New Kia EV4 GT hot hatch to challenge the mighty VW Golf R

This is our first official (if slightly blurry) look at the new Kia EV4 GT hot hatch that’s slated to arrive next year. It’ll pack plenty of power and all-wheel drive, making it a rival to the Volkswagen Golf R.  

Auto Express snapped this picture during the international launch of the new all-electric Kia EV4. However, it doesn’t reveal much about the hot GT version other than it will get neon green brake calipers and detailing like Kia’s EV6 GT, plus unique wheel design and what looks to be a new front bumper.  

The standard EV4 uses a single 201bhp electric motor to drive the front wheels. With an extra e-motor mounted on the rear axle, not only will the EV4 GT get all-wheel drive, we expect it’ll pump out between 300bhp and 400bhp. For context, the latest Golf R has 328bhp on tap, while the Audi RS 3 spits out 394bhp. 

Considering a top-of-the-line Kia EV4 costs nearly £45,000 – although you can get up to £1,000 off the entire EV4 range through the Auto Express Buy A Car service, or lease a car from £315 per month – we assume the EV4 GT will be over £50,000. 

Beside power, what other upgrades will the EV4 GT get? 

We suspect the EV4 GT will inherit the Virtual Gear Shift system (VGS) from the EV6 GT and new EV9 GT. It’s designed to mimic the sound and feel of a petrol car with a V6 engine and an eight-speed transmission. This should help deliver a more engaging driving experience than electric hot hatches such as the Volkswagen ID.3 GTX and MG4 XPower. 

But as well as software tweaks and trickery, we have been informed there will be some mechanical changes for the EV4 GT. Hopefully that includes the electronic limited-slip differential the EV9 GT features, plus its adaptive dampers. A bigger set of brakes and retuned steering also seems likely. 

In an exclusive interview with Auto Express, Kia’s marketing director for Europe, David Hilbert, said the EV4 GT is “about showing what we're capable of in terms of delivering a great vehicle that you can use every day, but also have that kind of fun factor.”

What separates Kia GT cars and Hyundai’s N cars?

We recently learned that in the coming years Hyundai will be launching its own electric hot hatch, the Ioniq 3 N, which will be based on the same underpinnings as the EV4 GT. So naturally we asked Hilbert what will differentiate these two cars? 

“When we brought out the Kia Stinger GT, or even before that, the ProCeed GT, it wasn't all about straight-line speed,” he said, “I remember, in fact, that Peter Schreyer – who was our designer at the time – said it was all about the thrill of the journey.

“You know, it's not about being the fastest to the destination, it's about having a great driving experience. So our GT philosophy is much more about that kind of driving pleasure, having great times.

“It's not just purely about adrenaline or straight-line speed. I guess N is much more that kind of extreme, racing focus, whereas ours is more about everyday driving, but with a bit of, you know, edginess.”

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