For electric vehicle shoppers who have been waiting for an upscale three-row EV with decent range and an elegant interior, the wait is over.
Kia launched the EV9 earlier this year and make no mistake, this is a luxury vehicle befitting a luxury brand (perhaps its fancy-pants cousin Genesis). This has everything, and I do mean everything, a luxury brand worth its weight in platinum-tipped electrons could dream up.
Massaging driver’s seat, check. Dual sunroofs, check. Meridian premium audio system, check. Heated and cooled front and second row seats, check. Power heated tilt/telescope steering wheel, check. Even remote opening battery charge door that also powers shut.
There’s more, but you’ll have to keep reading to get a mostly complete list.
First, this is a large SUV riding on a 122-inch wheelbase and measuring 197.4 inches in length. It’s boxy, but stylish with particularly clever lights front and rear.
But, what it does, is haul six or seven passengers in quiet comfort, depending on whether the buyer goes with a bench middle seat or super comfy captain’s chairs. Your family needs will dictate that.
However, your family income will dictate which, if any, of the five trim levels you can afford. More on pricing later.
The basics revolve around a 99.8 kWh liquid-cooled lithium ion battery pack that will charge fully in about 15 hours on a 240-volt charger, or do a 100-mile charge in just 13 minutes on a rapid charger, say at a truck stop or full-fledged charging station, when you can find one.
I plugged in to my 110-volt garage outlet and got about 8-10% charge in 12 hours, each percent equaling about 3.5 miles.
Overall, the tested top-level GT-Line trim offers about 270 miles of range. That’s competitive with most top-level electric sedans, so darned good for an EV weighing 5,834 lbs.
Those batteries, located under the EV9 floor definitely give it a hefty feel. That’s both good as it delivers a stable feel even in high winds, but the steering also is heavy, so some folks might find this more effort than they imagined or had previously in say a minivan or larger SUV.
Naturally, the power and AWD grip are fantastic, the dual electric motors driving all four wheels create 379 horsepower and a monster 516 pound-feet of torque in the GT-Line. The lower trim Wind and Land models offer the same horsepower, but a still sufficient 443 pound-feet of torque. That can be upgraded to 516 via an over-the-air update, for a price. Remember when you had to actually attach parts to gain performance?
So slip the EV9 from Eco to Normal, or even better, Sport driving mode via a steering wheel button and vroom, you’re doing 0-60 mph in just 5 seconds, says Car & Driver. Sporty! There also are two other modes including one for snow.
Outside this one was specially painted in a bright Ocean Blue that adds $695 to the cost. Just two paint colors cost nothing extra, gray and a near black. This one was so bright it looked like it was electrically charged, so sparkly and bright, so probably worth the extra coin. I like Kia’s dot-style headlights with LEDs around them and the curved vertical taillights, shapely and somewhat similar to those on Volvos.
Inside, the EV9 looks and feels like full-on luxury, which its price more than insinuates.
Seats are perforated black leather with wide white leather trim that delivers an upscale look. Headrests are interestingly shaped, too, and feature a mesh look. The driver’s was fine, but my wife (about 5” 3’) said hers pressed too much against her head, yet couldn’t be adjusted to ease that pressure.
Power and adjustability are amazing for the rest of the seats though, with oodles of power adjustments, plus heat/cool and the driver’s seat added a massaging function with three adjustments. Nice, but that can create jealousy among other seat passengers. Front and rear seats also will recline and offer fold-up footrests, so one could nap in the EV9.
That relaxation package adding the footrests in back also adds $2,000 to the bottom line.
Dash and doors are black with gray and chrome plastic door trim and a bit of patterned gray dash trim, all very refined and elegant. Plus Kia goes with a squared off steering wheel, meaning the bottom, AND top, are flat. Snazzy!
Pedals are metal trimmed and the tall console includes a roll-top to cover the cupholders at its front, then there’s the wireless phone charger spot partially covered by a padded armrest.
