Kia’s incoming performance electric has undergone suspension finetune at the neighbour’s

IN addition to being tuned on the Nurburgring, the performance flagship of Kia’s EV6 electric model has also been tweaked for the Nullabor.

News from the Hyundai Group affiliate is that, as with the standard EV6 range, the EV6 GT range has benefited from a ride and handling tune-up conducted in Australia.

Our neighbour is just one of only four regional set-ups allowed globally, the others being South Korea, Europe and the United States.

The work on the EV6 – Kia’s most powerful road car - is a finishing touch to the major dynamic recipe that was cooked by Kia in Germany.

There it handled lower-quality 'B-grade' back roads as well as the Nürburgring race circuit.

“The initial tuning in Germany locked in the hard parts including the hydraulic tune of the shock absorbers and the Motor Driven Power Steering (MDPS),” according to Kia Australia.

“The finishing touches have recently been conducted back home around Canberra and greater (Australian Capital Territory) area.”

In addition to speaking about this work, Kia Australia has shared behind the scenes images.

It has also let slip detail that might be important to Kiwis – when the GT will be available to this part of the world. There’s been no word on this from Kia New Zealand, but its equivalent across the water is talking about release in the final quarter of this year. That’s a rescheduling; the car has in the past been talked about as a 2023 product. It might still be for us.

Kia Australia says it has put the GT through a rigorous ride and handling programme that, chief operating officer Damien Meredith believes, is an important contributing factor to the brand’s continuous growth in Australia.

“Tuning our vehicles to suit Australian conditions is a crucial feature in the local model lineup and can be significantly credited to the growth in our overall sales,” he said.

General Manager of Product at Kia Australia, Roland Rivero, says it was important for Australia to not simply adopt a spec from another market.

“The importance of our requirement for a localised and unique tune is supported by headquarters and allows Kia Australia one of only four global tuning specs available for EV6 GT.

“Despite the hurdles that confronted us, from the lack of availability of a test mule in Namyang to the impracticalities of Covid-19 restrictions in Korea requiring seven days’ isolation, we negotiated an unprecedented new process of initial tuning in Germany and then fine tuning in Australia.”

Kia Australia’s ride and handling engineer, Graeme Gambold, who has localised the ride of more than 50 Kia models during the last 11 years, is enthusiastic about the EV6 GT’s dynamics and performance.

“We had a solid platform to work with and spent time in both Germany and locally, ensuring the GT can cope with our harsher conditions. Compliance on rough country roads and importantly grip on uneven surfaces which is more prevalent in Australia, has been addressed.

“At all times we were mindful of the existing EV6 range, which is already dynamically capable. The GT had to raise the bar substantially.

“It is a confident GT which can be pushed hard, driven spiritedly, is forgiving on our roads and equally for the performance enthusiasts, a very capable GT on the track when flicked to GT mode.”

The GT has dual electric motors developing 430kW and 740Nm; a big lift on the most powerful and, at $111,990, most expensive EV6 availing presently to NZ buyers, the 239kW/605Nm EV6 GT-Line all-wheel-drive.

The 77.4kWh battery pack-fed drivetrain enables a 3.5-second 0-100kmh time and 260kmh top speed. Performance brakes, 21-inch wheels, adaptive suspension and a limited-slip rear differential feature.