Kia EV6GT is Mustang Mach-E GT competition

[PeeCee]

(Some) Specs listed today.

Not sold on the exterior style, the interior is interesting.
This is going to "out feature" the Mach-E by offering automated lane changes and faster 800v charging (I guess that takes special chargers?)

I am really digging the idea that Tesla is going to get left behind with developing more Fart apps and bringing games to the center counsel while Ford and Kia are quietly building cars that will be amazing model after model while the public gets ready for EVs.

I really really liked my Niro (normal hybrid), I did 75k in four years on it. But it was just a reliable, plain car with zero sportiness despite what people said about "sport" mode. I really liked the interior layout but the infotainment system was barely modern in 2017. It became a CarPlay only car quick.

But Kia is on fire with the Stinger GT, the Telluride (selling with mark up still today where I live) and the Carnival. I wouldn't be surprised if all the Odysseys around here start to disappear and get replaced with Carnivals. (Everyone in my neighborhood has a silver Odyssey, ask me about mine!)

Ford is on fire with the Mustang Mach-E and both Bronco Sport and normal Broncos. (Too bad they can't get them into hands of people fast enough)

It's finally a great time to be a car fan again.

I agree about KIA and even Hyundai. They've been delivering good quality EVs, just pretty much under the radar. I had taken a look at the NIRO EV last year, just didn't have enough trunk space for my family and didn't have 4 Wheel Drive. But it's definitely a car Maker I'm following and when my lease on my MachE is finished, I'll be looking at them seriously -also hoping Ford will have more interesting models as well.. really enjoying my MachE

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[buzznwood]

I am a huge fan of the EV6! The driving performance, the charging performance, the styling - especially the highlighter green accents, they're all awesome! Hope this thing comes at a somewhat affordable price - along with the IONIQ 5, these are the most important EVs of the year, IMO because they show that 800V is the future.

Between this and the Ioniq 5 I think this one looks the better of the two probably due to its looks not being color dependent. Hate the wheel design and could do without the yellow / green in the interior but overall the performance specs at least on paper check all the boxes, fast charging, a healthy does of bhp and a top speed worthy of that number, throw in an eLSD as a bonus and if prices remain at the competitive levels you expect from KIA it should be a winner. With with the long drawn out launch of the mach-e GT is has certainly given me pause for thought over my GT reservation.

 

[Rabidsquirrel22]

Its a really cool car. The only thing that is probably going to keep me away from considering it is the fact that the longest range rwd model only gets 316 mile WLTP rating. That means the GT version is probably going to end up with a 200 mile EPA rating at best, and I'd honestly be surprised if it manages to hits that mark. It also starts at $45k so the GT will probably be priced on par with our own GT model around $60k. Then again, 800V architecture is really really awesome to see, maybe that would be enough to offset the lower range. We shall have to wait and see.

 

[All Hat No Cattle]

I see styling talk, I see range talk, I see performance talk, but I did not see any mention of the most important feature of all.

How much is it going to cost?

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

I see styling talk, I see range talk, I see performance talk, but I did not see any mention of the most important feature of all.

How much is it going to cost?

well, if the Stinger is any indication, it will officially cost a reasonable amount, but then Kia dealers (who are generally regarded as the worst as I understand it) will ADM the f*ck out of it.

 

[PeeCee]

Yeah, the trade off is called Tesla. faster, with higher range. If they could figure it out with all their sloppy quality control issues, well then the rest should be able to......

Fast maybe, but if you compare similar models with the Model 3 or Model Y vs MachE, all the videos I've seen (where they drive the MachE and the ModelY on the same road with the same conditions at the same time), the MachE has always come out on top in terms of range (now there are factors for this, like bigger battery and such) but still, if you take a Model Y and a MachE and put them on the same road same conditions, the MachE gives you more range.

I have yet to have seen 1 video where a Model Y and MachE are being driven a the same time where the Model Y was going further than the MachE. The X and S will go further, but you're paying a huge difference.

Maybe that will change with the GT as it has less range, but we know that the EPA numbers for Tesla have been strecthed as much as they can and you cannot rely on the numbers they give you (for EPA).

 

[PeeCee]

I see styling talk, I see range talk, I see performance talk, but I did not see any mention of the most important feature of all.

How much is it going to cost?

They also said at the end of the video you can pre-order now.... tried to check out the websites to see if I can find a price... no luck.. the europeen website for the EV6 is down.. maybe too many people are on it

 

[DBC]

Yeah, the trade off is called Tesla. faster, with higher range. If they could figure it out with all their sloppy quality control issues, well then the rest should be able to......

