Kia just dropped a whole bunch of details on its hotly-anticipated U.S.-spec EV9 electric three-row crossover and it should offer consumers a lot of choice. Between three powertrain options, five trim levels, and multiple wheel choices, there should be something here for every EV-savvy family to enjoy. However, deep in the headline figures are some intriguing details about range, drag, weight, and even acceleration. Shall we dig in?
The base Light model gets a 76.1 kWh battery pack, which sounds capacious until you realize that Kia estimates a range of just 223 miles. That’s not phenomenal, but at least it shouldn’t take forever to juice up the base pack given it’ll accept a peak charging power of 236 kW. If you buy any trim from the Light Long Range up, you get a massive 99.8 kWh battery pack which Kia claims is good for up to 300 miles when paired with rear-wheel-drive. Now that’s more like it. Intriguingly, other than in range, the rear-wheel-drive model with the long range battery pack seems like a performance downgrade over the rear-wheel-drive model with the standard range battery pack, with a slightly slower peak charging speed of 215 kW, a 1.1-second long zero-to-60 mph time of 8.8 seconds, and an extra 220 pounds of curb weight. Priorities, right?
However, should you pop for the Wind, Land, or GT-Line trim, you’ll get all-wheel-drive paired with the long range battery pack, which brings performance to what many shoppers might call a happy medium. Range stands at 270 miles on 19-inch wheels, 253 miles on 20-inch wheels, and 243 miles on the GT-Line’s 21-inch wheels, but the zero-to-60 time drops to five seconds flat, and towing capacity increases from 2,000 pounds to 5,000 pounds.
Other than powertrain details and the option of self-levelling rear suspension, all EV9s are basically identical beneath. They all share the same 16.02:1 steering ratio, ventilated 14.2-inch front discs and solid 13.6-inch rear discs, five-link rear suspension, and MacPherson Strut front suspension with divorced lower control arms. While the suspension setup shouldn’t be terribly surprising to anyone familiar with Hyundai and Kia’s E-GMP platform, the steering is notably slower than the 14.25:1 rack in the Kia EV6. Even in context with other three-row crossovers, the EV9’s steering ratio is on the slower side, which should benefit freeway cruising ease but require a little more input when, say, parking. Speaking of parking, Kia claims a turning radius of 20.3 feet, which means a complete turning circle of 40.6 feet. That’s pretty huge, but then again, the EV9 is a huge car.
Clocking in at 197.2 inches long and 77.9 inches wide, the EV9 is slightly narrower and slightly longer than Kia’s Telluride three-row crossover. However, perhaps unsurprisingly, the EV9 is even heavier than that traditional three-row family hauler. Curb weight starts at 5,093 pounds and goes all the way up to 5,886 pounds, Lincoln Navigator levels of heft. Add in a decent but not outstanding drag coefficient of 0.28 [Ed Note: Thats actually not bad for a large SUV that doesn’t look like a suppository. -DT], and it’s easy to understand why this flying brick has only one spec that can hit 300 miles of range.
Anyway, mechanical bits over, let’s talk a little bit more about the equipment you get on various trim levels of the Kia EV9. The Light and Light Long Range models are identically-equipped aside from the larger battery pack and the addition of HomeLink on the latter version, but they both still come well-equipped with LED headlights, dual 12.3-inch gauge and infotainment screens, a five-inch climate control display, wireless phone charging, rain-sensing wipers, and 19-inch alloy wheels.
Step on up to the Wind trim level, and things get a bit more luxurious. We’re talking about such niceties as a panoramic moonroof, a heated steering wheel, second-row captain’s chairs, and a heat pump. You can also option 20-inch wheels, but keep the aforementioned 17-mile range cut in mind. Speaking of things that likely cut range, the Wind trim also gets a boost mode to unlock maximum acceleration, whacking combined torque up from 443 lb.-ft. to 516 lb.-ft., increasing rear motor output, and expanding the front motor’s peak power band. Not a bad party trick, right?
The Earth trim level basically throws all the luxury toys imaginable at the EV9. A revised front lighting setup features slimmer headlight elements and an illuminated grille, while 20-inch wheels come standard with range-saving 19-inch units available as an option. The stereo gets bumped up to a 14-speaker 708-watt Meridian sound system, and the side mirrors are auto-dimming, a lifesaver for night driving. Inside, the second row gains the option of what Kia calls “Relaxation” seats with power-operated footrests, a bit like you’d find on a flagship luxury sedan.
