Everything’s better in France. At least that’s what Mrs Burnett always says. But then she is French so she’s definitely biased. A holiday in La République is guaranteed then, but not how we get there. The plane is out – because Laura’s all into the environment and that – so it comes down to train versus car. She says the train is better, which I haven’t been able to work out. Maybe I’m biased. These things can get heated in the Burnett household.

And to cut a long story short, this is how I find myself sitting on a French motorway overtaking every Dutch person with a caravan. It’s 16 hours since I left the house this morning while the wife catches rapidly up in a TGV. I’m not going to lie, it’s been a very peaceful journey – let the train take the strain and all that – but the south of France is a lot further away than I remember it. I drive an electric car in my spare time, I thought this would be fine. Especially in Kia’s new EV6 GT. Mainly because it literally has GT in the name, it was made to make this cliched run to the south of France Nice and easy. [These jokes didn’t stop for the whole holiday. Count yourselves lucky there’s only one here – Laura]

pain, train, automobile: electric kia ev6 gt vs a train
pain, train, automobile: electric kia ev6 gt vs a train
pain, train, automobile: electric kia ev6 gt vs a train

Photography: Jonny Fleetwood & Laura Burnett

Words: Sam & Laura Burnett

I would never tell her this, but I’m actually a little jealous of Laura on the train. I spoke to her on the phone a little while ago and she was having a glass of something boozy and fizzy  [It’s also much easier to read your book on the train, and you don’t have to stop everything for a wee!] in the middle of qui sait où south of Paris. Even by French standards that’s rather frowned upon on the motorway. It’s not like the rest of the country on the autoroute here – everything is out the window.

Take the service station food, for instance. Bizarre sandwiches with roulette wheel ingredients and bread that crumbles like cheap toilet roll, overpriced gummy sweets and warm water. The toilets deserve to be tried in The Hague and every stop has a ridiculous one-way system that squirrels away what you’re looking for and punishes the slightest mistake by spitting you back on to the motorway. Which you have to pay extra for, by the way. The amount they charge you in tolls [Great for those of us who don’t drive though. My train ticket was probably cheaper than what you spent on motorway tolls alone!], every trip should come with a free travel mug or torch.

The Kia doesn’t complain though. It’s perky, it loves life. And everyone [Well, everyone who is still listening to you go on about it. No one get him started on the range and economy 🙁 ] loves it back, it’s like leaving the house with a puppy. Middle-aged Dutch men come over to see why I’ve got one when they’re sitting on a 12 month waiting list. A German fellow with a Taycan wants to talk horsepower, and another Dutch couple snigger at the fact that their lower spec EV6 is pushing on for 300 miles of range out of a full juice from the 77kWh battery while I’m just tickling past 200 with my extra motor and 577bhp. They do like the paint though.

pain, train, automobile: electric kia ev6 gt vs a train

Laura tells me it’s good that she’s on the train, because she’s 17 per cent more likely to die in a car crash because she’s a woman. She’s been listening to feminist journalist Caroline Criado Perez and her podcast again. I’ve been listening to Celine Dion, and I’m Alive. I bite back any further comment and promise not to crash on the way back home. [Well, you would be fine, but I would have a severely ruptured intestine and wouldn’t be taken seriously by the paramedics]

Ah Nice, what a place, what a whirlwind. Endlessly glamorous coastline unfurls in either direction sipping at the vivid lukewarm sea while the sun beats down. Laura’s got just the hat for this sort of place. I pick her up from the train station and she’s in full holiday mode already, relaxed and ready to go. We’ve even got things to talk about, [This is a genuine luxury in our marriage – a story we haven’t told each other seven times already] which would be all but impossible had we driven the 900 miles from south London to here together.

She hates the car, but that’s the default with anything I show her. But especially the SUVs [Horrible things, especially to cyclists]. This one gets points because it’s electric, the seats are comfortable and it has lots of legroom. Minus points for the contrast stitching and any time I put it into GT mode to try out the 3.5 second 0–62mph figure. Secret bonus points in my head if she was trying to eat anything at the time though. A complicated and occasionally quite dangerous game.