If the Tesla MY had more range than the MME then you'd have a point. However, while Tesla is able to game the EPA numbers, it can't do that in the real world where it has less actual range range. So unless you're talking about the EPA numbers, unclear what the point would be. Plus I'm not sure if what we need are even more delusional EPA numbers.

There isn't a secret sauce here. You can make the vehicle more aerodynamic at the cost of being less attractive. You can make it smaller and more aerodynamic at the cost of having less passenger and cargo space. You can make it lighter at the cost of a smaller battery and more noise (lighter windows, etc). You can decrease rolling resistance at the cost of handling and performance by using skinnier tires.

The only big win would be to use gearing instead of a single reduction gear. This works. In fact it's how the Taycan soundly beats the EPA numbers and outperforms the Teslas.

The drive train itself is more or less a dry hole for efficiency gains. I think Chevy Spark EV had a drive train efficiency of over 92% or 94% almost ten years ago. Not a ton of room for improvement.

 

[agoldman]

No secret sauce, but for main stream adoption we need better batteries with more capacity and faster more plentiful charging options. As far as range, Tesla is overblown, but that and now ME set the bar for the base for future range. If it can't go up from there, I'm not sure how far EV can be adopted without way way way more fast charging solutions. Remember once the masses are driving EV's, rolling up on an an available charging station will be a lot harder. I still feel like 300 mile EPA range needs to be the new baseline. Maybe unrealistic anytime soon. Maybe uber fast charging and more stations is more likely to happen than 300-500 range, unless there is some mainstream new battery tech on the horizon. Also, have to remember that even a lot of city dwellers that may not need uber range, live in apartments with no access to at home charging.

 

[malba2366]

range is midling.. I don't know why other manufacturers can't do better than this. It's my biggest problem with any of these EV's.

For the vast majority of use cases the range is entirely adequate. People in most countries (besides the US) buy vehicles that meet the majority of their needs, and rent cars for the occasional use. In America we tend to buy cars that are way more capable then we need; ie. buying a F150 to occasionally haul things from HD, or Buy a Suburban to haul around 3 kids, or insist on having 400 miles of range in an EV.

In an ev adding range adds weight so every manufacturer has to come up with a sweet spot of range, efficiency and cost depending on where they are positioning the vehicle.

 

[SteelMach]

range is midling.. I don't know why other manufacturers can't do better than this. It's my biggest problem with any of these EV's.

800V charging negates range concerns altogether, IMO. I'll happily trade my 300 mile Mach-E that charges at "150 kW" (haven't seen more than 100 in the real world) for a 200 mile EV that has charging that fast.

 

[trutolife27]

800V charging negates range concerns altogether, IMO. I'll happily trade my 300 mile Mach-E that charges at "150 kW" (haven't seen more than 100 in the real world) for a 200 mile EV that has charging that fast.

still need range though. not enough charging stations that are fast charging in all places yet. 80% of 200 miles is 160 and with cold weather might get 130 to 140 of that.
They said charge to 80% in 18 minutes is amazing fast but still need that range.

 

[buffasnow]

The only big win would be to use gearing instead of a single reduction gear. This works. In fact it's how the Taycan soundly beats the EPA numbers and outperforms the Teslas.

So does anyone have a realistic analysis of how much of a premium this type of gearing adds to the cost of an EV? Are there durability/maintenance concerns with this over the "standard" type gearing?

 

[67 Stang Convertible]

The EV6 I bet will be a contender. I've owned 3 Kia's in a row. The one thing you can count on is quality construction. I initially went Kia back before I had any loot; as they offered all the bells and whistles with a small price tag. Stayed with them for the quality and I like a deal. In addition they have the benefit of EV experience (NIRO and Soul). Wonder what the price tag will look like?

My MME is not scheduled to go to production until the week of May 30th. So I figure July is the earliest I'll see it. I will continue to watch over my shoulder for the EV6. Sounds like range will be about 20 miles per charge less than the MME.

 

[SteelMach]

So does anyone have a realistic analysis of how much of a premium this type of gearing adds to the cost of an EV? Are there durability/maintenance concerns with this over the "standard" type gearing?

It's only really advantageous when you want very fast off the line acceleration *and* a very high Vmax. That's why only Taycan does it right now. Even in the Taycan, you are always in "2nd" unless you are in Sport or Sport Plus. "1st" is really "launch mode gear."

Since most EVs don't need the very high Vmax the single speed is just fine.

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