Readers, I have a confession to make. It’s been nearly two years since Kia launched the EV9 three-row electric crossover, yet none of us had one to test until now. That’s a puzzling omission on our part, considering both how hyped this thing was and how it’s one of the few options out there if you want a seven-seat EV that isn’t priced all the way up in gated community territory.
Well, it’s time we atoned for our sins. With more than a year for the hype to die down, the keys to a red EV9 AWD for a week, and crisp Ontario spring weather putting mild stress on battery efficiency, it’s time to see what Kia’s electric flagship is like in the real world.
[Full disclosure: Kia Canada let me borrow this EV9 for a week so long as I kept the shiny side up, returned it with plenty of juice, and reviewed it.]
The Basics
Battery pack: 99.8 kWh Nickel Manganese Cobalt.
Drive: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive.
Output: 379 horsepower, 516 lb.-ft. of torque.
EPA range: 280 miles (451 kilometers).
Peak DC fast charging: 210 kW
Base price: $65,395 including freight ($67,145 Canadian).
Price as-tested: $71,395 including freight ($72,395 Canadian).
Why Does It Exist?
With just about every automaker under the sun now offering a two-row electric crossover, it only makes sense that Kia would be early to the three-row market to differentiate itself from the horde and capitalize on brand equity built by the Telluride.
How Does It Look?
Well, it’s quite blocky, isn’t it? From the upright greenhouse to the vertical headlights to the hexagonal arches, the EV9 embraces the space efficiency of a boxy form, and does it well. I reckon it’s handsome, although I do wonder how some details like the trim on the front fascia will age. Overall, it seems like an evolution of the visual gold Kia struck upon with the Telluride, so it’s not surprising that the EV9 is so admired by the Costco crowd.
What About The Interior?
Slide behind the wheel of the EV9, and you’ll notice an interesting blend of the familiar and novel. You get real buttons for your heated seats, your temperature controls, and everything on the steering wheel, but the start button’s on the electronic shifter, the volume control is a vertical wheel, and the glovebox is a drawer that pulls out of the dashboard. The second thing you notice is great material quality. From smooth textiles on the steering wheel and dashboard to virtually no shiny black plastic anywhere, the cockpit of the EV9 feels worth the money.
Speaking of standouts, the front headrests are some of the most comfortable in any mainstream car. See, they’re upholstered in this Hermann Miller-like stretchy mesh with soft, squidgy foam right at the back of the assembly. As a result, it feels like you’re resting your head on a cloud, and that thoughtfulness extends to other parts of the cabin. There’s a switchable USB-C socket in the dashboard for either data or pure power, the cup holders swivel away to create a larger storage area, every passenger has a way to charge their devices, and the second-row passengers get great B-pillar-mounted grab handles for entry and egress.
Speaking of practicality, yes, you can fit adults in all three rows, and there’s space for a bevy of backpacks behind the third row. However, although the second row seats have easy one-touch releases for third row access, the left side of the bench feels like it weighs a ton and requires significant effort to latch back into place.
How Does It Drive?
Right off the bat, the dual-motor EV9 is hilariously quick. Keep in mind, this isn’t even the fast GT model, and it’s still quicker than an old BMW 335i. However, just because the EV9 can run from zero-to-60 mph in about 4.5 seconds doesn’t mean it’s violent. Kia’s electric three-row is one smooth operator, allowing the driver to effortlessly meter out pace. There’s also a clever automatic mode for regenerative braking that uses forward-facing radar to adjust its aggressiveness. Come up on a slower car quickly, and you’re in for heavy regen. Come up to traffic slowly, and the EV9 will take a more chill regenerative braking approach. It feels incredibly natural and pairs well with brake pedal blending, to the point where I never turned it off. Genius stuff.
Once up to speed, the EV9 displays supple ride quality that really irons out tar snakes and frost heaves with ease. It’s not so soft as to make rear occupants queasy, but it’s also not so firm as to transmit every bump in the road. The cabin also doubles as a cone of silence thanks to extensive sound deadening, and well-weighted, deliberate, confident steering completes the strong, silent vibe. It all adds up to a driving experience that really makes you wonder if a luxury car is worth the premium anymore. As a bonus, cool-weather observed range is quite close to its official rating, and 210 kW DC fast charging combined with a remarkably flat charging curve means it doesn’t take long to juice up.
Does It Have The Electronic Crap I Want?
Unsurprisingly, the Kia EV9 is a festival of technology. We’re talking three displays including one for gauges, one for climate, and one for infotainment all under one pane of glass. There’s a fingerprint reader for driver profiles and use of your phone as a key, a set of configurable daytime running lights, all the advanced driver assistance systems you could possibly want, and even the Kia badge on the steering wheel is subtly illuminated. For the most part, it all works well, but I do have a few nits to pick.