The Kia’s a car fitting for a glamorous young [Only one of us is still young] couple like us, though. I love our little Volkswagen e-Up back at home [To be fair, I love our e-Up too] – it does great mileage, but it gets cut up left, right and centre because people assume it’s being driven by an old person. The EV6 GT is much more like it, even if I’d cry myself to sleep at night over the 2.7mpkWh I averaged in it.

A new day, the same relentless sunshine that characterises every single day on the Riviera. How do they tell what time of year it is? I leave Laura preparing to head down to the sea for a swim (I’ve seen Jaws, I know what it’s like down there) and head out to a bakery. Because everything’s better in France, especially the bread. [And the pastries… Don’t forget the pastries!]

pain, train, automobile: electric kia ev6 gt vs a train

Do I need to head 45 minutes down the road to Monaco to find a baguette? Possibly not [You missed out on a lovely swim], there is in fact a nice little place about four minutes’ walk from where we’re staying, but that would defeat the point of having driven here in a pleasant car. And Monaco has the virtue of being many hairpins away along [Just looking at the pictures makes me feel sick] the hilly coast, if you carefully avoid the toll-ridden motorways. I succumbed to them on the way down, merely because it would’ve added five hours to the trip and I didn’t have the stomach.

I almost don’t have the stomach for the Col de Braus, my first chance to unleash the perky acceleration of the fastest Kia that’s ever been made. There’s 577bhp and 546lb ft arguing with two tonnes of lanky SUV, whatever the chassis engineers have done to crank up the steering, tighten up the ride and gee up the electronics. The car fairly rockets up through the hills, all four wheels scrabbling away, but my insides struggle to keep up. I feel like I’m on a rollercoaster, only the in-ride photos don’t normally turn out so well. [You spend a lot of time waiting round for rollercoasters, they do have a lot in common with EVs]

Monaco is another world entirely, even by the cuckoo standards of Nice and its neighbouring enclaves of super rich huddled in their villas around sandy coves. Driving through Monte Carlo is like exploring a giant wedding cake, it gleams impossibly and there’s a policeman on every corner posing like a catalogue model in short sleeves and white gloves.

pain, train, automobile: electric kia ev6 gt vs a train

The place must be filled with middle-aged Dutch tourists because even here the Kia catches a few eyes. And possibly a few parked cars, the streets are horribly tight away from the harbour. Laura’s noticed that I’ve been gone a while, I find a nice little bakery back just over the French border that sneaks down a back street and throw in an éclair just because it’s a sensible move to keep the missus sweet. Unfortunately it’s 45 minutes back to the hotel, so I eat the baguette on the way. It’s still warm, and très delicious. [It’s a good thing you didn’t eat my eclair. Extra points to the KIA for keeping it intact despite the hairpins]

Over a tasty fish-filled dinner in Beaulieu-sur-Mer is probably the right time to slip it into conversation that the train ticket was one way, [I wasn’t choking on a fish bone] but the EV6 GT has done well enough over the last few days to be allowed to carry Laura home. Besides, she’ll snooze most of the way between Rhône and Marne, and I just have to promise we can stop at a shop on the way back so she can get some bread and some mustard and cheese. [And some teeny tiny bottles of French wine, ready for my next train trip] Everything’s better in France. [Particularly the high speed trains]

Keyword: Pain, Train, Automobile: electric Kia EV6 GT vs A Train

CAR'S NEWS RELATED

Rev Up Your Dreams: BAuto's Exclusive Pre-Owned Carnival – Luxury, Sportiness, and Unbeatable Deals Awaits You!

Step into the world of automotive excellence with Bermaz Auto Berhad (BAuto), your trusted distributor of KIA, Peugeot, and Mazda! Mark your calendars for an exhilarating Pre-Owned Carnival at select BAuto branches on November 25th and 26th. This is your golden ticket to delve into a curated collection of pre-owned ...

View more: Rev Up Your Dreams: BAuto's Exclusive Pre-Owned Carnival – Luxury, Sportiness, and Unbeatable Deals Awaits You!

Toyota Urban Cruiser vs Kia Sonet vs Haval Jolion: Here's our winner

The new Urban Cruiser is bigger and better than the model it replaces, but does that mean we would choose it over other competent rivals? Let's compare the Toyota with rivals from Kia and Haval. The Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid is an important product for the Japanese marque, not only ...

