Kia EV3 GT review: a 4WD hot hatch with 288bhp for £49k
There’s no form of diff lock at the front, either, only a torque-vectoring programme that uses both physical and regenerative braking to help the car pivot. Traction is not generally a problem, and in Korea there was no sign of axle-tramp or torque-steer, but trail the EV3 GT into a tight bend and the attempt at a swift exit can scruffily expose the limitations of the torquevectoring system.
The EV3 GT prefers to sit back and carry momentum through more sweeping bends. It does this well. Mind you, the car seen here isn’t quite the finished article. European specification GTs will have revisions to make them feel a touch more alive and responsive. Chiefly, there will be a more pronounced ramping up of weight in the action of the steering as it loads up, and the dampers will be recalibrated for closer body control.
Without these improvements the EV3 GT is still quietly enjoyable, quick transport, although it does ultimately feel a bit one-dimensional.
The car does have one trick up its sleeve, though: the Virtual Gear Shift (VGS). It mimics a six-speed DCT and can be toggled on and off via the touchscreen (slick graphics, but with a little bit of latency in our test car). Hit the unmissable green button for GT mode and VGS is triggered automatically, ready for you to rip a synthesised fourcylinder turbo engine to the rev-range.
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