2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line AWD review: International first drive

2024 Kia EV9

If you like boxy, then it must feel like Christmas time. The Kia EV9 is soon to be the latest Large SUV to bring boxy back, following other squared-off SUVs like the Nissan Pathfinder, Land Rover Defender, Mahindra Scorpio and GWM Tank 300. 

What none of those cars have – but the EV9 does – is a fully-electric powertrain, which makes it a unique offering in the seven-seat Large SUV landscape, at least for now. 

The only other fully-electric seven-seaters Australians can buy right now are the Mercedes-Benz EQB, which is tiny compared to the EV9, and the LDV Mifa 9 and Mercedes EQV vans, which don’t have the EV9’s SUV appeal. Coming soon, the Mercedes-Benz EQS large luxury SUV, which is almost three times the expected price of the EV9, will also join the seven-seat club.

So it’s fair to say that the Kia EV9 will be bringing the Electric Revolution to full-size family SUVs when it lands locally in the last quarter of 2023. 

An expected $100K price tag puts it above similar-sized seven-seat internal combustion rivals like the Hyundai Palisade, Mazda CX-9 and Nissan Pathfinder and closer to prestige offerings from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Kia doesn’t see this as a problem, saying instead that the EV9 will put Kia on the shopping lists of more affluent buyers looking for an EV family SUV solution. 

How much will the Kia EV9 cost in Australia?

Kia is remaining tight-lipped about pricing ahead of the EV9’s Australian market launch in October/November 2023. Our intel suggests a price tag in the low-$90,000s for the entry-level EV9 Air rear-drive with a 160kW electric motor driving the rear wheels and a 76kWh battery pack. 

Pricing for the top-spec EV9 GT-Line AWD (with the bigger 99.8kWh battery pack and dual 160kW motors limited to a combined 283kW) is therefore likely to be over $120,000 plus on-road costs.

A third variant is expected between those two, which will be called Kia EV9 Earth. This middle-man will carry a 99.8kWh battery and could be rear- or all-wheel drive. Kia Australia won’t confirm either way just yet, but our money’s on the all-wheel-drive set-up.

An EV9 GT flagship has also been confirmed by Kia’s global CEO and is due sometime in 2024. Kia Australia has expressed an interest in this higher-performance variant, but very little is known about the mechanicals or electricals. If the GT variant of the smaller EV6 is any guide, then it could have a 270kW rear motor and 160kW front motor for a combined output of 430kW.

Kia claims the EV6 GT can accelerate from 0–100km/h in 3.5 seconds. The EV9 in non-GT form weighs more than 2600kg, roughly 400kg more than the EV6 GT, so if it does share those motors it will be slower. We’d expect something in the fours given the fastest current EV9 does 0–100km/h in 5.3 seconds. 

With all EV9 variants likely to be priced above the Energy Efficient Vehicle Luxury Car Tax threshold of $89,332, which applies from July 1, 2023, anyone keen to lease the EV9 cannot take advantage of EV incentives.

Kia is keeping Australian specifications close to its chest pre-launch, but we’d expect plenty of features and equipment to justify its six-figure drive-away price.

Kia Australia says it has received more than 5000 expressions of interest in the EV9, which suggests it will have no trouble finding homes for the 1200–1300 units coming in the first 12 months.

Key details2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line AWDPrice$120,000 plus on-road costs (estimate)Colour of test carSnow White PearlPrice as tested$120,000 plus on-road costs (estimate)Drive-away price$130,000 (estimate)RivalsMazda CX-90 | Hyundai Palisade | LDV Mifa 9

How much space does the Kia EV9 have inside?

The Kia EV9 is massive at just over five metres long bumper to bumper, and it sits on a 3.1m wheelbase, all of which bodes well for interior space. The cabin gives off an air of upper-class ambience with a deft mix of technology and classy materials. 

Kia has chosen not to use leather in the EV9 as part of a sustainability push, which also means increasing use of bio-materials made from corn, natural oils and sugar cane, and a higher mix of recycled plastics. 

The front row strikes a good balance between luxury and functionality, led by judicious material choices and clever application of technology. Three digital screens dominate the dashboard: the 12.3-inch driver’s instrument display, a 5.0-inch bridging screen that displays air-con settings, and a centrally mounted 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with a new generation of Kia infotainment software. 

