2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 vs Kia EV6

What's the difference?

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 will stand out in any automotive crowd, thanks to its distinctive aero-influenced design.

It’s well-equipped for the money, surprisingly roomy, energy efficient and notwithstanding some niggles around the ride and steering feel, comes up to scratch dynamically.

Does it do enough to apply the thumb screws to the likes of Tesla's Model 3? I think it’s got a pretty good shot, and it will be interesting to see if EV buyers embrace the car’s unusual streamlined look.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

A hundred thousand dollars used to be big money. And for a family SUV, it still is. But don’t make the mistake of confusing the Kia badge with pedestrian motoring. The EV6 GT is proof that Kia can make high performance cars that work, and make the most of modern EV tech in the process.

We’re a bit disappointed in the real-world range of the car, and there’s no doubt the vast majority of drivers neither need nor want a car as focussed as this one. But as an example of how a modern, digital electric car can feel more like an old-school analogue performance car, the GT is Exhibit A. And for those of us for whom it’s about the journey, not the destination, this is indeed good news as EVs continue to take over the world.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with meals provided.

Lots of cars are said to be “shaped by the wind” but all you have to do is look at the Ioniq 6 to know that in this case it’s 100 per cent true.

In fact, images of the car in Hyundai’s wind tunnel show it performing more like a perfectly shaped wing than a four door sedan.

With a drag co-efficient (Cd) of 0.21 it’s slicker than the ultra low-drag Tesla Model 3 and Porsche Taycan. And while not conventionally pretty it’s certainly a striking and unusual design.

Flush door handles? Of course. Carefully sculpted spoilers front and rear? Yep. Active air flaps? Check. The RWD Dynamiq’s 18-inch alloy rims are shaped for aero efficiency, while the top-spec Epiq grade even swaps out conventional side mirrors for super-cool digital cameras and interior OLED screens.

And the sleek looks continue inside with a two-section dash divided horizontally by a swoopy winged insert and topped with a pair of 12.3-inch screens covering multimedia and instrumentation.

The look and feel is minimalist. A lot of the controls are on screen or digital, but a physical dial for audio volume gets a big safety and convenience tick. 

No gearshift in the bridge-like centre console. A rotary stalk is located behind the steering wheel on the right-hand side.

There’s configurable ambient mood lighting with six pre-selected themes and the materials used inside are suitably eco-friendly.

Cloth seat trim is recycled PET plastic, as is the headliner, the dashboard skin is manufactured using bio-ethanol, the carpet is made from recycled fishing nets (!), and bio paint (partially derived from vegetable oils) is used on the doors. 

Yes, there’s leather, but its dyeing process uses biodegradable flaxseed oil rather than conventional pigments, which is a good thing in terms of fewer harmful microorganisms in waste water, and is claimed to reduce CO2 emissions by 3.8kg per car. 

On the outside, recycled pigment paint made using ‘end-of-life’ tyres is applied to the body cladding, and bamboo charcoal pigment paint is used in the ‘Digital Green’ pearl colour option.

Speaking of which, there are seven other colours available; three more pearl shades - ‘Abyss Black’, ‘Ultimate Red’ and ‘Biophilic Ink’, as well a single metallic ‘Nocturn Gray’ and a solid ‘Byte Blue’. ‘Gravity Gold’ matt finish is the only extra-cost choice at $1000. 

Perhaps the most poignant element of the GT’s design is that Kia has lavished lots of Australian input into the final product.

Like Kias before it, the EV6 GT benefits from plenty of Nth-degree local suspension tuning which, given the way some imports buck and crash on Aussie roads, is commendable and clever.

It’s also interesting that Kia has remained committed to this approach, especially since the new GT features the brand’s 'Electronically Controlled Suspension' (ECS) the first for an all-electric Kia.

By looking at real-time road speed, cornering forces, braking and acceleration forces and the actual road surface, the ECS can tailor the dampers’ behaviour to maximise dynamics, grip and ride quality. For some carmakers that would be enough, so full marks to Kia for taking the next step with local calibration input.