For one, the EV9’s surface-level infotainment system shortcut keys are all capacitive touch pads instead of actual buttons. They look neat glowing through the dashboard trim, but if you rest the edge of your hand on the dashboard trim to tap something on the screen, an inadvertent brush of skin can have the infotainment jumping through menus. Also, while having top-level screen space for climate controls is better than having them buried in a menu, the virtual buttons are both rather small and hidden by the steering wheel.
Since my tester splits the difference between the U.S.-spec Wind and Land trims, it didn’t come with the Meridian premium audio system. No matter, because this is the best base, non-branded audio system I’ve heard in the past five-plus years of testing cars. The clarity and dynamic range blows most branded premium systems in mainstream cars out of the water, to the point where audiophiles will be surprised.
Three Things To Know About The Kia EV9
- As far as charging curves on mainstream EVs go, this one’s warp speed.
- It has the most comfortable headrests you can get in a car under $100,000.
- The dual-motor model is way quicker than you think.
Does The EV9 Fulfil Its Purpose?
As far as a three-row mass-market EV goes, the EV9 feels like a solid option. There’s definitely some slight UX weirdness with the climate control screen and capacitive touch keys and it’s expensive as-tested, but it significantly undercuts the Rivian R1S, offers more range and faster charging than a Volkswagen ID.Buzz, and certainly doesn’t feel cheap. However, it will soon have a sibling rival in the Hyundai Ioniq 9, although it looks more assertive than Hyundai’s three-row EV. While the Hyundai is set to offer more range, style is a personal preference, and the EV9 is still a great choice.
What’s The Punctum Of The Kia EV9?
The obvious choice in three-row EVs is really good at what it does.
Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal
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Posting before reading Thomas’ surely good-as-always review of the Kia EV9 simply to relate the anecdotal tidbit that I routinely see a LOT of EV9s tooling around Southern California, all in black with livery/taxi plates. They’re big in person (but not bona fide huge) and look alright with Kia’s current cyberpunkish aesthetic.
I think when looking at the value of the car, folks are getting stuck with the $72,395 CANADIAN price for the vehicle and converting that 100% to USD.
It is $52,412USD with conversion.
So it is quite a good value for the Canadian market.
Beautiful COLOR! Thank you Kia. now do a tan interior.
This thing costs $70k. It’s a luxury car in everything but name, as it should be at that price.
I mean, if $50,000 is the average transaction price for a new vehicle, I think where “luxury” starts is up for debate.
This thing is only $4k cheaper than a Q8 e-tron and about $9k cheaper than a Volvo EX90 (starting). It’s playing with the big boi’s.
In Canada the Q6 etron base model is $84,000CAD. The EV9 is a significant $10,000CAD cheaper.
The Q8 etron will likely be $100,000+CAD so the EV9 is at least $30,000CAD cheaper.
The base EX90 is $113,600CAD to the EV9 is $40,000CAD cheaper.
So the EV9 is significantly cheaper than the Q8 etron and Volvo EX90 here in Canada. It is actually a home run price wise compared to those two models.
*I should note I didn’t compare lease deals, and realistically nobody is buying any of the cars I mentioned. The Kia could be significantly cheaper on a lease for all I know.
Fair enough. I suppose I was more idly musing than adding something substantive. I didn’t have a mental reference point for what three-row crossovers go for these days, plus an EV premium.
Considering the Suburban has a starting price of $64k the Kia actually seems like a decent deal for an EV. If you want big and three rows you’d be spending about the same money.
It’s definitely a luxury car in practice, even though it is not necessarily marketed as one.
You’ll mention the grab handles but not the door handles?
SHAME!
I do have to give Kia some kudos for the door handles, because as far as flush-fit door handles go, this is the best variety. Mechanical release, easy to get into if the 12-volt battery fails with an actual lock cylinder in the driver’s door handle. Other than the lock cylinder facing vertically (which actually seems pretty smart from a water-resistance perspective), this video makes it look pretty easy.
Thank you.
I wish my EV6 had those door handles. Whoever designed those should be made to open and pull them for eternity.
Do very soft rides make backseat passengers queasy? I’ve never heard that before. (also I’ve never had a car with a really soft ride, and I almost never have backseat passengers…)
There can be a bit of bounce/bob in the aft rows, especially in SUV’s with air suspension in their squishiest settings. I’ve read a few reviews of Benz SUV’s where this is mentioned.
I guess I can imagine that, if the passengers don’t have good visibility out, and the car is bobbing around a bit. Years ago, I used to sail a lot, and I never got seasick, even in major storms, until I went below decks. As soon as I couldn’t see the horizon, things would flip on like a light switch.
How is the pricing between US and Canadian dollars so close, when the exchange rate between the two isn’t? Is this the tariffs?