Combined, these three screens give the illusion of one continuous sweeping screen. 

Below the centre screen, main menu button titles are etched subtly in the woodgrain trim. This looks brilliant, but it hinders occupants from stabilising a hand here during interaction with the screen above.

The EV9 is built on the E-GMP electric vehicle architecture shared with the Kia EV6 and the forthcoming EV5 mid-size SUV. This means the battery pack is stored under an essentially flat floor, which also means Kia could have endowed the EV9 with walkthrough access from the first to the second row. Instead, Kia has put a floating centre console in this gap, fitted with two cupholders, a phone charging mat and an armrest with a cubby underneath.

The back of this console houses an extendable table for second-row occupants to use, but this looks like it will be a feature of six-seat EV9s only, and therefore won’t be on Australian models. 

In international markets, the EV9s will be offered in six- and seven-seat configurations – an eight-seat option has been ruled out. The middle two seats in the six-seat configuration can be either ‘relaxation’ chairs that have aircraft-style extendable footrests and reclining backrests, or a swivel chair that can rotate 90 or 180 degrees to facilitate in-car conversation with the third row. 

Australian-specification EV9s will be seven-seaters only with a sliding three-seat bench in the middle row. The six-seat swivel configuration has been ruled out because it has an infrared instead of a more reliable and consistent hard-wired occupant detection system. 

It’s a shame the ‘relaxation’ seats aren’t being offered in Australia, because they are luxuriously comfortable. They recline electrically, have individual armrests, are heated and cooled, and have built-in massagers. 

The second row has two cupholders in the back of the front row’s armrest plus bottle holders in the doors and map pockets on the seatbacks. Air-conditioning controls are in the roof as are air vents.

The GT-Line spec we tested has a sunroof over the front row and a second sunroof covering both the second and third rows.

The third row is almost as spacious as the second, meaning the EV9 is a true seven-seater with interior space to rival a Hyundai Palisade. 

Third-row passengers have two cupholders each, roof-mounted air vents, USB-C ports and reading lights. 

The seats themselves are relatively comfortable, although the seat base is shorter than those of the first and second rows. 

The EV9’s boot is massive at 571L and can be expanded by folding the third and second rows flat. None of the EV9 test cars we drove in Korea had a spare tyre.

2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line AWDSeatsSevenBoot volume571L seats upLength5010mmWidth1980mmHeight1780mmWheelbase3100mm

Does the Kia EV9 have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

The Kia’s infotainment system and driver’s instrument binnacle are combined to look like one continuous screen that sweeps across more than half the dashboard. 

The driver’s instrument cluster is a 12.3-inch screen, and a second 12.3-inch screen handles infotainment duties. A third smaller 5.0-inch screen between the two puts air-conditioning controls within immediate reach and is supplemented by individual switches in the woodgrain bar below for temperature and fan speed.

Below the infotainment touchscreen, half a dozen ‘secret’ touch buttons are integrated into this faux-woodgrain bar. These buttons quickly take you to the major sections of the infotainment system, such as Home, Map, Search, Media and Setup. It’s a clever layout that adds a touch of class.

The Kia EV9 is expected to have both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, although we will have to wait for Australian specifications to be released to understand which variants get wired connectivity and which get wireless.

Major functions in the Kia Connect system include digital, AM and FM radio, plus satellite navigation, media playback, over the air updates, remote connectivity and subscription-based purchases.  

There are two USB-C ports for front occupants, two for second-row occupants and two more in the third row. 

Kia will offer additional features and equipment for sale via the Kia Connect Store, including different grille and lighting sequences and extra accelerative performance. 

The grille lighting sequences are a part of Kia’s Digital Tiger front fascia, but doubt surrounds whether this design feature will be on Australian specification EV9s. 

A fingerprint sensor in the cabin allows owners to confirm in-car purchases. The fingerprint sensor can also be used to load driver-specific cabin settings.  

The Kia EV9 also has a new-generation Integrated Charge Control Unit, which allows occupants to draw up to 3.68kWh from the battery to power laptops, phones, hair dryers, sandwich makers, jugs and any other appliances that can be plugged into the domestic power outlet in the boot.  

