Today, Kia has announced the latest evolution of the Kia EV6, and my, it’s a weird one. The new car features a facelift with practically alien visuals, but perhaps what’s most important is what’s happening under the skin. Kia is implementing a whole host of incremental upgrades practically across the board with more range, more speed, and oh yeah, it’s going to pretend to be a bit of an internal combustion vehicle now.
This new Kia EV6 has been in the making for a while now. Kia first unveiled the new model in South Korea back in May. Now, today at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the automaker is showing us what we’re about to get in America. There’s some fun, some style, and a dash of that weird that we’re coming to expect from Kia lately.
On the outside, the incoming EV6 facelift looks largely the same as the car currently on sale right now. Don’t be ashamed if you had to look up what the current one looks like to compare with the new one.
The biggest change, at least in my eyes, happened up front with the vehicle’s LED headlights. Kia has given the lights a new shape up front. Kia calls these things the Star Map lights and they’re supposed to resemble constellations. I’m not sure about that one, but I dig the look.
The full-width taillight in the rear keeps its general outline, but the graphics inside have been changed to match the Star Map theme. Kia also tossed on a bunch of trapezoids up front and redesigned the rear bumper.
If you’ll remember last year, Kia design head Tom Kearns came on our podcast to talk about this “opposites united” approach to design:
Sadly, the new EV6 facelift continues the trend of rear bumpers that won’t protect much in a crash. At least the 19- and 21-inch shoes on this ride have new futuristic designs to match the already space aesthetic.
The real meat and potatoes are beneath all of that. Kia says the 2025 model now comes standard with a 63 kWh battery, up from 58.0 kWh. The base model gets a rear motor making 167 HP and 258 lb.-ft. of torque. But the one Kia really wants you to get is the bigger 84.0 kWh battery, which Kia says is targeting range of up to 319 miles in Light, Long Range, Wind, and GT-Line RWD trim levels. That’s a nine-mile range bump over the current RWD models, which isn’t bad.
Getting the bigger battery also nets you a more powerful rear motor making 225 HP and 258 lb-ft of torque. If that’s not spicy enough, you can toss on a front motor and get a total system power of 320 HP and 446 lb-ft of torque. If that’s still not enough, you can still soup up the EV6 with the GT, which gets you to 601 HP and 545 lb-ft of torque in Normal mode and Sport mode. That’s a healthy bump from last year’s 460 HP.
Finally, click your EV6 GT into GT mode and you’ll unleash a more than healthy 641 HP and 568 lb-ft of torque, which sounds so delightful. Remember when Kias had maybe a sixth of this power? That new GT mode power figure also beats last year’s 576 HP. So, you’re getting decent gains here!
Other goodies include an increased tow rating up to 2,700 pounds (with the 84.0 kWh battery) and the car itself now has a faster operating system. The car will now be able to detect the attachment of a trailer and adjust remaining range accordingly, too. The real weirdness comes from other tech. Kia says the EV6 will now try to emulate the experience of driving an ICE, at least somewhat:
“The GT’s new Virtual Gear Shift feature enhances driving immersion by simulating gear shifts with visuals, engine sound effects, and a tactile sensation through motor torque adjustments.” While weird, this does match a similar thing Hyundai is doing with the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. The power output now matches the Hyundai, too.
Inside, there are more incremental updates. Some of these changes are really small, such as an infotainment screen growing by a nearly imperceptible range. The screen is now 12.3 inches, up from 12.0 inches. Other new interior touches include a new steering wheel and some small dashboard shape changes. Nothing groundbreaking for sure. Some goodies to keep you entertained while charging now include video and music streaming, games, and Wi-Fi. You can now also use your phone or an NFC-enabled smart card as your car’s key.
What’s more interesting is that the EV6 gained 0.6 inches in length, thanks in part to a strengthened chassis and other beefing up. Kia also says the steering should be more responsive now and the cabin a little quieter thanks to more sound deadening.
All EV6 models, save for the GT, will be made in Georgia beginning in the first half of next year. Pricing hasn’t been announced yet, but we’ll provide that information as soon as we can. Overall, the Kia EV6 isn’t changing a whole lot for 2025, but the incremental changes are welcome. A little more range, a bump in power, and a little extra weirdness are all things we love around here!
“641 HP, Fake Engine Sounds, And Simulated Shifting”
One awesome, real thing and two dumb, pretend things to make it embarrassing and ruin it.
Don’t pretend to be something else. Lean into what you are.
JERRY: You faked with me?
ELAINE: Yeah.
JERRY: You faked with me?
ELAINE: Yeah.
JERRY: No.
ELAINE: Yeah.
JERRY: You faked it?
ELAINE: I faked it.
JERRY: That whole thing, the whole production, it was all an act?
ELAINE: Not bad huh?
JERRY: What about the breathing, the panting, the moaning, the screaming?
ELAINE: Fake, fake, fake, fake.
So can you turn the fake crap off?