Perhaps the other design element of note is the fact that Kia sees the GT as not just a high performance family car, but also a vehicle that it is happy to describe as 'track worthy'.

And even with the straight-line speed involved, that’s a big statement for any car weighing north of 2.1 tonnes. Testing at the infamous Nurburgring in German underlines Kia’s determination to give the GT the smarts to handle a track day.

The use of high-performance Michelin tyres backs this up when a conventional EV tyre would improve range but at the expense of grip in corners.

To further underline how serious Kia is about that claim, the GT features a completely different steering set-up to lesser EV6 models.

The GT gets a variable ratio steering rack with a faster ratio than the other EV6s and variable levels of power assistance to improve feel. There’s even additional bracing on the GT to stiffen the body and make full use of that sportiness.

Another big part of any track-day car revolves around the braking system, and to that end Kia has fitted the GT with huge brakes.

The knock-on effect, of course, has been the requirement to fit 21-inch wheels for rotor clearance as well as a new front suspension system that features a double ball-joint design to complete the clearance for the 380mm front discs. Four-piston front calipers are also part of the GT braking package, identifiable by the bright green hardware.

In specific detail terms, other design standouts include the sequential LED indicators, flush-folding door handles, solar glass, intelligent headlight system and 64-colour ambient interior lighting.

If there’s a design disappointment it’s that the GT looks pretty much like any other EV6.

Yes, the 21-inch wheels and tyres are pretty easy to spot, but from the front, only a slightly different grille, lower bumper and matrix headlights give the game away.

That doesn’t make it an unattractive car (by any means) but it doesn’t automatically mean onlookers will know you’ve spent the extra gold for the extra performance.

And over in the Swing-and-a-Miss column is the synthetic soundtrack Kia has chosen for the GT. There are three different, selectable background noises linked to motor speed, but, to us, they simply sound like three different stages of wheel-bearing failure.

The Ioniq 6 is just under 4.9m long and the wheelbase is close to three metres, so no surprise there’s an impressive amount of space inside the car.

A flat floor enhances the roomy feel, plus controls for windows and mirrors are located in the centre console or on the dash rather than the front doors, which has allowed the armrests to be trimmed down for some extra breathing space.

As mentioned earlier, there’s no gearshift in the centre console, either. It takes the form of a rotary stalk on the right hand side of the steering column. It doesn’t take long to get used to and I found it pretty handy to use.

There are large bins in the doors with space for bottles, two cupholders in the console and a medium-sized lidded storage box (which doubles as a centre armrest) between the seats.

A lengthy tray underneath the main console keeps additional loose items under control and a generous glove box slides out from the dash rather than flipping open. So, there’s plenty of storage on offer.  

Move to the rear and it feels like you’ve teleported into the back of a stretch limo. With the driver’s seat set to my 183cm position there is huge legroom.

Hyundai says thanks to the use of high strength steel the backs of the front ‘relaxation’ seats fitted to the AWD models are appreciably thinner than normal, also increasing rear space.

Rear headroom is fine sitting in a normal, relaxed position, although sitting bolt upright my bonse grazes the headliner. 

Three abreast for adults will be okay for short runs, but not a goer for lengthy road trips. Three up to teenage kids will be fine, though.

Speaking of kids, parents will appreciate ‘Quiet Mode’ which limits audio to ‘25’ in front and mutes the rear. Perfect for uninterrupted sleep back there, or keeping the noise to a minimum for those furiously focused on their favourite game or a movie.

Backseaters are provided with bins in the doors, although the section scooped out for bottles is small, there are two cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest, netted map pockets on the front seat backs and a small slot for keys or a phone under the adjustable air vents at the rear of the front console.

Connectivity and power options run to three USB sockets in the front (one Type-A for media and charging, plus two Type-C for power only), a 12-volt socket under the front console, and two Type-C ports in the back. That’s plenty. 

Boot space is 410 litres (VDA), and the rear backrest split-folds 60/40 to liberate more room. Worth noting there are no tie-down anchors in the boot, but there is an underfloor storage compartment, plus a 45L ‘frunk’ under the bonnet of the RWD and a 14.5L storage space in the front of AWD models.