Finally, the GT-Line trim takes everything on the Earth trim and amps up the visual appeal with 21-inch wheels, sporty suede interior trim, black exterior accents, and unique bumpers. This top-flight model also gets the full banana of 516 lb.-ft. of torque unlocked as the default output. Pretty nice, right?
Pricing for the 2024 Kia EV9 hasn’t been revealed yet, but Kia says to expect more details closer to the electric crossover’s on-sale date in the third quarter of this year. Speaking of on-sale, Kia will be launching a reservation system, much like we’ve seen from Ford for its new models. As a bonus, there’s a chance the EV9 will qualify for federal EV tax credits due to assembly in Georgia. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see where base pricing lands.
(Photo credits: Kia)
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Another $70k EV with no tax credit to sit on the lot after a few early adopters grab one.
Meanwhile my local Toyota dealer has 6 cars in inventory, 3 of which are 4Runners.
Borrego 2: Electric Boogaloo.
Earth and Wind trims, eh?
“Long ago, the four nations lived in harmony, until the Tesla nation attacked…”
They might launch a Fire trim on the 21st of September.
“[Ed Note: Thats actually not bad for a large SUV that doesn’t look like a suppository. -DT]”
Mr. Tracey, “suppository” is the best descriptor of the prevailing styling trend of contemporary SUVs I have ever read!
I have a kia telluride, 26k miles, back up camera went out. Closest dealer was backed up 3 weeks, okay that’s fine I have mirrors and my wife is a good driver. Dropped it off last night while the kids slept and got a call at 7:30 am that the camera was broken, they should have one, maybe a few days at most. No problem!
Got a call at 9:15 for original 9:40 appointment(I live 50 minutes away from the dealer mind you) from a totally different person from the service center there telling me that they had to cancel my service for the day they are over booked and backed up. I let her know that, actually it’s already been taken in, and it was dropped off yesterday so that’s sort of impossible at this point. Said to forget she called and they will call with an update later.
A)If I was almost there for my 9:40 appointment, had arranged a babysitter and got my wife to follow etc… I can only imagine how happy I would have been if it actually got canceled.
B) This was the easiest time I have had at the service center by far, hands down no questions asked. It usually is a huge hassel, they do not understand what a loaner is and always tell me there is a rental car agency in the dealer, and even with emergency warranty work (had this in the past) they still won’t bring you in quicker.
A+B= Trading it in next week and will never buy a kia again. It took me two years of hard work to convince my wife kia wasn’t dog shit anymore and they really were worth it.
Too bad there are still Kia DEALERS to deal with. They ruin the brand.
this issue aside, how has ownership been for those 26K Miles?
not too bad honestly, the car itself we really like. There was a rear heater blower that blew up and took all our coolant about a year ago, but they redesigned it so it doesn’t happen anymore. Other than that it looks great, drives smooth and really has been good to us. The dealer is such a pain in the ass I just can’t ever buy one again. They also tried to get us with a 5k markup since we are out of state, even though Kia says they are our local dealer. If you get along with your dealer go for a kia, but I would be very sure about them first.
Ours blew up around 1400 miles and it took 22 days to get something else. The dealership even refused to give us a loaner for a 29 day off-the-lot car that blew up. F Kia period. We got the engine replaced and traded it for a used Lexus GX460.
I am getting a Yukon on the 31st, I can’t wait to get rid of it. We don’t trust it at all anymore. The yukon has some potential issues, but I know the dealer will pick it up and give me a car to use.
That is pretty pathetic. Did you attempt to elevate the issue to Kia corporate? I can’t imagine they think leaving a customer with a brand new car with *nothing* is a good move. I can see the dealer not wanting to spend the money on loaners, but you’d think corporate would see that as unacceptable.
People tend to really underrate the value of a local dealer that you can trust when it comes to car purchases. With how complicated cars are, the number of recalls on practically every brand, and supply chain issues making parts hard to acquire, having a dealer that tries their best to keep you on the road is invaluable.