Keep seeing EV 6 and Ioniq models around town I do like them but they still carry the Hyundai stigma in my mind. I seat checked the Ioniq and I was pleasantly surprised that I fit.
I’m fine with the fake noises if that really does help sell these but fake shifts? Really? When I had a hybrid RAV4, shifts were the thing I missed the least, why is that considered desirable, is this something the focus groups are really asking for?
You can read one of many reviews from automotive outlets that explains how much fun the fake shifting is. It sounds silly on paper but almost everyone who has tried it out has said that it makes for a very engaging option.
Losers…those are called losers
While most of this “car” can best be described as aesteticly revolting.
Well anyway.
How about they stretch it more than just the .6 inches and give it a real bumper?
I can’t fathom what they were going for with those new lights; they’re horrendous. I don’t think I’ve ever been more let down by a car’s refresh.
The only positive is now it’ll be cheaper to buy the used ones with lights much more suited to the car
If I were a Storm Trooper, I would want this
Still not enough to make me walk into a Kia dealership.
They managed to make the prettiest part of it ugly. Why the hell did they ruin the front end like that. I’m happy i bought my 2024 before the ugly refresh
It feels like they’re competing to make the most expensive headlights in the most vulnerable place.
“The GT’s new Virtual Gear Shift feature enhances driving immersion by simulating gear shifts with visuals, engine sound effects, and a tactile sensation through motor torque adjustments.”
No. Just stop it. Stop being ashamed of what you are and trying to pretend to be something else. EVs are fine, and you don’t need to pretend otherwise.
It’s like a vegetarian eating tofurkey or some other fake meat substitute, just quit it. It’s ok to be a vegetarian (I know, weird coming from a chef), there’s nothing wrong with that. Veggies can be delicious. EVs are fine, they can be wonderful too, don’t be ashamed of it. Stop pretending that it’s a manual, stop putting fake engine noises in it, just quit it. Be what you are and be proud of what you are.
Most of the reviews I’ve seen/heard on the Ioniq5 N are pretty positive about the fake shifting thing and, given that the “authentic” competition is most likely a crossover with a 2.0l turbo 4 and a DSG that plays fake engine noises thru the speakers, the distinction between authentic and fake sorta fades… Put another way, my fav vegetarian diner does a killer black bean based “burger” that I would choose 10/10 times before a mcdonalds cheese burger with real “meat”.
I would probably choose that black bean burger over a McDonald’s burger as well, but
somemost of that is because a McDonald’s burger is, you know, a McDonald’s burger.But I know what you mean. I just see things like this as disingenuous and silly. If you’re going to pipe in fake noise, do something ridiculous with it, like a lightsaber sound or something equally absurd like shapeship noises.
Jetsons. Why doesn’t anyone make a car that sounds like the Jetsons?
See, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Personally I think it would be fantastic if it made the sound of a playing card that was clothes-pinned to the spokes of your bicycle, but something silly and fun is the way to go
Farts, burps, raspberries and heavy sighs?
I’m not sure how they managed to make it uglier. The original EV6 was a crime against eyeballs as is. I’ll admit that I thought it was cool when the first images of it came out but after seeing several in person I find it very offensive for some reason. It’s just busy for the sake of being busy and it looks like someone took a wagon, hit increase size by 25%, and called it a day without making any of the necessary adjustments to make that proposition look more natural.
Now it’s somehow even busier. Yay, I guess? I don’t think there’s a segment of vehicles out there that I’m less interested in than second gen BEV crossovers….and I don’t mean that as an insult because I know we have some folks here that love their Mach E’s, Ioniqs, etc. If it works for you and you enjoy then more power to you, it’s just not my cup of tea.
I dig the look, but then again I call the Smart Fortwo beautiful, so my taste buds might be tainted. 🙂
Aw, now I can’t un-see that!
…you’re welcome, I guess?! I mean I daily drive a Kona N, which looks like an angry bug decked out in Autozone accessories so I probably shouldn’t be trusted to be an arbiter of good taste
No option for the small motor and the larger battery?
Might be a cool combo for some crazy long range without the 0-60 times.
I believe it is the same rear motor, the larger battery is just capable of supplying more amps to it for the higher HP rating.
That’s…. weird. If true then it’s the discharge rate of the battery pack that sets the HP limit but that same 20% battery bump gets you up to 466 HP or more running two motors?
Based on the info I could find on the old model, the specs said every version outside of the GT had the same 160kW rear motor, the AWD added a 70kW front motor. The GT reused the 160kW motor for the front and added a different 270kW rear motor. I would guess it isn’t too different on the new model.
Thermal management. Smaller battery asked for the same quantity of electricity will run hotter than a bigger battery. It’s discharging at a faster rate which heats the cells more. So the cooling system has to work harder to remove the heat. It’s not optimal. Nerfing the motor output keeps the heat down.
In the words of Paul Hollywood, “it’s overworked”. This thing is rocking all of the current corny design trends and the interior is German levels of monochrome.