View more: Toyota Urban Cruiser vs Kia Sonet vs Haval Jolion: Here's our winner

Kia’s cheaper, smaller EV3 electric SUV spotted testing as EV9’s younger sibling

A smaller, cheaper electric SUV based on Kia’s flagship EV9 is due out next year. Ahead of its launch, the Kia EV3 was spotted testing in South Korea, giving us a good look at the new EV’s actual size. Kia introduced the EV3 concept last week at the 2023 ...

View more: Kia’s cheaper, smaller EV3 electric SUV spotted testing as EV9’s younger sibling

U.S. probes Hyundai, Kia recall into 6.4 million vehicles over fire risks

Companies Hyundai Motor Co Carparts.Com Inc Kia Corp WASHINGTON, Nov 20 (Reuters) – U.S. auto safety regulators said Monday they had opened a probe into 16 separate recalls issued by Hyundai (005380.KS) and Kia (000270.KS) covering 6.4 million vehicles relating to brake fluid leaks that could result in fires. ...

View more: U.S. probes Hyundai, Kia recall into 6.4 million vehicles over fire risks

Hyundai and Kia are ‘pulling ahead’ with strong EV demand despite rival concerns

Despite concerns over a cooling EV market, Hyundai and Kia are “very bullish” as demand for their electric vehicles remains strong. Over the past few months, I’m sure you’ve read headlines like “Automakers overestimated EV demand,” but some believe they are right on track. This includes Hyundai, Kia, and ...

View more: Hyundai and Kia are ‘pulling ahead’ with strong EV demand despite rival concerns

$1B Lawsuit Against Hyundai And Kia Isn't Going Away

A judge rejected the automakers’ motion to dismiss the lawsuit from insurance companies over vehicle thefts.

View more: $1B Lawsuit Against Hyundai And Kia Isn't Going Away

Hyundai, Kia see strong demand for EVs, despite rivals' concerns

LOS ANGELES, Nov 17 (Reuters) – Hyundai Motor (005380.KS) and Kia (000270.KS) see strong U.S. demand for electric vehicles (EVs), senior executives at the South Korean automakers told Reuters ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show. The comments run against industry fears that inflation and higher interest rates will ...

View more: Hyundai, Kia see strong demand for EVs, despite rivals' concerns

Hands-on: The Kia EV9 is huge, but its backseat and frunk are not

Kia EV9 interior (Source: Kia) The LA Auto Show is in town, and we got a chance to hop in the EV9 and see how big this three-row EV really is. It turns out, from the inside, it was smaller than expected. This isn’t a full review, first drive, ...

View more: Hands-on: The Kia EV9 is huge, but its backseat and frunk are not

Kia launches $20K EV5 electric SUV in China to rival leaders BYD and Tesla

Read About The Refreshed 2024 Kia Sorento For SEO Purposes

Los Angeles 2023: Kia EV3 and EV4 Concepts get North American Premiere

Los Angeles 2023: 2024 Kia Sorento Shows Off New Image

Kia gears up for LA show with 2 concept EVs

Kia shows its EV3 and EV4 concepts at LA Auto Show

Old Kia Sorento Hybrid Will Be Sold Alongside New 2024 Model Next Year

Hyundai, Kia must face insurers' lawsuits over vehicle thefts

Hyundai, Kia EVs Charge The Fastest, Tesla Barely Makes It Into Top 10: Edmunds

Which EVs charge the fastest? Hyundai, Kia, and Porsche lead in new charging test

You Can Lease A 2024 Kia EV9 With The Longest Range From $599 A Month

Kia offers $599/mo lease deal on the new 2024 EV9 electric SUV with over 300 miles range

