First Look Review: The 2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line is Sporty done right!

The 2024 Kia EV6 GT may be an overkill for many customers, and for those who only want a similar styling, there’s the cheaper and more efficient 2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line. The 2024 EV6 GT-Line started arriving at U.S. dealerships just back in Fall 2023, and recently, I saw a Steel Matte Gray sample with an all-wheel drive drivetrain layout on display, and got to experience its space, comfort, and features. Here are my first impressions:

Design

Even though it’s marketed as a crossover SUV, the 2024 Kia EV6 comes across as a large hatchback, which enhances its appeal to me. In the GT-Line grade, the absence of matte black or gloss black wheel arch extensions and lower body cladding, which are present on the lower grades, removes any typical crossover SUV characteristics. This detail is definitely a plus for me.

I think the 2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line has an athletic and dynamic exterior. At the front, I like the sleek headlamps that feature a moving light pattern, the ultra-slim upper grille, and the specially designed lower air intake.

On the sides, I find the automatically extending flush-fitted door handles and the body-colored wheel arch extensions and lower body cladding quite sophisticated. The character line that runs along the bottom of the door panels and the 20-inch alloy wheels lend it a sportier look.

At the back, I think the extremely raked glass adds to the 2024 EV6 GT-Line’s sporty look, and the upright bodywork below it gives it an SUV-like, confident look. I find the latter a little odd, and the full-width tail lamps with sequential indicators amplify that weirdness at the back. The EV6 is manufactured in Hwasung, South Korea, and the factory has done a fantastic job in getting the panel gaps, alignment, and paint quality right.

Interior

The 2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line features a low-profile interior that underlines its spaciousness and helps it look more luxurious than gas-powered Kia models. I like its sleek dashboard with the free-standing panel that integrates a 12.3-inch virtual instrument cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, the slim AC vents, and the beautiful textured surface on the upper part are a nice touch.

I find the floating center console more interesting than the dashboard. It has a sleek design, features a stylish textured surface, and is quite practical. There’s lots of free storage space in the lower part, where I think I could easily keep a few shopping bags or a hand bag. The storage box below the central armrest is big enough to keep taller items like a flask.

The digital instrument cluster has clean graphics, and its picture quality is impressive. It shows a power charge gauge, a charging level indicator, a regenerative braking level indicator, and an electric energy economy indicator. The touchscreen infotainment system, unfortunately, only supports wired Apple CarPlay and wired Android Auto, with a future software update promising to bring the wireless versions. From my experience, I can say that its UI is simple but not as engaging as that of the EV9.

Kia uses vegan SynTex seat trim in the EV6 GT-Line, and in my experience, that material feels surprisingly premium. The lower part of the dashboard, the sides of the center console, and the door cards understandably feel of a lower quality compared to the parts of the interior that the occupants interface with. Kia has used hard plastic in these points of the cabin to save cost. The quality of the switchgear is from the current Kia parts bin, and it serves its purpose. 

Moving to comfort levels, as a six-foot-tall person, I felt that ingress in the front was midway between sedan and crossover. When I sat in the 8-way power driver’s seat with 2-way power lumbar adjustment, my head was almost touching the roof lining with my seat adjusted to my driving position.

I had comfortable legroom, and under-thigh support felt particularly generous. The lumbar support was adequate. All-around visibility from the driver’s seat was more comparable to a sedan of this class than a crossover with higher seating and bigger glass areas.

In the back, ingress was again more like a sedan. I sat behind the driver and checked the headroom first, which was better than the front seat. I had enough legroom, but with the battery placed beneath the floor, I was sitting with my knees in an upward position. The backrest was comfortable, and it was possible to recline the seat to where I could take a nap! There was ample shoulder room in the back, making this a comfortable car for small families.

The 2024 EV6 GT-Line has a flat floor, so I tried out the middle position of the rear seat as well, to see if it was just as comfortable as either of the outboard positions. In my experience, this won’t be comfortable as the armrest (now back into the seat) doesn’t offer cushioning.

The 2024 EV6 GT-Line features a smart power liftgate and has 24.4 cu. ft. of cargo volume. Folding down the rear seat increases the available cargo volume to 50.2 cu. ft. There’s some underfloor storage space, too. The EV comes with a tire mobility kit, not a spare tire. Kia has equipped it with a frunk, but it can be used to keep only small items.

Driving impressions

For MY2024, the Kia EV6 GT-Line has no changes to its powertrain, battery pack, or any other core components, at least none that Kia has announced. The power and torque outputs and the performance figures have remained unchanged. Similarly, the range is still 310 miles (RWD)/252 miles (AWD). I think the way the EV drives and feels shouldn’t have changed either.

Gauging from the previous model year, the EV6 GT-Line is a fun-to-drive vehicle overall. Be it in the 225 hp RWD configuration or this 320 hp AWD configuration, it launches without any wheelspin. Initial acceleration feels quite slow in the RWD configuration (0-60 mph in 7.2 seconds) but not in the AWD configuration (0-60 mph in 5.1 seconds) seen in this story.

The EV6 GT-Line does exhibit some body roll around the corners, but it has superb driving dynamics and can maintain its composure during enthusiastic driving. It doesn’t feel as heavy as the spec sheet suggests, and the steering is accurate. While we won’t recommend this, experienced drivers can have fun with the traction control turned off. The brakes could be slightly better, though, and offer more bite force, which we expect to see in the MY2025 EV6.

Price

The 2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line retails at USD 52,900 in RWD and USD 57,600 in AWD. Both prices exclude a USD 1,375 destination fee.

Also See: First Look Review: 2024 Kia EV9 offers comfort, space, features but at a price

TopElectricSUV says

The 2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line is a sporty EV with great performance and driving dynamics, and it impresses in the areas of style and convenience. However, it has some limitations in passenger space. Its biggest downside is the expensive price tag, though. That said, I’m confident that customers who can manage these negatives won’t regret buying one.

2024 Kia EV6 GT-Line FAQs