The boot lid is powered but there’s no spare, just a mobility kit. Grrrr!

If you want to hook up the tinny or camper trailer, towing capacity is 1500kg for a braked trailer and 750kg unbraked.

A bi-directional ‘Integrated Charging Control Unit’ (ICCU) allows for ‘Vehicle to Load’ (V2L) functionality on the inside and the outside of the car. There’s a house power-style three-pin outlet at the base of the rear seats or a simple adapter plugs into the charging outlet. Super-handy for camping, picnics, you name it.

Perhaps the biggest practicality hurdle is the car’s range. At an optimum 424km, it’s okay but not stellar. And if those kilometres are highway ones, you can forget about 424km; it’ll be a fair bit less than that.

Meantime, the long wheelbase of the basic EV6 platform means there’s lots of legroom in the rear, making the car a comfy four-seater (the rear-centre seating position is decidedly last place) with enough knee space for adults in the rear.

The cabin is dotted with USB and charging points and there’s wireless charging in the double-layer centre console. There’s a also a bottle-holder in each door, map pockets in the front seat-backs, a luggage net and retractable cargo cover.

Kia’s insistence that the GT be capable of track-day work means the headrests on the front seats allow for a helmet to be worn, while the lack of power adjustment for the front seats mean they can be mounted closer to the floor.

Even so, the sunroof gobbles up precious headroom, and the cabin is a bit tight in that direction even without a helmet.

The digital dash and head-up display is clear and legible and the menu system contained within the touchscreen has a positive action and is logically laid out. Only the gear selector makes us wonder with its dim indicator lights that are hard to discern in some ambient light conditions.

The silver steering wheel buttons are also a bit hard to fathom when light reflects off them. The starter button is also not where you instinctively look for it.

The elephant in the room, of course, is that price-tag which is just a posh meal for two shy of the magic $100K, at $99,590, before on-road costs. Of course, EVs aren’t cheap to purchase in the first place, but then neither are cars with supercar performance. And the Kia is arguably both those things.

And let’s not forget that it’s also possible to spend a lot more than $100,000 and not go anywhere near as fast as the Kia does. At which point, the whole car falls into place.

This is also a car that is very well equipped, making that price-tag a little easier to swallow. You get techy gear like LED matrix headlights, acoustic and solar glass (laminated in the front doors) no less than seven USB charge ports, digital radio, twin 12.3-inch screens, a head-up display (with augmented reality function) Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated front and rear seats, and Kia’s 'Sounds of Nature' ambient noise generator.

What’s missing? Cars with this much performance often have carbon-ceramic brakes. But to be honest, the savage regeneration potential of the GT means it doesn’t really need them.

Power front seats would seem to be AWOL as well, but as we’ll explain later, the manual seats are there to save weight and free up headroom. The lack of an electrically adjustable steering column is a bit harder to explain away.

Six figures is a bit of a sticker-shock when you first encounter it, but when you dig deeper, like all EVs, the picture changes the more you know.

The entry-grade Ioniq 6 is the rear-wheel drive Dynamiq, featuring a 168kW/350Nm permanent magnet synchronous electric motor on the rear axle powered by a liquid cooled lithium-ion battery.

The all-wheel drive Techniq and Epiq models feature an additional permanent magnet motor at the front for a combined output of 239kW and 605Nm.

Drive is fed to the wheels via a single-speed reduction gear auto transmission on the rear or both axles.

A purely electric car, the EV6 GT is all-wheel-drive courtesy of having one electric motor across the front axle, and a second motor driving the rear wheels.

Add it all up and at maximum power, you have 430kW/740Nm at your disposal.

It’s worth remembering those numbers are precisely the same power and torque as that produced by the last of the locally made muscle-cars, HSV’s final, 6.2-litre, supercharged V8 F-Series line-up back in 2015.

Compared with the non-GT versions of the EV6, that output is almost double the 239kW of the EV6 AWD Dual Motor.

