layer of padding, but it certainly works in this environment.
KIA claims 150 kilowatts of regenerative braking with the system, which doubles to 300kW of captured energy when the 'active braking' is used, and watching the energy bar climb under heavy braking gives a visual confirmation of the system's capacity.
Even better, when full GT mode is activated, the Regenerative Braking Maximization (RBM) mode is deployed, bringing a whole new level of smarts and capability to the table.
According to KIA, the energy capture is split at 50/50, front to rear, but it can go to a maximum split of 70/30, effectively becoming a brake bias for more aggressive driving, dialling more brake effort to the front wheels to cope with the rear to front weight transfer of racetrack-style braking.
Then, in a final nose-thumb to non-EV cars, the system can disengage the GT's hydraulic brakes, significantly reducing pad and rotor wear for longer replacement intervals, so that the magnetic regenerative braking system is doing all the work, stopping the car and charging the batteries at the same time.
As part of this, the GT can be configured for a single pedal drive, so if you push down, the car goes, you lift off, the car stops, it is a little surprising when you first use it, after a couple of goes, it becomes second nature, and you find yourself not using the brake pedal in ordinary driving.
For those times when you want to go 'old school', or just to impress the neighbours, the GT's brakes measure a massive 380mm front and 360mm rear, with those eye-catching Neon Green calipers, all wrapped up inside 21" rims, some of the biggest production car brakes ever used.
So, after all that, and it is a lot to take in - spare a thought for my poor journalist brain trying to remember this while driving! - what is the EV6 GT like to drive?
Fun, in a scary rollercoaster kind of way, you know, in the back of your mind, you will be okay, but there will be neck-snapping, stomach-churning, alternating moments of adrenaline rushes and 'holy crap!' fear as the road disappears behind you at a truly alarming rate.
KIA has gone to a lot of trouble to ensure the suspension and steering match the car's awesome performance potential, including an 'Australianisation' program using our roads to help settle the final tune for the global market.
With a revised GT-only steering ratio of 2.3 turns lock-to-lock, versus 2.67 for the standard car, the front end responds quickly to driver inputs, with less effort needed to get the front wheels turning into corners.
In the real world, this means you can line the GT up for corners with increased confidence, knowing the front will turn in, drawing the car around the bend, ready to launch you towards the next curve.
Add to this KIA's Electronically Controlled Suspension (ECS), which adds computer control to the suspension dampers, taking into account road speed, road surface, steering, braking and throttle inputs, giving the GT supercar levels of ride control.
The bottom line, literally? Your progress is very much controlled by the 'pucker effect' of a certain bodily orifice, and I don't mind admitting there were moments where my brain was cheerfully being over-ridden, and I was backing out of situations long before the GT was ready to give up the fight.
Those who have experienced late model EV straight-line performance will understand, even in Sport mode, the GT is fast, seriously fast, enough that most people will think they have unleashed its full potential, as they rocket to 100km/h (and beyond) in under 5 seconds.
Except, once your pulse is back under control, you bring the car to a stop, and push the green GT button on the steering wheel, and you have just unlocked the potential of the GT, and it is a whole body experience.
The trick to driving the GT, I found, was to move the seat as far forward as was comfortable, and then go one notch closer to the steering wheel, with arms and legs bracing your body into the seat and giving maximum leverage on the controls.
Unleashing 430 kilowatts (over 550hp) from a standing start, you find yourself not just pushed into the seat from the massive acceleration, but it pushes you up the seatback, as though the GT is trying to deposit you into the back of the car.
Driving in a 'normal' position of outstretched arms and straight legs will see you straining to keep a grip on the wheel, and your head is rising up into the roof as your feet battle to stay in touch with the pedals.
Truly mind-altering stuff. While it is not quite at the retina-detaching level of a Top Fuel dragster - not something I have experienced, but I have interviewed racers who do it regularly, and that is how they describe it.
Add to this the brutality of the braking system, which leaves you hanging in your seatbelt as you plant the brake pedal deep into the carpet, and you realise this is not a toy.
Not only does it fire to 100km/h in less than four seconds, but it returns to 0km/h in about the same amount of time, deploying all of the brake capabilities.
So physical was the experience, the day after we did the launch tests, I woke up with minor bruising on my shoulder and chest, from being caught by the seatbelts under braking, the sort of thing I have only had from motor racing competition.
I enlisted a number of experienced race and rally driver friends to help with this, and the responses were unanimous, in full GT mode, this is a car that demands respect, and even in Sport mode should be treated carefully, so fast is it to respond to driver inputs.
Better than that, it does this while the driver flicks the car from corner to corner, with the GT a stable platform that devours the road, begging to be pushed harder.
Add to this a 'drift' mode for the Electronic Limited Slip Differential (E-LSD), sending 100% of the power to the rear wheels, which KIA cautions should only be used on closed roads or racetracks, and this is a car for the true enthusiast.
A common question about the car was the driving range, with people curious about how far you can go on a charge, and how long does it take to recharge.
Like most cars, this depends on your driving style and type of journey, with a light foot and stop-start traffic, the EV6 GT will go over 500km between charges, using a fraction of the available power and recuperating energy every time you lift off the throttle.
Even on a long highway cruise, at the posted speed limit, we travelled more than 450km, with multi-zone climate control and the full suite of entertainment options all helping to drain the batteries.
Yes, put it in GT mode and go hard, your driving range decreases dramatically, in line with how much fun you are having, although there is one silver lining, thanks to RBM system, you are still harvesting power, even as you are burning it.
Recharging is a little harder to answer directly, as it depends on the capacity of the charger unit.
Not owning an EV, I don't have a home charging unit, so I make use of a 50kW/hour fast charger at Springwood, and found that creeping in with under 20% charge, it would take about 90 minutes to get back to 100%.
I have since learned the trick is to stop at 90%, unlike a petrol tank, the battery systems function better if not quite fully charged, and it only takes about 60 minutes, the charge controller slows the flow rate to under 5kW/hour the closer you get to 100%.
The next question, and this goes for pretty much every car I drive, is 'Would you own one?'.
Often, there is a degree of prevarication in responding, while you weigh pros and cons, likes and dislikes, good points and not-so-good points, before saying, 'maybe'.
The EV6 GT is one of a short list of cars where the answer is an absolute, unequivocal one.
Yes. Yes I would.
This is a car that delivers technology at NASA-levels, with onboard computing power that could almost fly itself to the Moon and back, and has the power to make you think it could do it, if it wanted.
Put it in Normal mode, and you can cruise the streets, drive to the shops for milk, drop the kids at school, and it does it happily, with barely a hint of the massive power just begging to be unleashed.
Hit the highway, engage Sport mode, and leave your worries way behind you, drinking in the pleasure of hammering up a twisty mountain road, with power to burn under your right foot.
And then, come race day, take it to Lakeside Park, Queensland Raceway or Mt Cotton Hillclimb, put it in GT mode, and challenge yourself to go that bit harder off the line, deeper under brakes, chasing that fastest lap.
There are many pretenders to the crown, but KIA has delivered a car that genuinely can claim to be the ultimate all-rounder.
I know it is another company's tag line, but 'I Just Want One'.
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