MOTORS: Bright green button leads to Kia EV6's devilishly fast potential
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It’s taken a while but I think I may have become an EV convert.
I still have concerns and have experienced frustrations when it comes to charging at public stations where they are often out of order, refuse to accept my Chargeplace Scotland card, or are already occupied.
I’ve also discovered that even if you are plugged in, the power can be halved if another car connects to an adjoining point on the same unit. The result is that charging can take twice as long.
It requires a different mindset and it’s a challenge to adopt new thinking after decades of petrol pump procedures.
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But if you put aside the negatives, some of the latest models are splendid machines.
One of my favourites has been the EV6 from Kia, which to my mind is the best-looking on the road and knocks spots off its rival, the bland and uninspiring equivalent Tesla 3.
It’s a real head-turner on the road and even though it’s been with us for more than two years, it still looks as fresh as the day it first appeared.
I wouldn’t have thought it could be bettered, but I was wrong as I discovered when I got my hands on its sportier brother, the EV6 GT, which is quite simply a stunning piece of kit.
Certainly, it’s getting on for £20,000 more expensive than the standard version and don’t get it confused with the GT-Line model which is £14,400 cheaper and has much of the same underpinnings, but is a positive slowcoach, taking twice as long, at more than seven seconds, to get to 62mph.
The GT shares the same chassis as the rest of the family but has four-wheel-drive with an electric motor on each axle which bolsters its confidence on the road whatever the surface or conditions.
When electric cars first began appearing over the horizon, there was little to associate them with the idea of performance, possibly because of the decades-old image of the lumbering milk float, clinking its walking-pace way round the early morning streets.
But thanks to the likes of the EV6 GT, we can look forward to an era of EVs which can meet the desires and aspirations of enthusiasts who’ll love the instant and seamless power which is the trademark of a plug-in.
According to Kia, the car is the fastest, most powerful, most dramatic and most exciting production car they’ve ever built.
It’s also technically-sophisticated with electronically-controlled adaptive suspension and limited slip differential to give the lucky person behind the wheel the drive of their life from a production car.
An external clue to its potential lies with the neon green brake calipers on massive brake discs behind big 21-inch alloys.
The power – no less than 577 bhp with torque of 740 Nm – is far more than you get with a similarly-priced Porsche Cayman or BMW M3 and is faster than almost any other petrol-engined equivalent.
You can select the drive mode to suit your mood or the conditions and like the standard version, there’s the choice of sensible Eco, straightforward Normal or zippier Sport.
But the GT adds a fourth mode which is called on through a bright green button on the steering wheel and when you hit this, the car grows horns and a forked tail becoming devilishly fast with sharper steering and firmer responses while throwing you back into the superb black suede bucket seats.
The problem is that will drain the battery much quicker and there are few opportunities to use such performance to its full potential but when the conditions permit, it’s brilliant to experience such first-rate engineering – and in an electric car.
The downside is that it is so good that transferring again to a conventional internal combustion-engined car feels like jumping into a plodding horse and cart.
Kia EV6 GT AWD
PRICE: £62,645
ENGINE: Permanent magnet synchronous electric motor 77.4 kWh Li-ion polymer battery
POWER: 577 bhp
TORQUE: 740 Nm
TOWING CAPACITY: 1800 Kgs (braked)
TOP SPEED: 162mph
0-62mph: 3.5 secs
