Taycan v Kia EV6 GT

[Fletch]

Brand impressions aside, i think the future is going to be pretty awesome. The switch to EV is a performance boon, and is giving the manufacturers license to play with more extreme styling. Not every attempt will land, but i love seeing it.

i do think the 'old guard' better watch out. a 100k base model porsche has literally no modern options on it and the new generation expects those things. They used to be gatekeepers to insane performance, but that wall is coming down fast.

Now, being proud of the badge on your car will never go away and will always carry a premium. But perceptions inevitably change over time (just ask Cadillac).

 

[Luminated67]

I think the watch analogy is best. The Kia I’m sure is a great EV that looks awesome to boot. But there’s something emotional to the purchase that the Taycan scratches (or will scratch for me, hopefully). In that case the Kia is like a Seiko Monster or other affordable and desirable mech watches that complement but not supplement the Rolex, APs etc. i would think that should ring true for a lot of folks here based on the watch threads here.

Own a fair few so called exotic watches though never anything as expensive as an AP and yet the watches I regularly wear are unknown micro brands. Maybe I’m different from the norm and I ain’t the brand lover others are, for me the actual product accounts for about 60% of my decision, 25% it’s value for money and the final 15% the brand itself.

I think electric has moved the goalposts that with ICE where firmly in place, there is so much scope to tuning how a thing drives and performs with electric that the old engineering skills are much less important.

 

[Genau]

I think electric has moved the goalposts that with ICE where firmly in place, there is so much scope to tuning how a thing drives and performs with electric that the old engineering skills are much less important.

I’m skeptical that the recipe can be reproduced by different cooks in the kitchen. Every time I take hard corners at more than twice the recommended speed (which is several times a day), I’m reminded that I’m driving a Porsche. One corner I take often has a recommended speed of 15 mph and I take it at >50 mph. Cornering is just one example of all the driving dynamics in which Porsche heavily invests.

 

[Luminated67]

I’m skeptical that the recipe can be reproduced by different cooks in the kitchen. Every time I take hard corners at more than twice the recommended speed (which is several times a day), I’m reminded that I’m driving a Porsche. One corner I take often has a recommended speed of 15 mph and I take it at >50 mph. Cornering is just one example of all the driving dynamics in which Porsche heavily invests.

I don’t disagree that Porsche will continue to be at the pinnacle of EV driving dynamics but I think it will be a bit easier for others to get closer and the early sign with the EV6GT is a very playful character which is something most spirited drivers look for.

 

[UNO]

Yeah it has the 800v tech, but I was very surprised how quickly it tapers off as the SOC increases. At 85% it was only pulling 28 kW whereas mine was pulling 76.6 right next to it. I know we don’t charge past 85% much but still.

EV6 GT owner here,
I still pull 100+ well past 80%. I believe it only drops to under 75kw after 90%. No obviously not in the winter, but in warm weather? Yes.

Part of what I like about the EV6 GT is that it doesn't taper off. It doesn't fall on its face. It just continues to dole out hate no matter the speed. H/K has a TON of money, and they put it into motor R&D in this case with 21K rpm motors. The results are solid.

Regarding track performance, remember, the GT has 6.2" of ground clearance (which is part of why I bought one, I live down a gravel road in the middle of nowhere), but it still comports itself reasonably on a track:

You can see on it Knutstorp slots neatly between the GTS Sport Tourismo and Sport Tourismo models.

I have also found it to be wonderfully underrated in pretty much every way. Real world range is about 240mi or so with my typical highway/freeway commute mix, and the 0-60 was conservative, as advertised by Kia as you can see from my Dragy, as the 3.46s includes the 1ft rollout. Without, it was in the low 3.2s.



To be sure I really really like the looks and interior of the Porsche, but after 15K miles in my EV6 GT, it puts a smile on my face, and I have found it a wonderful daily driver.

 

[WattTurbo]

EV6 GT owner here,
I still pull 100+ well past 80%. I believe it only drops to under 75kw after 90%. No obviously not in the winter, but in warm weather? Yes.

Part of what I like about the EV6 GT is that it doesn't taper off. It doesn't fall on its face. It just continues to dole out hate no matter the speed. H/K has a TON of money, and they put it into motor R&D in this case with 21K rpm motors. The results are solid.

Regarding track performance, remember, the GT has 6.2" of ground clearance (which is part of why I bought one, I live down a gravel road in the middle of nowhere), but it still comports itself reasonably on a track:

You can see on it Knutstorp slots neatly between the GTS Sport Tourismo and Sport Tourismo models.

I have also found it to be wonderfully underrated in pretty much every way. Real world range is about 240mi or so with my typical highway/freeway commute mix, and the 0-60 was conservative, as advertised by Kia as you can see from my Dragy, as the 3.46s includes the 1ft rollout. Without, it was in the low 3.2s.



To be sure I really really like the looks and interior of the Porsche, but after 15K miles in my EV6 GT, it puts a smile on my face, and I have found it a wonderful daily driver.

My comment was based on my brother’s EV6 from a while back. It has since gotten the software updates, and now even has preconditioning so it doesn’t tapers anymore. His just went from 20-90% SOC in less than 30 minutes so it’s just as fast as the Taycan now.

 

[UNO]

My comment was based on my brother’s EV6 from a while back. It has since gotten the software updates, and now even has preconditioning so it doesn’t tapers anymore. His just went from 20-90% SOC in less than 30 minutes so it’s just as fast as the Taycan now.

The GT's came with preconditioning, etc. so I cannot vouch for not having it except in my Volvo C40, it was miserably slow in the cold, but EA stations also had some issues, so I am not sure where the blame should be placed, there. The GT has a different suspension setup than the Wind/GT-L, and behaves completely differently. I was given a Wind as a loaner some time back, and put 700 miles on it. The car behaved like a well composed family car. The GT behaves like something that deserves the seats it has. You can definitely tell H/K wrote Albert Biermann a blank check and told him to enjoy himself.

 

[UNO]

I tested this theory again, and I must have misremembered, or it charges faster when warmed up (the day was 66*f) when I tried this, but it maintained about 75kw until around the high 80's/low 90's where it dropped to @50kw, and then tapered down ultimately to 11-13kw at 100%. I did not precondition the battery. Nor did it even get warm enough to kick on a fan or for me to hear any coolant pumps whirring, so likely could charge faster had I preconditioned or it been a warmer day.


*NO, I don't normally charge to 100% on DC charging, but was curious what it looked like/to make sure it COULD if I needed to for a trip. This is the only time I have.