Kia EV 9
How it looks on the street: Everybody welcomes the Kia EV9, a thoughtful, three-row family friendly all-electric SUV that’s out doing the competition and swinging big and beyond. The midsize SUV hits a sweet spot across Americana. Its gas predecessor, the Telluride, has an edge as first to market, but the EV9 shows much of the same slick and boxy form language that has aesthetic appeal. Its become a 2024 breakout hit sweeping awards season. The EV9 recently took home the World Car of the Year marquis award and the World Electric Car of the Year. The jury is made up journalists who drive everything new and assess cars based on multiple criteria from many countries. The Women’s Worldwide car of the Year also selected the EV9 as its supreme winner for 2024. I serve on both esteemed juries — and the multiple wins shows the EV’s potential to dominate this year’s EV product portfolio.
How it feels on the inside: The EV9 shines from the inside out and its a place and space that feels like a respite. It’s interior environment has a clean, balanced design, and used ambient lighting to its advantage, and contrasts of tones and shades – a shout out to its color, materials, and finish team. Kia prioritized the sound decibels inside the quiet cabin on the highway. Updates to its infotainment system arrive over-the air. Noted safety features include side parking notification and crash interventions on all sides of the vehicle.
How it drives: The EV9 has a springy responsive feel for a vehicle that out does its SUV persona – the GT Line is faster than the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV and the Land Rover Range. Kia has clearly learned from its electric sedans on how to manage weight and proportion of its battery powered offerings. It’s outfitted in rear or all-wheel drive and the base model Light has 230 miles of EPA-rated range, the Long Range electric-all-wheel (eAWD) drive variants tap into a larger battery that offers a range of 304 miles, which translates to about 280 models in the eAWD version. A real upside is the minimal charging time it takes to juice up and go— using a high-speed 230-kilowatt DC fast-charging it can add 100 miles of range in 13 minutes, essentially the time it takes for a bathroom break. Kia extends 1,000 kWh of complimentary charging on public Electrify America stations, and there’s a power generator on board, too for laptops or even refrigerators.
Space for people and things: The option for cabin chairs is suited for a party of six, and a bench in the back adds an additional seat to accommodate seven passengers. There’s a lot of space behind the first row and a respectable amount behind second, row, too.
What to compare it to: Volkswagen ID Buzz, on the electric side of thing, for gas look at Kia’s Telluride, Toyota 4Runner, Buick Enclave, and Honda Pilot for comparison.
How much does it cost: It’s priced starting at $56,395 and can spec up to $75,395, showing Kia’s move into what everyone now call premium, or luxe-light. The price is positioned above the Telluride and noted that it does not qualify for the current federal tax deduction.