Tested: 2025 Kia EV6 GT — Upgrades Showcased in Latest Review

Corporate cousins Hyundai and Kia don't always march in lockstep, but we figured it was only a matter of time before the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N 's performance upgrades found their way to the Kia EV6 GT. And so, just two years after the EV6 GT's debut, Kia's hot rod gets a major horsepower bump and a mode that simulates an internal-combustion engine and a paddle-shifted automatic transmission. One of those changes is more fun than the other.

In the Ioniq 5 N, the internal-combustion emulation mode is clearly aping an Elantra N , exhaust crackles and all. Kia, having no current equivalent gas-powered performance car, could have created a Stinger mode, but that's not what you'll experience when you activate its Virtual Gear Shift (VGS) function. The soundtrack seems to be "internal combustion as composed by Daft Punk" rather than any particular car, and the virtual transmission is a six-speed automatic. Even a K5 GT has an eight-speed transmission, so we're not sure which car Kia is evoking—maybe a 2017 Soul ? The redline on this imaginary engine is a stirring 6500 rpm, so activating VGS accurately re-creates the feeling of slamming into a rev limiter every other second. First gear—okay, "first gear"—is good for 33 mph, which the GT hits in 1.4 seconds, so you'd better have quick hands on those paddle shifters. A better solution entirely might be a Cosworth V-12 mode plus the long-legged gear ratios from a 2006 Corvette Z06 . If we're gonna pretend, let's pretend big.

The EV6 GT is much more convincing in its role as itself: an everyday family EV that's capable of stupendous feats of performance. Last year's car made 576 horsepower and 545 pound-feet of torque, and the 2025 update raises those numbers to 641 horses and 568 pound-feet in GT mode (normal mode offers 601 horsepower). If you just bought a 2024 EV6 GT, don't feel too bad about it, because the 2025 model's extra 65 horsepower won't make any difference in your highway merges. The two cars are in a dead heat to 70 mph (3.9 seconds), and the run from 50 to 70 mph is an identical 2.1 seconds. But beyond 70 mph, the 2025 EV6 GT starts to pull ahead, covering the quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds at 125 mph versus 11.4 seconds at 120 mph. Hang in there till 150 mph and the 2025 car arrives in 19.3 seconds, 3.7 seconds ahead of its predecessor. That difference alone would have moved the EV6 GT up two spots in our 0-to-150-to-0 contest, ahead of the Toyota GR Supra 3.0 and the Ford Mustang Dark Horse. Nice company for a 4906-pound four-door.

The GT's triple-digit acceleration, while impressive, is less relevant than the feeling of solidity and precision that it delivers at any speed. From the moment the tires start rolling, you can tell that this machine was created by people who understand performance cars, whatever the source of propulsion. The seats are firm but not brutally so, the steering quick and nicely weighted. Adaptive dampers allow the EV6 GT's ride to relax or firm up if you're hunting the 0.90-g lateral-acceleration limit. Even the scattered neon-green interior accents provide a subtle psychological cue that this car can boogie. There's a bit of a skunkworks vibe to the EV6 GT, and in fact, the GT is the only EV6 that's built in Korea rather than Georgia. Which is cool, but that also means that the GT is the only EV6 that doesn't qualify for the $7500 federal EV tax credit. Boo.

Other than the added power and VGS mode, the 2025 EV6 GT gets the same updates as the more moderate trims: a light front- and rear-end styling refresh, a new steering wheel, and, most important, a battery upsized from 77 to 84 kWh. Range is still not great—an EPA-rated 231 miles—but at least the EV6's 800-volt architecture makes for speedy charges. And the charge port itself now embraces the North American Charge Standard (NACS), so feel free to Kia-fy those Tesla Superchargers.

Given that the EV6 GT debuted for 2023, the Ioniq 5 N for 2024, and the uprated EV6 GT for 2025, we're detecting a pattern. Your move, Hyundai.

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