There’s no multi-ratio transmission (just a single-speed arrangement) but there is an electronically operated rear differential to make the most of the 270kW contributed by the rear electric motor.

There’s also a Drift mode built into the car which, as well as courting controversy from the authorities, manages to shift 100 per cent of torque to the rear wheels at small steering inputs to allow the car to be driven sideways.

As the car exits the turn in question, some torque is shuffled forwards to the front wheels to pull the vehicle straight.

A set of paddle shifters control not the gearbox ratios (there are none) but instead the rate of regeneration on deceleration, and turned up to its maximum, can make the Kia a one-pedal car once you get the hang of it.

The GT also features drive models, which tailor the car’s behaviour in terms of steering feel and aggressiveness, suspension firmness, throttle sensitivity and even the stability control’s intervention threshold.

There’s also a steering-wheel mounted GT button which ramps all those settings up to DEFCON 3, placing them at their most dynamic calibrations in the interests of an exciting drive.

In fact, the GT button is the only way to get the full 430kW of power, too.

In the other drive modes, the spare Kilowatts are stored away for you, just waiting for that GT button to be pressed.

All versions of the Ioniq 6 carry the same 77.4kWh lithium-ion Polymer battery and the car’s 800V architecture allows it to use 350kW DC fast charging for a 10-80 per cent fill in 18 min.

The number of genuinely fast chargers available is increasing rapidly and that fill time is impressive.

Drop to 400V (50kW charging) and that time increases to 73 min, while 7.0kW AC charging from 10 to 100 per cent will take close to 12 hours.

The ports behind the not-fuel flap are a Type 2 for AC and CCS Combo2 for higher powered DC charging.

And if all else fails, you’re also equipped with a portable charger/cable so you can access house power for a full charge in, wait for it… 34 hours 20 min.

Quoted WLTP range for the RWD Dynamiq is 614km, that number dropping to 519km for the more powerful, dual-motor Techniq and Epiq models.

The WLTP combined cycle energy consumption figure for the Dynamiq is 14.3kWh/100km, with the Techniq and Epiq models at 16.9kWh/100km.

A ‘Disconnector Actuator System’ (DAS) on the front axle of the AWD grades is able to automatically engage and disengage drive to the front wheels as required, to reduce mechanical drag, lower energy consumption and increase driving range.

On test, in the Dynamiq, over a mix of suburban, b-road and freeway running we saw an average of 16.1kWh/100km which is a pretty good result.

Like the other electric Kias on sale now, the EV6 GT has a Lithium-ion battery with a capacity of 77.4 kWh. Located under the floor, the battery-pack accounts for no less than 479 of the GT’s 2185kg.

The on-board charger can handle 10.5kW and takes about seven-and-half hours to go from 10 per cent to 100 per cent charge.

Using a 50kW fast charger, you’re looking at 73 minutes to go from 10 to 80 per cent charge and if you can find a 350kW fast charger, that time drops to just 18 minutes.

On a full charge, Kia claims a combined range of 424km which is okay, but not exactly stellar. That range will also fall pretty quickly if you start to use the awesome stomp on offer.

And let’s not forget that, in running-cost terms, the GT is front-loaded. That is, the car itself costs more, but it’ll be cheaper to run over the years.

Meantime, as oil-based fuels cost more and renewable electricity becomes more prevalent, the financial and environmental running cost of an EV starts to fall.

Okay, so the jury is still out in terms of the environmental impacts of a 77-plus kWh battery, and if the power you’re using is not the green variety, things change again. It’s a moving target, to be sure.

Either way, Kia claims energy consumption of 20.6kWh per 100km which is higher than many EV rivals but reflects the dual motors and even elements like the 21-inch performance tyres (Pirelli Pilot Sports) rather than the lower-resistance EV-specific tyres of most others.

The GT is also a bit of a hero when it comes to regeneration during braking. The car is capable of producing 0.6G from regeneration alone, and as much as 320kWh of regenerated energy during full braking.