Chevy sells hardly anything that I’m interested in (not that I’m in the market) but our local dealer was so genuinely decent to us when I purchased a used van from them, that I totally understand why some people will just go right back to them and buy a hideous Equinox from them, over and over again. That car is hardly competitive in it’s class, but our local dealer at least brings their customers value, rather than actively try to screw them at every turn. Same with our local Subaru dealer. They just don’t screw their customers en masse like many of the other dealers. And that’s one of the reasons why my wife bought a Forester without even considering another, likely superior product from another brand.
Frith on a stick!
Just what we need: a 5000lb vehicle that’ll do 0-60 in 5 flat. I’ve got a couple of sub-3200lb vehicles that are said to be somewhat quick: C&D got one of the awd ones to 60 in 5.4, and the rwd will supposedly do it in 5.2. Only nannies being mechanical limited-slip. These feel quick to me: I hang on pretty tight.
Waiting for the first unintended acceleration into a storefront with a beast like this. That’s gonna be a major, major mess. 2&1/2 tons with torque like that will quickly render a building structurally unsound!
Housekeeping: just above the 3rd picture, “…a 1.1 long second time 0-60 of 8.8…”. I think an ‘er’ is missing after ‘long’.
0-60 in 1.1 is pretty stout, mind
edit: a bit ironic considering the comment I ended up making above
Another overbloated EV junk abomination…Kia sucks (Don’t even consider them as cars, more like trash manufacturer) Should be lit on fire and pushed off a cliff
I just wanted to point out, in the direct side on shot, the 45° angle of the D-pillar/window blackout doesn’t match up with the base of the rear spoiler and that bugs the shit out of me. It is off by maybe an inch or so and looks like they could have made the effort to have them meet perfectly like they did with the kick up on the EV6 lower trim matching the angle of the wrap around rear taillights
I think this is the first vehicle in a very long time that actually makes the floating roof work. I like how it nicely ties into the rear spoiler!
Is this a true battery limitation compared to the standard pack, or just a software limitation? Anyone want to weigh in?
Just what we need, another 6,000 pound, $60,000 electric crossover! I’d wait a year or two when these things will be selling for 30 grand. I just got an email from the Hyundai dealership that sold me my N that they’re offering $12,500 off MSRP on Ioniqs right now. This stuff is overpriced and disposable and the battery resources would go much further if they were used in PHEVs and traditional hybrids…of which I’m sure you could make 4 or 5 for every one of these bloated cellphones on wheels.
$60K? That’s optimistic!
My prediction is base price is $65k with the top end model ending up around $95k, which will overlap a bit with the “base” BMW iX.
For a KIA! Shit. I own a goddamn Hyundai and even I think that’s patently absurd.
A Toyota Highlander hybrid uses a 1.9kWh battery to get 35mpg combined. So Kia could theoretically build around 35 Telluride hybrids (if they bothered to engineer one) with the same amount of raw battery material as one base model EV9. But instead, they will build 10 Tellurides (at, Jesus Christ, 22 mpg combined. In the year 2023. Wow) for every one EV9, comfortably meeting their CAFE targets. Their overall fleet will be much dirtier, for much longer than one comprising all hybrids, which is a great reminder of what we already know: that CAFE is a farce, and that OEMs are doing exactly what amoral corporations due, which is to meet the letter of the law with minimal effort.
With that out of the way: the Cd is impressive, and the base model’s weight of 5100lbs isn’t unreasonable in a world where ICE performance sedans routinely weigh in at 4,500lbs. Which is itself an abomination, but hey when Everything Bad, you take the victories you can get.
This is at least a form factor of vehicle people do pay near $60k for, even with a Kia badge. Not like most of the 5-passenger EVs out there going for that money from brands (like H/K) that don’t really move much in the way of a regular ICE sedan or hatch upwards of $40k in their own showroom, let alone an EV, even if the manufacturer and the EPA try to wink-nudge that it’s actually a crossover.
I love Kia’s new Electro-Flex*. Can’t wait to try one out. We won’t be in the market for a new car for a few years, but I can see one of these in the garage in the future.
* My previous car was an EcoBoost Flex that was nicknamed “The Flying Brick” so it was funny to see that reference in this article.
To me, it’s a really nice looking SUV, family hauler, that I can’t afford LOL