Twin 12.3-inch screens merge as one and deliver easy to see driver gauges and an info touchscreen that is simple to use. Turn-signal activated cameras also display on the dash what’s on either side as the EV9 approaches a corner.
Climate controls are toggles on the dash, with most everything else handled through the info screen. Thankfully there IS a radio volume knob on the dash too.
Kia also includes a HUD that projects on the windshield so the driver needn’t look down to check his or her speed.
Overhead is a micro-suede headliner and two sunroofs, a smaller one for the front seat folks and larger one for rows two and three. The hatch is powered and the row two seats are powered via switches in the cargo area. The third row seats are easily manually folded.
The second row seats also have a power button near the top of each back cushion, and another on the sides. Press those and the seats power and tilt forward so rear seat occupants can more easily enter or exit. Both second and third row seats are comfy for adults, the third row only slightly limited on foot space. Kids fit fine.
Manual sun shades also are standard for the row two side windows.
Safety items? Sure, Kia loads up the EV9 with everything you’d expect being standard, from front collision avoidance, to blind-spot warnings, smart cruise, and parking sensors along with safe exit technology so you don’t lose a door, or your life, by opening a door into traffic.
A few oddities of note. The EV start button is located on the transmission shift stalk on the right behind the steering wheel. If the wheel is straight you can’t see it, but must feel for it. Also, the transmission is shifted by rotating that stalk’s knob which is a bit awkward.
A reminder, too, that this is an electric vehicle, so there is electric motor whine, especially noticeable on the EV9 at anything below about 40 mph. It was so noticeable that several folks asked what the odd noise was, some likening it to an aircraft that was slowly winding up its engine. Definitely noisier than most electrics I’ve driven.
Then there’s the pricing, definitely full-on luxury for any of the AWD EV9s, which start at $65,395 for the Wind e-AWD model with dual electric motors and 379 horsepower. Move up a notch to the Land e-AWD and the price jumps to $71,395. Both offer 270 miles of range.
The tested GT-Line luxury EV goes for $75,395 and with options hit $78,430.
Note,å Kia offers front-drive models too, starting at $56,395 for the Light RWD model, but with just 215 horsepower and only 230 miles of range. It features a single electric motor and smaller battery pack. The Light Long-Range RWD model has bigger batteries, so more horsepower and range. It registers 201 horsepower and 304 miles of range, but cost edges up to $60,695.
EV9 is a pleasant drive and offers many electric power choices, but better check with your accountant to see if a 3-row SUV EV is in your budget.
FAST STATS: 2024 Kia EV9 AWD GT-Line
Hits: Sharp looking w/cool head n taillights, excellent power, good range, easy to charge, plus AWD and 5 drive modes. Roomy and stylish 3-row interior, excellent screens and functions, heated steering wheel, heated/cooled front and second row seats, massaging driver’s seat, footrests, turn-signal activated cameras, power hatch, useful third row seats, wireless charger, solid safety suite. Temp and fan toggles, volume knob, power adjust flat-bottom and -top steering wheel, two sunroofs, HUD, and side rear window sun shades.
Misses: Full luxury level pricing, odd EV start button placement on transmission shift stalk behind wheel, heavy steering feel, passenger headrest needs to adjust further back, early acceleration whine reminds of aircraft winding up engine.
Made in: So. Korea
Power: 2 electric motors, 379 hp / 516 torque
Battery: 99.8 kWh liquid-cooled lithium ion
Range: 270 miles
Charge: 100 range, 13 minutes
Transmission: direct-drive automatic
Weight: 5,839 lbs.
Wheelbase: 122 in.
Length: 197.4 in.
Cargo: 20, 44, 82 cu.ft.
Tow: 5,000 lbs.
MPGe: 88/42
Base Price: $75,395 (includes delivery)
Invoice: $73,179
Major Options:
GT-Line 2nd row seat relaxation package w/power seats w/leg support, $2,000
Carpeted floor mats, $225
Carpet cargo mat w/seatback protection, $115
Ocean Blue paint, $695
Test vehicle: $78,430
Sources: Kia, www.kbb.com
