Kia EV6 GT Takes Over as Flagship Model, Saying Goodbye to the Stinger GT

Nothing lasts forever. Neither is lunch or the reign of the high-performance Gran Turismo Stinger. Kia’s outgoing flagship model handed over the scepter to the all-electric SUV EV6 GT at the Hradec Králové test site. We were there and both models were properly ventilated at controlled races.

The Kia Stinger GT needs no introduction, as it is the motoring dream of many enthusiasts who desire a high-performance touring car with a six-cylinder engine (366 hp) and the comfort of a luxury limousine. If you’re looking for a new piece, you’ll only buy a warehouse, you won’t officially order the car into production.

However, we know the successor – the fully electric SUV Kia EV6 GT for 1.8 million crowns, which puts the Stinger in your pocket with its technical parameters. And deep enough.

The highest power of the top EV6 is 585 hp, the torque reaches 740 Nm, and the electric car weighing 2.2 tons can accelerate from zero to one hundred in 3.5 seconds. Even the maximum of 260 km/h is not to be thrown away, as is the 4×4 drive with rear axle preference. Finally, we will also mention the battery capacity of 77.4 kWh and a theoretical combined range of up to 424 km per charge.

The EV6 GT is also wider, longer and lower than the standard EV6 variants. The interior is also identical except for the footwell for the rear passengers. Due to the anatomical seats in the first row, they have sixteen millimeters to spare.

The GT electric six also has unique oil-cooled electric motors spinning at up to 21,000 rpm, so it sounds a bit like a Formula E single-seater in full gear. The front engine has 218 hp and 350 Nm, while the rear one has 367 hp and 390 Nm . In order to transfer this wilderness to the wheels at all, the vehicle has a two-stage voltage converter and an electronic self-locking device.

Ventilated brakes with specific control software were also strengthened, softer springs landed in the front and stiffer ones in the rear. Even the axles are not the same as regular EV6 cars, nor are the variable steering, electronically controlled shock absorbers or the unique Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires with foam anti-noise filling.

The model will also offer several driving modes in which the rush of torque is limited to 50 and 80%. Only in GT mode can you fully experience the dynamics. The highlight intended for closed tracks is the drift profile, which strongly favors the rear axle and dampens the work of the electronic stabilization.

And if you need to tow a trailer, you can confidently choose the EV6 GT, because it has 200 kg more on the ball than its direct namesake. In total, it can handle up to 1800 kg braked.

So the last big party was held at the Polygon Hradec Králové transport and training center and was celebrated above all with speed. The Stinger GT raced the EV6 GT in sprints, and the other subjects – the EV6, Proceed, Niro EV – joined in as well.

Even though the EV6 GT’s acceleration really digs into the seat, the rush of torque makes a slight ass wave and it doesn’t stop until you let off the accelerator, our hearts were still captured by the Stinger.

Yes Yes. The EV6 GT is faster, more modern, more sophisticated and actually the best car in the entire Kia model family. But… We somehow miss the personality and uniqueness of the car. Namely, very fast electric SUVs are already made by everyone today – Ford, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Audi, BMW, Mercedes, and even Nissan.

But a car like the Stinger? Tuned by a true enthusiast, Albert Biermann, who has created a lot of amazing Bavarians. Gran Turismo is so successful in design, unique, distinctive and brimming with the X-factor. There are really few such cars today…

However, we will end up again after Cimrmanovska. The Stinger is retired and replaced by a “new, young, electric and really brutally fast chopper”.