They’re planning ahead for parity in the next couple months, I guess. /s
Do the kind of people that could use and afford a 3 row AWD EV want to buy a KIA? I am not making fun I just wonder if the demographic is more of a high end EU car buyer.
This is really anecdotal, but in my fairly affluent city many folks I know who used to buy Acura, Benzes, etc., are now rocking loaded Kias and Hyundais.
The popularity of high-spec Tellurides suggests yes. These things captured the attention of luxury market buyers in a way Genesis can only dream about.
My wallet cries. For my budget’s standpoint, $70K is solidly up in luxury car territory.
I get it – it’s a 3-row SUV, it’s electric. Any or both of those cost significant coin these days. But it still ain’t exactly what I’d consider “affordable”.
I had this reaction as well. 70k is definitely luxury territory.
As stupid as it sounds, one of my acid tests is “Will I have to become a brand apologist to convince my wife or peers?”
Yes, a $70k+ Kia is definitely in that territory. I’m a fan of what they’ve done, but here the reach seems to exceed the grasp. The parent company should have launched this under the Genesis or maaaaybe Hyundai nameplate.
I think that if they made a PHEV version of this for about $10k less, with maybe 35 miles of EV range, we’d have a winner across the board. This will be great for daily schlepping duties for families and that’s a mission I understand well. But if we assume a 2-car household usually only had funds for one pricey EV, I’m still on the fence about whether that should be the commuter car or the workhorse/roadtrip car. Still leaning towards the former.
But I still can’t help but think a PHEV version that could brag about some crazy 700-mile range would be a slam dunk. Nobody with young kids (or especially teenagers) wants to make an unpopular 30-minute recharging stop, only to have to stop again 10 minutes later because half the people in the car forgot to pee. Or eat.
Totally agree on using the EV for daily driving. We currently have a Model 3 for daily nonsense (which it is amazing at), and an Odyssey for road trips.
We have a 16 hour road trip most summers, and adding 2.5+ hours for EV charging is a non-starter.
The XC90 Recharge is an attractive option, if you can gamble with reliability. Love an X7 as well for the driving dynamics, but then we’re investing heavily in fuel. Telluride was nice, but that 3.8 V6 is meh.
I wish they’d done a recharging test. I’d be very curious to see if it even takes 30 minutes to put a significant number of miles in one of these with the modern EV architecture. I’d bet it’s closer to 15 minutes for ~200 miles, and that probably lines up pretty well with the bathroom stop schedule for anyone with kids.
My problem, as always, is that with kids along it becomes a much bigger problem if you end up at a broken or malfunctioning charger and your 15 minute stop turns into an hour, or a 30 minute detour to find a working charger.
I have an EV9 and have gone on some modest road trips with a family of four, and as long as it’s a 150kW or more charger that is working, it only needed 15-20 minutes of charging per stop (every 2-3 hrs of driving) and was invariably done before we were ready to leave. The catch is definitely charger availability and reliability. I was on routes with reliable enough chargers placed about twice as frequently as I needed them, and it was the most pleasant road trip experience I have ever had (and I like driving and road trips).
I feel like my Mach-E does this too, or maybe I’ve just gotten so used to the regen I can instinctively modulate the accelerator without thinking about it, but it always seems to roll up behind a stopped vehicle very smoothly in one-pedal mode, unless I’m coming in WAY too hot, in which case the brakes are necessary (and that just kicks in much more aggressive regen most of the time. The friction brakes are rarely ever needed).
I’ve noticed the same thing at stop signs too, where it always seems to roll perfectly up to the line and stop. I assume that because it can read street signs to check for speed limits, it just recognizes stop signs and adjusts the one-pedal regen accordingly.
Just like in the article, it’s so natural, that the average driver wouldn’t even think about it, it just works.
Same with my Leaf, though in “e-pedal” mode the acceleration is greatly reduced, and in regular mode it has that stupid torque converter style creep. I wish I could disable said creep.
I have an Ariya and I like the creep, but I’m a weirdoooo…
Props to Nissan for giving physical switches for that stuff though. My wife hates e-Pedal in her Leaf and never uses it, but I like it a lot. Nice to have a physical switch right there for turning it on and off.
Indeed. When I take an on ramp I turn e-Pedal off for the extra acceleration, when I go to take an off ramp I turn e-Pedal on for the extra regen and the lack of creep. While I’d prefer the switch to be on the steering wheel for ease of actuation, I’ll take physical controls over touchscreen controls any day!
Props to Nissan for making ePedal persistent. I hate that one pedal driving switches off on my EV6 when the car is turned off, unlike with my Leaf.
Didn’t consider the Ariya, as it doesn’t have true one pedal driving (really, Nissan?).