OTHER CAR NEWS

; Top List in the World https://www.pinterest.com/newstopcar/pins/
Top Best Sushi Restaurants in SeoulTop Best Caribbean HoneymoonsTop Most Beautiful Islands in PeruTop Best Outdoor Grill BrandsTop Best Global Seafood RestaurantsTop Foods to Boost Your Immune SystemTop Best Foods to Fight HemorrhoidsTop Foods That Pack More Potassium Than a BananaTop Best Healthy Foods to Gain Weight FastTop Best Cosmetic Brands in the U.STop Best Destinations for Food Lovers in EuropeTop Best Foods High in Vitamin ATop Best Foods to Lower Your Blood SugarTop Best Things to Do in LouisianaTop Best Cities to Visit in New YorkTop Best Makeup Addresses In PennsylvaniaTop Reasons to Visit NorwayTop Most Beautiful Islands In The WorldTop Best Law Universities in the WorldTop Richest Sportsmen In The WorldTop Biggest Aquariums In The WorldTop Best Peruvian Restaurants In MiamiTop Best Road Trips From MiamiTop Best Places to Visit in MarylandTop Best Places to Visit in North CarolinaTop Best Electric Cars For KidsTop Best Swedish Brands in The USTop Best Skincare Brands in AmericaTop Best American Lipstick BrandsTop Michelin-starred Restaurants in MiamiTop Best Secluded Getaways From MiamiTop Best Things To Do On A Rainy Day In MiamiTop Most Instagrammable Places In MiamiTop Interesting Facts about FlorenceTop Facts About The First Roman Emperor - AugustusTop Best Japanese FoodsTop Most Beautiful Historical Sites in IsraelTop Best Places To Visit In Holy SeeTop Best Hawaiian IslandsTop Reasons to Visit PortugalTop Best Hotels In L.A. With Free Wi-FiTop Best Scenic Drives in MiamiTop Best Vegan Restaurants in BerlinTop Most Interesting Attractions In WalesTop Health Benefits of a Vegan DietTop Best Thai Restaurant in Las VegasTop Most Beautiful Forests in SwitzerlandTop Best Global Universities in GermanyTop Most Beautiful Lakes in GuyanaTop Best Things To Do in IdahoTop Things to Know Before Traveling to North MacedoniaTop Best German Sunglasses BrandsTop Highest Mountains In FranceTop Biggest Hydroelectric Plants in AmericaTop Best Spa Hotels in NYCTop The World's Scariest BridgeTop Largest Hotels In AmericaTop Most Famous Festivals in JordanTop Best European Restaurants in MunichTop Best Japanese Hiking Boot BrandsTop Best Universities in PolandTop Best Tips for Surfing the Web Safely and AnonymouslyTop Most Valuable Football Clubs in EuropeTop Highest Mountains In ColombiaTop Real-Life Characters of Texas RisingTop Best Beaches in GuatelamaTop Things About DR Congo You Should KnowTop Best Korean Reality & Variety ShowsTop Best RockstarsTop Most Beautiful Waterfalls in GermanyTop Best Fountain Pen Ink BrandsTop Best European Restaurants in ChicagoTop Best Fighter Jets in the WorldTop Best Three-Wheel MotorcyclesTop Most Beautiful Lakes in ManitobaTop Best Dive Sites in VenezuelaTop Best Websites For Art StudentsTop Best Japanese Instant Noodle BrandsTop Best Comedy Manhwa (Webtoons)Top Best Japanese Sunglasses BrandsTop Most Expensive Air Jordan SneakersTop Health Benefits of CucumberTop Famous Universities in SwedenTop Most Popular Films Starring Jo Jung-sukTop Interesting Facts about CougarsTop Best Hospitals for Hip Replacement in the USATop Most Expensive DefendersTop Health Benefits of GooseberriesTop Health Benefits of ParsnipsTop Best Foods and Drinks in LondonTop Health Benefits of Rosehip TeaTop Best Air Fryers for Low-fat CookingTop Most Asked Teacher Interview Questions with AnswersTop Best Shopping Malls in ZurichTop The Most Beautiful Botanical Gardens In L.A.Top Best Mexican Restaurants in Miami for Carb-loading rightTop Best Energy Companies in GermanyTop Best Garage HeatersTop Largest Banks in IrelandTop Leading Provider - Audit and Assurance In The USTop Best Jewelry Brands in IndiaTop Prettiest Streets in the UKTop Best Lakes to Visit in TunisiaTop Highest Mountains in Israel