Kia EV9 : A Stylish Debut for Electric SUVs
By William Ratcliff
In the past couple of years, Kia and Hyundai have really found their stride with electric vehicles. They've typically not been on the forefront of technology in the car world, but they're leading the way into the electric era. And one of their first developments is the Kia EV9, a stylish 7 seater SUV.
Source: Kia.com
Futuristic Styling
Kia and Hyundai are setting the car design fashion at the moment, with the matte-painted funky IONIQ 5 and pretty wedge EV6. This design has also arose from the Ford Bronco and new Land Rover Defender, but South Korea has found the right combination of futuristic styling and practicality.
This is a large vehicle, weighing in at 5700 lbs! Compared to Kia's gas counterpart, the Telluride, it's 8 inches longer in wheelbase, two inches taller, and just a bit thinner. [1] The design represents this, looking very sleek and rectangular. Angled front headlights and Y-shaped tailights illimunate the unique shape. And lining the bottom trim and roof is a secondary color, a shiny black and chrome. Inside, the dash is a continuous opening like a disc tray, with the dual 12.3 inch screen setup sticking out of it. The steering wheel is a squirqle-ish design. Thanks to the lack of drive-train, there's plenty of space between the center console and a surprisingly empty under-dash. Notably, there is very little storage space in the cockpit of this car.
Source: Kia.com
Competitive Range & Performance
Despite it's huge size and seemingly unaerodynamic cubic shape, this car is EPA-rated for 300 miles of range! Which is 100% enough for its use case. Its gas-guzzling competitors still have a 100 or so miles on it, but unless you're road-tripping across the desert, 300 miles should get you there. And, that range comes with a 5 second 0-60 with RWD! However, upgrading from the 19-inch wheels to 20 or 21 and all-wheel drive will impact the mileage by an estimated 40 miles. [2]
There are two power options available: a single motor rear wheel drive version, and a dual motor all-wheel drive option. The dual-motor setup uses torque vectoring to improve grip. You can option a 76.1 kWh pack or 99.8 kWh, but the larger is standard on the all-wheel drive version [2]. The single motor option produces 215 horsepower, while the dual-motors make 379 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque! This setup makes the 0-62 mph sprint in 6 seconds. There's also a launch button available to put all 516 lb-ft down for 10 seconds.
It also comes with a power generator to power external devices, similar to the Ford Lightning.
Source: Kia.com
Why It's Important
The Kia EV9 will cost about $56,000 to $73,000 given the trim. This is a competitive cost for the class, going up against the Ford Expedition ($55,525 to 83,695), Chevy Suburban ($54,700 starting) in the American market, and Toyota Sequoia ($61,715 starting) in the foreign market. The only EV competitor would be the Rivian R1S, which starts at $78,000! Unlike the pricey upcharge to go electric in the sedan market, this car is no more expensive as an EV than its gas competitors. And over the Rivian, it has handling, price, and dealerships behind it. The only other electric SUV in this price range is the Cadillac Lyriq, but the Lyriq is smaller, has a lower towing capacity, and only fits 5 passengers.
So why is this car important? Well it's the first full-size EV from the big manufacturers, and will likely sell well in America. It's also a great leap for Kia, who has historically not been the first to the idea. But this car will mark them the first of the well-known manufacturers to create such a vehicle, and with such new styling cues. Also, with its 300-mile range, it proves that such a large vehicle can be efficient, practical, and high-horsepower.
[2] MotorTrend EV9
[4] Kelly Blue Book - Chevrolet Suburban
[5] Car and Driver : Toyota Sequoia
[6] Car and Driver : 2023 Rivian R1S
[7] Car and Driver: Cadillac Lyriq
