The Facelifted Kia EV6 Looks 17.3 Percent Angrier Than Before

It’s a known fact that cars have faces, and those faces get updated every so often to keep showroom appeal strong. Case in point: The Kia EV6 is getting a round of updates that make it look a bit angrier while promising some quality of life improvements. Just take a look at the Korean version that was unveiled this week.

This two-row electric crossover is already a solid pick, with almost wagon-like styling, an 800-volt architecture, and impressive refinement. Although the 576-horsepower GT model is a bit serious for a performance car, it’s still objectively great at what it’s meant to do, as I found out by road-testing it last year. However, some of the new mid-cycle alterations promise to make it even better.

For the mid-cycle refresh, the biggest styling tweaks can be found in the face of the EV6. The front bumper and lighting setup are entirely new, with c-shaped lamp assemblies that wrap around painted sections of the bumper. It’s a dramatic effect, especially when combined with a toothy new valence on GT-Line models, and gives the facelifted EV6 the down-road graphic of a moderately pissed-off extraterrestrial cyborg. It won’t stack bodies, but it will shout ‘Hey, buddy’ in an accusatory tone.

Around the side of the EV6, the biggest visual change is the wheel design, which goes from a variation on a typical five-spoke design to something wildly more unique. Standard and GT-Line cars appear to get different alloy wheels, with far more spokes than before and some interesting choices on which sections are machined to a silver finish. Whether you love them or hate them, it’s hard to deny that they’re mildly bonkers, which matches what we’ve seen on the EV9 three-row crossover.

Out back, two new bumper designs correspond to standard or GT-Line trim levels. Most trims get a simplified valence and shiny black trim around the license plate, while the GT-Line trim gets a tall diffuser-aping element paired with black trim on the corners of the bumper. In addition, the reverse lights on the EV6 have moved up higher on the fascia, which should aid visibility to other vehicles.

On the inside, it seems that Kia’s dialed back its use of shiny black plastic, with what appears to be matte finishing on the console replacing the old fingerprint magnets. However, the bigger story is that the EV6 now gets Kia’s new infotainment setup, which allows for wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Nice. In addition, the EV6 gets two new steering wheel designs — a fresh two-spoke unit on most trims and a three-spoke steering wheel on GT-Line models. A fingerprint reader and a camera-style rear view mirror round out the list of cabin changes, none of which are massive but all of which should add up to usability improvements.

Of course, the facelifted EV6 is more than just a fresh face, because it’s getting some mechanical tweaks too. Battery capacity jumps from 77.4 kWh to 84 kWh, which ought to translate to a slight gain in range. The B-pillar has been revised for added rigidity, there’s extra sound deadening around the rear motor, and Kia’s revised the dampers with the goal of improved ride quality. We’ll have to put that last one to the test, but so far, the under-the-skin changes seem meaningful.

While the prospect of a refreshed Kia EV6 is exciting, North Americans will have to wait to get their hands on the updated model. See, all these photos are of the Korean-market car, which means we could be waiting a model year for this updated EV. However, it’ll likely be worth the wait, as a little extra battery capacity and wireless phone mirroring promise to make one of the best EVs right now even better.

(Photo credits: Kia)

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