Who would have thought that possible twenty years ago, at the time of the tasteless amounts and rustic First generation Sportage ? Today Kia is able to tease the most powerful Germans, Audi RS e-tron GT on your mind. Of course, this is an electric vehicle, and getting hundreds of horsepower out of a “plugged-in” engine is much easier than with a combustion engine. Messing around with a RS6 would already be harder…
The new EV6 GT thus has almost 600 hp. 585 exactly. Madness, when you know that the sportiest electric Audi flanked by the RS badge develops 598, or… only 13 more. The performances, moreover, are announced to be very close.
Of course, Kia’s SUV does not have the presence of the very slender German sedan. And with 4.70 m long against the 4.98 m for the e-tron GT, it belongs to the lower category. But in view of such a technical sheet, one can legitimately wonder if the South Korean offers the same road services, in particular in terms of autonomy. Admit that if that were the case, it could well ruffle the hair of a few “Lords of the Rings” on the highway, especially since it claims “only” €73,990, against… €145,800 for the ‘Audi…
Closer than it looks…
The meeting is all the more interesting as Kia has made a spectacular move upmarket over the past ten years. The pencil stroke of the EV6 already dazzles, judging by the thumbs up it encounters. Especially since it sports, in this GT livery, pretty 21” rims filling out its curved fenders and fluorescent green brake calipers. Admit it looks great, especially in this (free) matte gray shade. We are far from the look of a concept car escaped from an Audi show, but still…
The interior also pulls out all the stops with a sleek dashboard cut from a plush material, large screens that are as responsive as they are readable (if not easy to use), and enveloping seats adorned with suede and matching stitching to the brake calipers. Better still, the staffing is complete with a good quality Meridian audio system, hands-free doors and tailgate, level 2 autonomous driving, and amazing blind spot monitors that broadcast the images from the side cameras on the screen. instrumentation each time the turn signal is engaged. The only disappointment: the heat pump, which reduces the impact of heating on autonomy, costs €1,400.
Futuristic atmosphere on board the Kia EV6 GT, with beautifully crafted materials. That said, the e-tron GT offers a more natural driving position, an ultra-refined ambience and power-adjustable seats.
The Audi has nothing to be ashamed of in terms of interior ambience, of course. The design of the dashboard is even more elaborate, the ergonomics successful, especially since there is a more natural driving position, and the furniture more homogeneous. But it’s not day and night either, contrary to what the price difference might suggest. The seats are covered with microfibre as standard and electrically adjustable here, but not heated (+500 €). On the other hand, the RS cannot drive “alone” without an addition (+1,600 €).
Practical aspects: a more spacious and clever Kia!
Question interior space finally, the 5 meters length of Audi does not guarantee a superior habitability. There is even less leg room (about 9 cm difference according to our readings). Only good surprise: the headroom is equivalent.
The EV6 GT offers more legroom, reclining backrests and good light. In the Audi, we feel confined, especially since the glass surfaces are reduced, and the passenger in the middle has to step over the cumbersome service tunnel. That said, the ultra-lowered side seats are more comfortable.
On the other hand, the rear trunk of the German is much less convenient: not only does it not have a tailgate, but it only cubes 350 liters, or 130 liters less than that of the Kia. In return, its 75-litre front trunk accommodates all the charging cables, unlike that of its rival which only offers 15 liters on the top-of-the-range versions because of the transplant of the second engine.
If the rear trunk of the Kia appears a little fragile (rough carpet, side plastics sensitive to scratches), it is bulky and easy to load thanks to the tailgate. On the other hand, the charging cables will have to be next to the luggage because its front counterpart cannot receive them, conversely to that of the Audi.
Budget: expensive, or very expensive…
The Kia EV6 GT is already not cheap, at €73,990. And at this price level, no bonus to expect. In the category of electric family SUVs to which it belongs, a Tesla Model Y Performance claims €69,990. Admittedly, the American is a little less powerful (534 hp), but its lower weight of around 200 kg allows it close acceleration. That said, the South Korean largely compensates with its comprehensive long-term warranty of 7 years or 150,000 km.
Anyway, we are far from the stratospheric budget of the Audi RS e-tron GT, which reaches 145,800 € in its basic version. And if the German battery is guaranteed for 8 years or 160,000 km, everything else is only covered for 2 years. At this price, of course, you have a particularly sleek and refined car, but you can also choose the new Tesla Model S Plaid (€138,990), much more powerful (1,020 hp) and capable of covering, depending on the WLTP homologation cycle, 634 km. Not to mention the ease of recharging with the brand’s network of fast terminals…
And autonomy in all this?
Let’s talk about it, because it’s the sinews of war on electrics brought to perform family duties. And on a Paris-Marseille, a good radius of action would be precious to us. According to the WLTP protocol, the EV6 GT would be able to cover 424 km in one go in the combined cycle, against 472 km for the Audi. A slight deficit that it owes in part to its battery with a useful capacity of 77.4 kWh, while the e-tron GT has a “net” 83.7 kWh accumulator.
That said, nothing is lost for the Korean on our long journey. Not only are the actual conditions significantly different from the WLTP cycles, but the low range difference doesn’t necessarily mean more downtime. And above all, the Kia advances charging powers bordering on 240 kW on fast DC terminals, a guarantee of short refueling: less than 20 minutes to go from 10 to 80%, depending on the brand.
Even if it accepts 270 kW, the Audi will not necessarily leave sooner, since its battery is larger. And as much to tell you right away: during our round trip, we only very rarely managed to “pull” more than 150 kW… In fact, nothing is decided in advance, and falling on terminals effective remains crucial. Speaking of which, shall we take off?