Louth Motors: The Korean Super Supercar

When I was young there were not a lot of trim levels to choose for cars. In the Ford camp, for example, was the L, the GL and then the Ghia.

The car’s specification was on full display and depending on which one you had you wished it was either invisible (shame) or enormous (vanity).

Then the hot versions started to appear, and it was all about how fast, how many cc’s it had and the number of cylinders under the bonnet.

This process took place over decades. But the evolution of electric cars has been much quicker and immediate.

We are into the performance version phase of electric cars now albeit Tesla’s were always performance orientated - especially their Ludicrous mode.

This week’s car is the Kia EV6 GT. Not the GT Line trim version which we got first but a full-blooded GT.

Personally, I think it needs a needs a new electric moniker like EV6 Lightning with the association of speed and electricity.

Not content with the level of power already available to the EV6, Kia added more. A lot more. It can now deliver 577 hp, via 4WD using two electric motors powered from a 77.4kWh battery.

Sensational numbers delivering sensational performance. It is a one model take it or leave it choice and this driver is a take it. It stands out from other EV6’s with ease.

The paint job tells the onlookers that this car is different in a special way. It has a matt finish and needs special care.

The brake callipers are painted green and on the inside there is same colour webbing and stitching on the Alcantara covered seats.

Those seats are epic and hold you firmly in place if you use the power available. They are not electrified which was a bit of a shock but that’s because kia doesn’t want them to move when you exploit the full potential of this car.

And you’d have to wouldn’t you? I did, and I can say that the performance when the green GT button is selected on the steering wheel is breath-taking.

This car can accelerate to 100km/hr in 3.5 seconds with a top speed of 260km/h. In a world where 0.1 of a second less is so hard to attain, this is simply staggering.

Many a wall has been covered with posters of the Ferrari F40; a car so desirable for one simple reason - performance.

Well, the F40 can reach 100km/h in 4.1 seconds and will set you back millions. That this sort of performance is readily available with modern electric cars is in truth quite scary.

Mind you it’s not cheap with the GT having an asking price of €85k.

That might seem a lot, and indeed it is, but a lot less than most cars capable of delivering that performance using petrol.

And remember the F40 was an out and out 2-seater sports supercar.

The EV6 GT will be all that and more and can be your daily, sedate, practical family car. I managed different returns from 20kW per 100kms to 25 kW per 100kms.

That translates into a real-world range for me of between 387kms and 309km on a full charge. The penalty for using the green button is clear.

I took the car to Blacklion for an annual excursion I do and the road from Ballyconnell to Blacklion via Glangevlin is a road to savour.

Try it some day and stop at the Shannon Pot. It was perfect to demonstrate the handling of the EV6 GT and those 21inch wheels behaved like the wheels on a train as it felt like it was on rails.

Instant power when accelerating out of a bend is so addictive.

The car never felt troubled and it was a joy to be swinging the steering wheel left to right to see how ably the car performed.

I tried my best to make it as comfortable for my wife, but my exuberance could not be tamed quite a lot of the time.

My standout feature was overtaking in this car. It makes the whole process faster and safer.

Inside the car has a floating central console where there is a start button (imagine these are already becoming old hat), drive control and the heater buttons for the seats and steering wheel.

The dark dash is set within a black striped dashboard and whilst the curved screen looks like one very wide affair, its actually two screens.

There are touch button controls below the screen that change function depending on what you control which is a very clever way of giving you switches without giving you them.

Thankfully there are two circular knobs that change function but one of those functions is volume control, an absolute must.

You can also perform some of the same functions from the steering wheel as well as voice which should always be used first I believe.

In the back there is plenty of space for the family be they kids or adults. You get two micro-USB charge outlets to keep phones topped up while using the cars- Wi-Fi.

The back is actually a very nice place to travel in if the driver is exerting restraint with lots of head and legroom and a flat floor. The boot capacity is 480 litres.

Kia have produced a modern-day supercar. It’s hard to see where all this will end in terms of performance and when is enough, enough?

The relentless pursuit of more of everything is part of the human psyche but there are times, if we step back a little and reflect, we may see that we already have more than enough.

The Kia EV6 GT has all the performance you’d ever need, is electric and easily the best car Kia has ever produced.

It is simply epic and comparable to the performance electric cars on offer from Audi, Porsche and Tesla and places Kia in and amongst them as a credible alternative.