First Look: 2022 Kia EV6 GT | Driving

First Look: 2022 Kia EV6 GT | Driving

This 576-hp version will top the new BEV range, while lower trims might make a value play

When looking at Kia’s mercurial rise from purveyor of cheap econoboxes to the current design and engineering force it has become, it’s no surprise this Korean automaker’s first designed-from-the-ground-up fully battery-electric vehicle will be swinging for the fences.

The 2022 Kia EV6, which launches later in 2021 in some markets, appears ready to hit a lot of competitors right where it hurts in these early days of automotive electrification. Considering how good the current battery-powered Kia Niro and Soul are, we can expect next-level EV greatness from the EV6.

We’ll have to wait for Canadian pricing, but value will surely be an important chapter in EV6’s playbook. Cue trembling from the premium German players, Volvo, and possibly Tesla as we look beyond the EV6’s striking skin and take a deeper dive into the hardware.

The EV6 is the first vehicle to use Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), and Kia is offering a pretty wide swath of powertrains with its new crossover/hatchback/shooting brake thingy. There’s a long-range battery pack (77.4 kWh) and a standard range pack (58.0 kWh) and both AWD and 2WD are available with either pack.

The electric crossover will come in three trim levels — the EV6, EV6 GT-line and the top-dog EV6 GT. The range champ will be the 2WD GT-line fitted with the long-range battery pack. It deliver over 510 km (310 miles) on the WLTB combined cycle. These rear-drive models with the 77.4-kWh battery run with a 229-horsepower electric motor, and for all-wheel-drive models, two electric motors making a combined 325 horsepower drive the front and rear wheels. Maximum available torque with AWD is 446 lb-ft, and these models will scoot to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds.