mReview: Kia EV9 Electric GT-Line – We Have A Winner

Ladies and gentlemen of the car-community jury, I am delighted to announce that Kia has done it again. They’ve released yet another stunner of a vehicle and it’s called the EV9.

I’m not sure what they’ve been putting in the kimchi up there in Seoul, South Korea but the Kia-Hyundai conglomerate has been rolling out hit after hit in everything from family-focused fastbacks like the EV6 to zany concept cars like the N Vision 74. 

One of Kia’s latest creations is this, the EV9, a three-row all-electric SUV that I absolutely love. It’s got a presence in a big way and it ticks a lot of the crucial SUV boxes too.

Does it look good? 

Check. The EV9 continues to ride the retrofuturistic highway with yet another radical design that wouldn’t look out of place on Cybertron. The boxy silhouette gives it a muscular vibe with the various details sprinkling in a little cyborg spice. 

The front is dominated by smooth, body-painted panels, only interrupted by the headlights and daytime running lights. The lights are pushed right to the sides of the EV9, with the thin DRLs actually running over the fenders. The “grille” also houses these little cube-shaped lights that give it extra flair, especially at night. 

I hope you like the view because that's all you'll get to see if you're stuck behind this in traffic.

The 19-inch aerodynamic rims are especially cool to me because they look like shurikens or ninja stars and that pleases my 12-year-old brain. The rims themselves could probably have gone up an inch or two diameter-wise but the current size does allow for chunkier tyres to be fitted should more off-roading be in the itinerary. 

As a three-row SUV, the EV9 is unsurprisingly rather long, measuring in at a smidge over 5-metres, which gives it a commanding, stately presence on the road, not too dissimilar to the kind you get from a blacked-out Cadillac Escalade. The rear of the EV9 is equally as imposing, with a 1.78-metre tall wall of car staring straight back at you. 

I bet any EV9 owners will be the envy of all the other parents during the school run. 

Does it drive well?

Check. The EV9 has a giant 99.8kWh battery mated to two electric motors to produce 380hp and 700Nm of torque. This means that despite weighing 2.5 tons, the EV9 is still able to get from 0-100km/h in just six seconds. That’s just mad. 

The large battery also means that you won’t have to charge every 20 minutes. Kia claims 512km of range on a full charge but in my driving, I averaged about 21kWh/100km which equates to about 470km which still isn’t bad at all. And when I do eventually have to charge, the EV9 has the capability to charge at up to 350kWh on a DC fast charger which would get me from 10-80% in just 24 minutes.

The wheels look like flying shurikens which is just cool.

Should you have kids in the back, they will never be roused from their slumber either because the insulation and ride quality in the EV9 is exceptional. There is absolutely zero wind noise at all up to about 90km/h, increasing to barely a whisper at speeds well into the triple digits. The suspension of the EV9 does brilliantly at smoothening out all the bumps in the road, converting the cabin into a cocoon of comfort and calm. 

Acceleration is undeniably quick but not ferociously so, it comes on in a regal wave to propel you and your passengers along in silent comfort. If you do feel a bit louty, there is more than enough oomph to overpower the tyres, granted this is more a criticism of the tyre choice. The EV9 comes standard with 255/60 Pirelli Scorpion all seasons which are just not good enough for a car of this size and speed. A better tyre would significantly improve safety as well as the driving experience. 

Does it have enough tech to keep my iPad kids entertained?

Check. The EV9, as you might expect from the way it looks, has tech coming out the wazoo. The first thing you notice when you set off in the EV9 is that the side mirrors are now digital, there’s a camera where the wing mirror usually is that now feeds a video stream to two screens on the A-pillars. 

The EV9 has more interior storage space than I knew what to do with, perfect for families.

This is to aid aerodynamics but in practice, this feels like one of the few letdowns on the EV9. Digital mirrors just don’t work as well and are pretty hard to get used to, you can’t judge distance very well and moving your head around obviously doesn’t change the viewing angle either. 

Fortunately, that’s about it for my gripes. The rest of the EV9 is simply marvellous. There are two 12.3-inch screens up front, one for the digital gauge cluster, and the other for the infotainment system. There’s also a heads-up display for easy viewing of important info when driving.

The infotainment system itself is Kia’s latest and greatest and comes with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a banging 14-speaker Meridian sound system, as well as housing the settings for the full suite of driver safety and assistance features. There’s even remote parking from both inside and outside the car! 

The best part is, the EV9 bucks the trend of cars having nothing but gloss black touchpads or settings locked within a screen by having a good mix of proper physical buttons and touch-sensitive ones. All the main HVAC and driving mode toggles are all physical with a permanent spot on the screen for additional aircon controls. 

A giant boot with up to 2,393 litres of space. Oh and the V2L power outlet too.

The EV9 also has a great feature called Vehicle to Load (V2L) which allows you to plug in any electrical item into a three-pin outlet in the car and draw power from the car’s battery. This means you can charge your laptop, use an electric kettle, or power outdoor lighting with nothing more than your car. 

Is it comfortable inside for my whole family?

Check and double check. There are very few cars where your family would be more comfortable in than this. The EV9 retails for $289,999 without COE which places it pretty squarely in Vellfire territory. While this doesn’t have the same VIP/towkay/chaffeurable feel as the Vellfire, it is definitely no less comfortable.

When I am alone at night, I yearn for the gentle embrace of these seats.

Despite having three rows, the EV9 is only a six-seater thanks to the captain’s chairs in the second row and two individual seats in the third row. Though you lose out on an extra passenger or two, the benefits to the comfort levels more than make up for it especially when the EV9 has my favourite feature. 

I first saw this in the Kia Carnival a few years ago and I instantly fell in love. Kia calls it “relaxation seats” but I call it “business class mode”. The seats in the front two(!) rows are fully electric and can lie almost totally flat, complete with power leg rests for maximum comfort. 

If any of your kids talk back to you from the third row, you can swing around and tell them off.

The substantial length of the EV9 also means that third row occupants are not squashed in the slightest, even for 1.8-metre tall me. Another neat trick the EV9 has is the ability to swivel the second row seats 180 degrees to face the third row. This is especially good for if you have a baby in a child seat in the third row, you can simply spin around if you’re seated in the second row and feed or play with the child face to face. Or you can put a small table in and play Uno while on the move. 

The materials with which everything is put together are also lovely. There’s vegan leather for extra eco-consciousness as part of a very prim and proper interior that has been excellently put together. The EV9 really does feel like a truly premium product.

Ok, so should I buy it then?

I think the EV9 is not just one of the best EVs or SUVs or Kias that’s on the market, I strongly believe that the EV9 is one of the best cars I’ve had the pleasure of driving in the last few years and an incredible showcase of what Kia can do. Please go give it a try and make your own conclusion but I doubt it’ll be too far from mine. 

Read More: mReview: Kia Niro EV - EVerything You'd Ever Want in a Family Car and More

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