Is the Kia EV9 a safe car?

The Kia EV9 has not been crash-tested by ANCAP at the time of writing. Kia says it has engineered the car to be safe and expects a five-star rating.

The EV9 comes with nine SRS airbags consisting of dual front airbags, side airbags in all four doors, and curtain airbags that cover all three rows. A centre front airbag between the driver and front passenger will be on Australian cars, but a driver’s knee airbag fitted in overseas markets will not be on Australian cars.

2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line AWDANCAP ratingUntested

What safety technology does the Kia EV9 have?

The Kia EV9 has a comprehensive active safety suite, which includes blind-spot collision avoidance, lane-keeping assist, intelligent speed-limit assist, rear cross-traffic collision avoidance, parking collision avoidance, autonomous emergency braking and Highway Driving Assist 2. HDA2 enables vehicle-controlled lane changes when the driver indicates to change lanes.

In the EV9’s home market of South Korea, the intelligent speed limit assist and navigation-based cruise control have a brilliant feature that Australians and particularly Victorians would love. Like all active cruise-control systems, it maintains your desired speed and can adjust it to match surrounding traffic.

Beyond that, it can slow you down for fixed speed cameras if you have set the cruise above the legal limit. It also has the ability to monitor your average speed between point-to-point cameras and adjust it so you don’t run afoul of those either. 

Genesis offers something similar in Korea too, but the tech isn’t fitted in Australia, so it’s unlikely this level of autonomy will be fitted to Australian cars, but we’ll know more about the full equipment list when Australian specifications are confirmed at launch in November.

All in all, Kia claims the EV9 has the advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) to qualify for Level 3 autonomous driving. This basically means the car can look after itself on stretches of road, slow for road-signs and lights, and can negotiate turns at intersections, all without driver intervention. Level 3 requires that the driver be attentive at all times and ready to take over in an instant. 

To achieve this, the EV9 has 15 different sensors, including two lidar sensors – LIght Detection And Ranging – which are similar to lasers, reading the road conditions ahead. Bad news for Australia is these lidars and the Level 3 autonomy that they achieve won’t be coming to Australia.

How much does the Kia EV9 cost to maintain?

All Kias come with a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. The Kia EV6’s battery carries a 150,000km warranty, so we’d expect the EV9’s battery to get at least the same. 

As for service intervals and pricing, Kia Australia is yet to confirm that the EV9 will follow a similar servicing schedule to the EV6 – as Drive was told at the international launch – and service pricing will presumably be revealed at the Australian market launch in November.

As for a comprehensive insurance premium quote, none of the major insurance companies have data on the EV9 yet and so cannot give any indication.

At a glance2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line AWDWarrantySeven years, unlimited kmService intervals12 months or 15,000km (est)Servicing costsN/A

Is the Kia EV9 energy-efficient?

During our 500km, two-day test drive we saw energy-use averages of between 19kWh/100km and 24kWh/100km, and an overall average of 22.8. Some EVs like the Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Ioniq 6 can easily achieve sub-15kWh/100km; however, neither of them are 2.7-tonne, five-metre machines designed to move seven people.

Kia says the entry-level EV9 with the 160kW rear motor and 76.1kWh battery can drive for 418km on a single charge. The larger 99.8kWh battery delivers a driving range of 541km with the 160kW rear motor and 497km with the 283kW dual-motor powertrain. 

Kia claims the EV9 has 350kW charging capability, and says it has achieved this in the lab, but concedes the hardware limits this to around 230kW in the real world.   

Kia says the EV9 can recharge from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in 25 minutes, and can add 240km of driving range in just over 15 minutes.

What is the Kia EV9 like to drive?

Our test drive of the Kia EV9 took place in and around Seoul in South Korea, a city of 10 million inhabitants, which gave us a great appreciation for how the big SUV handles traffic gridlock. Seriously, I will never complain about Australian traffic again (well, maybe never).

We drove mostly on freeways and had our fair share of torrential rain. There was a small section of country B-road as well. 

The EV9 we drove was the all-wheel-drive version, so it has a 99.8kWh battery pack and dual motors producing a combined 283kW and 600Nm. Kia had applied the 100Nm optional boost kit to media evaluation cars too, which will be available to owners via the Kia Connect Store. 

