Gasoline versus electricity: Does the Kia EV6 GT trump the Stinger V6?

Kia says goodbye to combustion engine mobility, at least in the high-performance range, and lets the Stinger compete for the last time with its emotional V6.

Gasoline versus electricity: Does the Kia EV6 GT trump the Stinger V6?

Kia says goodbye to combustion engine mobility, at least in the high-performance range, and lets the Stinger compete for the last time with its emotional V6. He will be accompanied by the new EV6 GT, which is to replace him. For real? ntv.de tried it out.

While the first customers of these days are finally allowed to receive their Kia EV6 GT (this is the EV6 top model) after a long wait and a new era is beginning, another is ending at the same time: that of the celebrated Stinger V6. At the time of its debut, the all-wheel drive marked a high point in the European Kia model range. Hurry, because stock vehicles are still available in stores.

At the end of the stylish six-cylinder sedan, Kia wanted to know again: which one is more fun? The combustion engine veteran or the new mobility with a silent power source under the sheet metal? And what better place to find out than the Hockenheimring?

But today, exceptionally, we don't go to the track, but to the plenty of open spaces around it to complete various drift exercises with the two candidates. And drifting is excellent for trying out the differences between vehicles with electric drives and those with traditional combustion engines.

The Kia Stinger V6 definitely beguiles with its sound, mastering sounds ranging from a deep, sonorous murmur to a throaty roar towards the end of the engine speed. And you can confidently savor the acoustic bandwidth if you want to let the Koreans pirouette with the rear end constantly breaking out, sensitively moderated by the accelerator pedal. A prerequisite for this to work well, however, is to manually hold the eight-speed automatic transmission in second gear using the shift paddle. This is important to maintain a stable drive connection. If the transmission shifts back and forth, the flow comes to a standstill, so to speak, and the drift stops.

This property can also be transferred to real traffic. If you want to scurry quickly into a traffic gap with a combustion engine, it can happen that the transmission has to sort itself out and an interruption in traction has to be accepted. Why? Because the automatic machine changes the planetary gear set, for example, which in turn means that clutches have to be opened and closed. Or the converter bridging is currently activated or deactivated.

The electric car, on the other hand, does not require a gearbox. The e-machine provides so much torque over a wide speed range that a single gear ratio is sufficient. And note: no gearbox, no interruption in traction.

When drifting with the Kia EV6 GT, things are different than with the Stinger. Only by switching to drift mode to conjure up a rear-wheel drive from the all-wheel drive vehicle. Now you could get the rear to swerve with a subtle use of the accelerator pedal, and then turn beautifully modeled controlled circles. Ha! You could if you could. The use of torque is smooth, but so powerful that even the most sensitive nudge on the right pedal immediately triggers a spin around the vertical axis.

In day-to-day driving on asphalt with good grip, however, it is nice to be able to dose the torque almost in real time with the accelerator pedal, without delay and in the smallest nuances. Electrically powered cars drive incredibly direct, the driver never has to worry about power interruptions. This is particularly pleasant if you can or have to "hop" into a traffic gap - only a few combustion engines are so seamlessly connected to the wheels. Perhaps still rare supercharged gasoline engines with old automatic transmissions that only have five or six gears.

Finally, the 366 hp Stinger and the 585 hp EV6 GT are allowed to duel in a drag race. And what happens? The two electric machines (one each for the front and one for the rear axle) smash the 2.1-ton truck so badly towards the horizon that the driver can get dizzy. After all, the factory calls 3.5 seconds to 100 km / h.

But! The weaker 1.8-tonner with a petrol engine (5.4 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h) starts quite well and is difficult to shake off, even though each individual horsepower drags 5 kilograms instead of 3.6 (EV6 GT). got to. At top speed, however, the Stinger (270 km/h) beats the EV6 GT, which at 260 things delivers a sensational value for a battery-electric vehicle.

Which one to take, that's the question - can the Stinger be replaced by an EV6 at all? Not really, after all, these are completely different vehicle concepts. Since the EV6 GT at a rate of 69,990 euros (without subsidy) is not only beastly fast, but also charges quickly thanks to the 800 volt system - in the best case within 18 minutes from 10 to 80 percent battery level - it is at least one fully-fledged candidate even for long distances.

The Stinger is listed at 60,620 euros on the brand's website and should continue to find its fans, and after all, remaining stocks are still available. The combustion engine in general is far from finished and by no means only scores on the emotional side. Because as long as charging takes longer than refueling, many motorists still have the justified argument of greater practicality on long journeys.