Hyundai claims the RWD Ioniq 6 Dynamiq will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 7.4 seconds, which is not hanging around, and it feels every bit that quick. 

In fact, it has more than enough performance for sharp response in the city and easy cruising on the highway.

Step up to the AWD Techniq or Epiq and you’re hitting 100km/h in just 5.1 seconds, which is properly rapid. 

A single-speed ‘shift-by-wire’ reduction gear auto transmission sits on the rear or both axles and you have the choice of ‘Normal’, ‘Eco’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Custom’ drive modes, which fine-tune power output, accelerator response, steering weight as well as power distribution between the axles on AWD models.

Hyundai’s ‘E-Active Sound Design’ (e-ASD) changes the ‘sound texture’ as you drive with a noise roughly approximating Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder coming through the speakers.

It’s fun for a while, but I found myself turning it down, then off, for the majority of the launch drive. And in that silent mode you can feel and hear (or not?) the impact of the car’s super-slippery shape. No wind noise and only modest tyre rumble at 110km/h on the freeway. 

The Ioniq 6 sits on Hyundai’s ‘Electric Global Modular Platform’ (E-GMP) which features the flat battery pack mounted low down, skateboard-style, between the axles. 

Suspension is strut front, five-link rear, and although the set-up hasn’t been tuned locally, Hyundai Australia says it’s been involved in the development. 

The front seat remained comfy after hours behind the wheel, but it must be said bumps and thumps from typical highway surfaces made their presence felt on a regular basis.

That’s not unusual for a full electric vehicle, but with the RWD Dynamiq riding on relatively cushy Hankook 225/55 ventus S1 evo3 rubber, it’s surprising.  

In corners you can feel the effect of the car’s low centre of gravity with the battery and motor(s) mounted low in the chassis. It hunkers down and remains beautifully balanced and secure through sweeping bends.

But even though the car points nicely, a meaningful connection between the front tyres and your hands on the steering wheel is MIA. 

The physical brakes are vented discs at the front and solid rotors at the rear, adjustable through ‘Normal’ and ‘Sport’ settings, and they’re nice and progressive.

However, there’s more fun to be had with the regenerative braking, adjustable through three levels (‘Strong’, ‘Medium’, ‘Soft’) via steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters.

Move to the highest setting and you’re in ‘i-Pedal’ mode which means for the majority of the time easing off the accelerator is all that’s required to wash off speed before coming to a reasonably prompt halt.

In terms of ergonomics, the simple dash layout works well thanks to a sensible mix of digital and physical controls, the head-up display is crystal clear, and the big screens for media and instrumentation are hard to fault.

A word of warning, though. An over-speed chime fires four times when you even marginally exceed the detected limit. It quickly becomes intensely annoying, the saviour being an off button in the vehicle settings menu. Downside is it defaults to ‘on’ every time you stop and re-start the car. Ugh!

Let’s cut to the – literal – chase: Acceleration. Any car with a nought to 100km/h time of 3.5 seconds is a serious performer, but even then, the first time you launch the GT, the sheer ferocity of the car’s response will surprise you.

It’s more like being shot out of a cannon than leaving the start-line, thanks to that instant torque, but the Kia also does it incredibly easily and fuss-free.

Where a lot of truly powerful cars struggle with grip, scrabbling and fighting against the traction control as they battle to get moving, the Kia simply takes off for the horizon.

There’s little squat, no loss of grip and just a seamless supply of Newton-metres. Your grandmother could launch this car as hard and fast as Lewis Hamilton could.

But where a lot of electric cars offer similar levels of traction and acceleration, the EV6 GT adds a whole new dimension.

Where much of the competition becomes a victim of its own kerb mass and the weight shift that comes with it, the Kia is an altogether more dynamic contraption, putting to the sword the theory that EVs are for straight-line stuff only.

The big, sticky Michelin tyres and the beautifully considered damper calibrations (the local experts’ work) combined with the quick steering rack and better-than-average steering feel and feedback, means the GT can not only be driven quickly around corners, it can also maintain its composure (and pace) even on a patchy, lumpy surface.

