With three rows of seats, plenty of infotainment screens and an 800v electrical architecture, the Kia EV9 is aiming to out-feature the likes of Mercedes and Audi, in order to attract drivers looking for ‘boxy, but good'. With a two-wheel drive version expected to duck under the £60,000 price mark – there will also be a high-performance option with all-wheel drive that's closer to £82,000. If you have a natural love of Range Rovers, but also liked the futuristic styling of Hyundai's Ioniq 5 and fancy a 0-60 time of close to 5 seconds – then Kia's EV9 might worth checking out.
If the rumours about Kia's EV9 are to be believed, then it will have a WLTP that's close to 300 miles – enough for 15 days driving (if you hit the UK's daily average mileage) – and double the distance that most drivers feel comfortable with travelling in one stretch (according to a recent survey carried out by WhichEV experts on a popular EV online group).
Battery specs have not been released yet, but if the lighter EV6 has a WLTP of 328 miles with a 77kWh battery, then it's possible that the 300 mile range of the EV9 will be achieved with a pack that's closer to 100kWh. We would expect the same 233 kW DC fast charger port as the EV6 (but it can be connected to a 350kW supply). In which case a fast charge to 80% might take a little over 20 minutes. You'll be waiting overnight to achieve a full battery using just a standard home charger.
At the Kia Investor Day in 2022, Kia's CEO (Ho Sung Song) told media that he expected the EV9 to have a range of up to 336 miles – but the measuring system is likely to have been a South Korean test cycle. The Kia EV9 is expected to pick up over 60 miles of range in just 6 minutes, when you're in a real hurry. Going back the other way, the EV9 will have V2L – allowing the supply of 3.6kW from the car to your other equipment (or even to charge a second vehicle).
Roof rails and (dual?) sunroof options are expected and another ‘inspiration' seems to have come with the design of the wheels, which appear to enhance the aerodynamics of the car – with sizes up to 22in expected as an option. None of this was clear when we reported on the EV9 completing final testing last August.
The dramatic exterior is now known and the drive train should be predictable (given Kia's Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP)), which leaves the interior.
We understand the EV9 can be configured to have six or seven seats, which can be configured as 2+ 3+2 or 2 + 2 + 2, depending on the customer's requirements. The rest is covered by Kia's ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy. The Koreans believe in ‘Technology for Life’, to ensure that only technology and innovation that promote positive, intuitive interactions between humans and machines are created. As such, Kia’s designers have prioritised space, comfort and technology to help reimagine what an up-market SUV can offer a family.
So how does that kind of thinking manifest itself? Well, with the EV9, Kia has given the first two rows of seats the ability to recline to allow for maximum relation when charging. If you opt for a six seat configuration, then the second row can also be swivelled 180 degrees, so the passengers can face/interact with occupants in the third row. This is popular on trains in the Far East – but almost unheard of in the UK. Finally, third row passengers also have cup holders and phone chargers as standard. Early mock-ups seem to feature two rows of adjustable air vents for the rear passengers.
There is a potential ‘accessibility' benefit in being able to swivel the middle seats on the EV9. It could help elderly/inform passengers get into/out of the vehicle more easily, if they are rotated 90 degrees to ‘face out'.
At first glance, you'd have to say that the spartan interior is Tesla-esque, but with the addition of driver controls in key places – so you don't have to go hunting through an iPad when you want to make basic changes to the set-up/environment. Although a completely new design, we'd expect the overall driver comfort in the EV9 to be influenced by Kia's experience with the K900 luxury saloon.
Another area where Kia appears to have ‘thoroughly endorsed Tesla's design methodology' is in OTA (Over The Air) updates. While the mainstream media seems to enjoy reporting on Tesla ‘recalls', they don't generally mention that the necessary updates can (and do) take place through software updates. Kia is looking to centralise control/parameters for many systems into the EV9's core software. This would mean potential issues with air bags, power steering, the vehicle's ECU etc can all be fixed, without the need for a garage visit. This also paves the way to chargeable services, like ‘Feature On Demand' – where you can easily buy/rent extras after purchase.
While sister company Hyundai, has been testing Level 4 autonomous driving for some time, Kia has opted for Level 3 with the EV9. Key to Level 3 is the car's ability to accurately track and deal with objects on a motorway (up to 400 metres away), so the driver can effectively let go of the wheel and not have to worry about accidents. The EV9 will have navigation-based smart cruise control with HD maps and auto lane change etc. This system is called ‘AutoMode'.
The group is expecting to have fully autonomous driving as an AutoMode feature by the end of 2025.
Overall, Kia is feeling bullish about the EV market. In 2021, Kia was talking about a level of EV sales that was considered ‘conservative'. The targets they have now set themselves include 807,000 electric vehicles in 2026 and around 1.2 million a year by 2030. That's a 36% increase in projected figures – in less than 12 months.
Kia is also looking to launch a highly affordable EV for the Indian market in 2025 – which could have ramifications for other geographies. For now, here in the West, we are being targeted by Kia's high end EV9.