The 700Nm EV9’s performance is typical of electric cars; instant torque delivers a neck-snapping initial burst of acceleration that tapers off as speed builds. And this is despite a kerb weight of around 2634kg for the 99.8kWh all-wheel-drive variant. 

Kia says the EV9 Air rear-wheel-drive base model weighs 2312kg (in Korean domestic market specification), a 322kg weight advantage over the top-spec GT-Line, which should help it deliver decent on-road performance even with the 160kW single motor. We didn’t have the chance to test that variant this time around.

Overtaking acceleration in the top-spec GT-Line is less brutal than its standing start blast but still very effective, especially if the driver chooses Sport mode from the four available (Eco, Comfort, Sport, My Mode), which sharpens throttle response appreciably. 

Sport driving mode shows more throttle awareness and therefore more enthusiasm for building speed. Equally, dropping the driving mode into Eco dulls the throttle considerably, prioritising efficiency over alacrity.

We did not get to drive less powerful variants, but we’re confident the 600Nm variant will still provide serious acceleration that will handle anything owners need in everyday driving. 

It remains to be seen how the least powerful 160kW rear-driving EV9 with the big battery pack will perform. Kia claims it does 0–100km/h in 9.4 seconds, which is a lot slower than the 8.2 seconds for the 160kW/76.1kWh variant and the 6.0 seconds of the 283kW/99.8kWh variant. 

As for the suspension tune, the EV9 is an easy and effortless car to drive over longer distances, with a relaxed and comfortable gait that keeps occupants generally very well isolated – it’s almost the equal of luxury EVs in some regards.

Our test car wore 21-inch wheels and tyres, which did exhibit some harshness over road joins and ruts, but Kia’s Australian suspension tuning team should be able to iron that crudeness out of the ride.  

Wind noise is surprisingly low for such a boxy vehicle, suggesting that Kia’s designers and engineers put a lot of effort into making the big box carve the air as efficiently as it can.

One small weakness with the EV9 is the steering. It feels like quite a slow steering ratio, which means it takes more turns on the wheel to get the car turning. This is not a problem on the road in general, but will mean more elbow grease during tighter turns and parking manoeuvres. 

The EV9 has the same basic regenerative braking system as the EV6 with five levels of energy harvesting/braking. Well, the first level is not so much a level as a setting: Auto. In this mode the car tries to predict what a driver needs when they step off the accelerator using satellite navigation and built-in sensors. 

For instance, if it knows an intersection is ahead it will apply gentle retardation to harvest energy and slow the car. If the car is on a stretch of highway, then it will let the car coast instead. 

This system can lead to a bit of second-guessing where the car starts to slow at the same time as the driver applies the brake pedal, which in turn feels grabby as the car slows more than the driver intended. 

Instead, the driver can use one of the four other regen settings to slow the car and harvest energy. The fourth setting is iPedal, which essentially provides one-pedal driving, bringing the EV9 to a complete stop without the driver touching the brake pedal.

Key details2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line AWDEngineDual electric motorsPower160kW front
160kW rear
283kW maximum combined outputTorque600Nm (700Nm boost option)Drive typeAll-wheel driveTransmissionSingle speedPower-to-weight ratio107.4kW/tWeight (kerb)2634kgSpare tyre typeNone0–100km/h6.0 seconds
5.3 seconds (boost option)Turning circleN/A

Should I buy a Kia EV9?

The Kia EV9 is far from the cheapest seven-seat full-size family SUV, but it does offer a lot for the price. That it’s also a capable and accomplished fully-electric vehicle – and all that implies – will appeal to many EV advocates or EV-curious buyers.

A better question is, does the Kia EV9 justify its high price tag? The answer to that will come when we see final Australian specification at the market launch in November. But we’ve seen enough to know the fundamentals are there, and if Australian-spec cars have most of what we experienced in Korea – Level 3 autonomy and digital grille aside – then the EV9 is an enticing premium proposition indeed. 

One thing is certain: the big, brassy and boxy Kia EV9 will stand out on Australian roads.

The post 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line AWD review: International first drive appeared first on Drive.

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