Where its velocity and steering angle suggests it should start sliding, it doesn’t. Where a corner-exit bump and lots of throttle would make other cars lift a front wheel, the Kia almost senses the road before it and tailors its damper responses.

In fact, that ability to predict the road surface is closer to reality than you might think. While the GT’s adjustable suspension remains passive (or reactive) rather than truly active (seeing into the future) the algorithms that control the dampers are smart enough to look at steering angle, speed, throttle position as well as examine the road surface in ultra-quick real time and adopt a posture that irons out the worst and keeps the wheels on the road.

Talking to the engineers who achieved this feat reveals a lot about what goes into making a two-tonne, high-horsepower car behave itself. As in, hundreds of passes over the same piece of road with full instrumentation on board and the brain power to interpret that data.

But if a car with so much roll stiffness can also offer the ride composure that this one does on 21-inch tyres, then those hundreds of passes have been well worth the effort.

As per Kia’s claim of track-readiness, we also got the chance to drive the EV6 GT at the tight, twisting, narrow Haunted Hills hillclimb circuit in Victoria’s Gippsland.

Frankly, the Kia simply has too much power for this track and we reckon it’s better left in Sport rather than GT mode where the power is a little softer and the car is not as fervent in chasing torque from the front axle to the rear and back again to dial out sliding.

It would be a different matter on a faster, flowing circuit like Phillip Island, but at Haunted Hills, driving the GT was a bit like trying to land a four metre shark in a three metre tinny.

Either way, however, the car’s on-road encouragement and dynamic poise is enough to convince us that this is one of the first EVs to actually speaks the same language as the enthusiast driver. And you can pretty much thank the Aussie suspension engineers for that.

As a high-tech product of a forward looking company, it’s no surprise to learn that the EV6 GT is loaded with the latest safety tech, including driver aids.

Those include autonomous emergency braking (with identification function), blind-spot dentification, lane-keeping assist, multi-collision braking, active speed-limit assist, on-board tyre pressure monitoring, and front and rear parking sensors.

Seven air-bags are fitted, including full-length side bags and a centre-side air-bag to prevent head clashes between passengers in a side-impact.

There’s also a 3D surround camera system, active cruise-control and an indicator-triggered monitor to provide a display of whatever is lurking in the traditional blind-spot over the driver’s shoulder.

Even the car’s headlights have been designed with safety in mind, with a bright LED light source for the driver, but also an intelligent high-beam system that is aimed at reducing the risk of dazzling oncoming vehicles.

Essentially, the front-mounted camera on the GT can spot approaching vehicles and modify the output of individual LEDs within the high-beam cluster to manipulate the shape and spread of the lights’ beam, avoiding blinding the oncoming driver while still providing maximum illumination everywhere else.

The electronically operated rear differential is also being touted by Kia as a safety measure by being able to improve high-speed stability as well as reduce wheelspin on super slippery surfaces.

While the rest of the EV6 range was ANCAP tested last year and scored the full five stars, that rating doesn’t apply to the GT variant thanks to the specific front seats.

Hyundai covers the Ioniq with a five-year, unlimited km warranty, with eight-year, 160,000km protection for the high-voltage battery. Both are industry standard these days.

There’s a lifetime servicing plan with maintenance intervals set at an impressive two years/30,000km. 

At this stage cost is $560 a throw, which is pretty handy when you consider the lengthy service intervals. 

A ‘Premium Roadside Support Plan’ is complimentary for the first 12 months and renewed annually while the vehicle is serviced by Hyundai.

Also complimentary is a ‘Sat Nav Update Plan’ which includes nine updates to be used within 10 years.

Like all modern EVs, the Kia should be cheaper to maintain than conventional cars purely because there are fewer moving parts.

Energy costs will come down to where you charge from and whether you have access to home solar panels.

The warranty is typically Kia-good, though, with seven years and unlimited kilometres on the basic car and seven years and 150,000km on all high-voltage components.

Kia offers a three-year, five-year and seven-year servicing plan at $733, $1371 and $2013, respectively.

Service intervals are every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.