[TEST DRIVE] Kia EV9 an all-electric, three row SUV for the masses ... sort of

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[TEST DRIVE] Kia EV9 an all-electric, three row SUV for the masses ... sort of

Published: 19 Jun. 2023, 08:35

Kia's EV9, its second all-electric vehicle developed with the E-GMP EV-dedicated platform after the EV6, which was introduced in 2021. [KIA]

BUYEO, South Chungcheong — The debut of Kia’s EV9 quenched people's thirst for something that had been unavailable: a mass-appeal, pure-electric three-row SUV.

Sure, Tesla and Mercedes have all-electric three-row lineups, but their price tags put them out of range for the general buyer.

The EV9 is Kia’s second all-electric vehicle developed with its E-GMP EV-dedicated platform after the EV6, which was introduced in 2021. Sales began in May in Korea, but U.S. and European drivers must wait at least until September.

The Korea JoongAng Daily recently got behind the wheel of a sky-blue six-seater EV9 on a 200-kilometer (124-mile) journey from Hanam, Gyeonggi to Buyeo, South Chungcheong.

Kia EV9 [SARAH CHEA]

The steering wheel of the Kia EV9 [SARAH CHEA]

The EV9 is bigger than it looks. To give you a sense of its size, it is a bit longer and wider than the Kia Telluride, a North American-dedicated model unavailable in Korea.

The front fascia is still recognizably Kia despite lacking a traditional grille. The Digital Tiger Face grille, which reinterprets the automaker’s tiger-nose design, gives the vehicle a bolder, futuristic look.

The front and second rows have reclining seats with footrests, with massage service also available.

“It’s the first Kia vehicle to have reclining seats in the second row,” said Kim Pyeong, senior research engineer at Kia. “Our massage system has proved helpful in relieving fatigue and arteriosclerosis.”

The second-row seats can swivel 180 degrees to face passengers seated in the third row. But the third-row seats seemed too small for adults, though they seemed fine for children.

Parents can also swivel the second-row seats 90 degrees to make it easier to put baby car seats inside.

Whether the swivel seats will be available for U.S. models has not been confirmed.

Customers can pick either a six-seater version or a seven-seater version for the EV9.

The front and second rows have reclining seats with footrests, with massage service also available. [KIA]

The third-row seat has a vehicle-to-load function which uses the car's battery to charge external electronic devices. Kia says it has enough voltage to use a rice cooker or mini microwave, a big plus for avid campers.

Despite the vehicle weighing two tons, driving was soft yet powerful. The large instrument panel display indicated cars, lanes and humans in real-time, just like Tesla vehicles.

The EV9 also got more autonomy. When this reporter moved the stalks to change lanes with the AutoMode system on, the car automatically does just that — change lanes. This is also what Tesla offers under its Autopilot system.

The most amazing part of the driving experience was that the battery did not drain quickly even when driving the car at very high speeds.

When starting the three-hour test drive, the dashboard said the car had enough battery to travel 405 kilometers. After driving 100 kilometers, the read-out still said 320 kilometers, proving that the car charged itself while driving.

The third row can be folded down for camping lovers [SARAH CHEA]

Powered by a 99.8-kilowatt battery by SK On, the vehicle can run 501 kilometers on a single charge. The EV9 has the longest mileage among existing Kia electric vehicles.

When the speed reached 130 kilometers per hour, the car seat automatically adjusted with a message saying, “System to prevent a herniated disc.”

One downside of the test drive was that this reporter could not experience the Highway Driving Pilot system, which enables conditional Level 3 autonomous driving in selected markets.

The system is only available with the high-performance GT line of the EV9. Level 3 technology requires the driver to be present at all times in case of an intervention request.

EV9 has a vehicle-to-load function that uses the car's battery to charge external electronic devices. Kia says it has enough voltage to use a rice cooker or mini microwave, a big plus for avid campers. [KIA]

Price will be the thing customers are likely to debate the most.

The sticker price of the EV9 begins from 76.71 million won ($60,200). But that climbs to 90 million won or more when adding the newest functions like swivel seats and higher-level autonomous technology. The GT line even exceeds 100 million won.

Korean customers might have expected a cheaper EV9, though it's still cheaper than the rival Tesla Model X, which starts from 143 million won, and the Mercedes EQS SUV, which begins at 152.7 million won.

Kia hopes to sell a total of 50,000 EV9s this year globally.

Over 10,000 orders have already been made in Korea in just eight days since the vehicle's introduction. Customers in their 40s accounted for 40 percent of those orders, and nearly 60 percent are first-time Kia buyers.