Two weeks ago, Kia pulled the sheet off one of the most dynamic new car designs we’ve seen in years. The 2024 Kia EV9 is the first electric 3-row SUV built by a non-luxury automaker, and it’s striking. An upright body style boasting sharp, angular lines gives it a sense of presence unusual in an 8-seater.
Standout Design
Swiveling seats define a stylishly minimalist interior with enough buttons to be intuitive, not menu-heavy.
It’s a triumph of design. But design just wins the eye’s favor. To convince the rest of the body, a car must be fun to drive and easy to live with.
The company today revealed a few mechanical details to let you start making up your mind about the other stuff.
The company held back the most important detail – price. We took a recent trip to Seoul to see the EV9 up close. There, company officials weren’t shy about calling it a “flagship vehicle.” So we expect it to start at a higher price than Kia’s current most-expensive model, the EV6. That vehicle starts at $48,700. The EV9 will likely start higher. But Kia executives probably don’t want to take on luxury automakers, so we don’t expect it to push much higher.
The company developed the vehicle, in part, after surveying owners of today’s Kia Telluride about what they’d want in an electric car. Telluride prices max out in the low $50,000 range.
201 to 380 Horsepower
The EV9 shares most of the bits that make it go with the Kia EV6, but the numbers change slightly with the new shape.
A Standard model will come in rear-wheel drive (RWD) with a single electric motor on the rear wheels. It puts out 160 kW (or about 215 horsepower). Kia says it gets from 0-62 mph in 8.2 seconds. It comes with a smaller battery than other trim levels, at 76.1 kWh.
A Long Range model will also come in RWD and get a bigger battery and slightly less power. The EV9 Long Range has a 150 kW motor (about 201 horsepower) and a 0-62 mph time of 9.4 seconds. Its battery is 99.8 kWh. That’s the only one Kia has published a range figure for. The company says it will travel 336 miles between charges in European testing. But, we should caution, European testing always gives longer ranges than testing by the American EPA. Expect a range under 300 miles when American testers get their hands on one.
An all-wheel-drive (AWD) variant gets a motor on each axle, with a combined output of 283 kW (about 380 horsepower). That one jumps to 62 mph in 6 seconds flat.
Horsepower Downloads for a Fee
However. Ahem. Sigh. [head drops]
Owners will be able to download more horsepower for a fee. Kia says an optional “Boost feature” will be “available for later purchase at the Kia Connect Store.” Kia didn’t give a total power figure for that one but said it drops the 0-62 time to 5.3 seconds.
If this idea sounds foreign to you, we break down everything you need to know about subscription fees for car features here. Surveys show that car buyers hate the idea, but Kia won’t be the first company to sell horsepower downloads. Mercedes was.
High-Performance Model Coming
In a press conference at the unveiling, Kia CEO Song Ho-Sung told reporters that a higher-performance model is on the way. He didn’t explicitly call it the “EV9 GT,” but he said Kia designers decided to build it based on the success of the high-performance EV6 GT. So a power figure close to that car’s 576 horsepower is likely.
Stylish GT-Line Option
Kia might not have formally revealed an EV9 GT today, but it did uncover a GT-Line appearance package. It’s not clear yet whether that version will be offered with all three drivetrains at launch.
The GT-Line, Kia says, “features a unique aesthetic that distinguishes it from the standard model.” Changes include reshaped bumpers (front and rear), a black roof rack, and a “digital pattern lighting grille” that “adds an element of dynamism and sophistication.”
At some point (Kia doesn’t say when), GT-Line models will get a more advanced driver assistance system than other models.
Advanced Driver Assistance, Eventually
Automotive engineers use a ladder of five levels to classify their efforts to build self-driving cars. Almost every automaker’s most advanced system today is rated as Level 2. At its most advanced, drivers can take their hands off the wheel briefly while the system is engaged but never stop paying attention. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving System, GM’s Super Cruise, and others are all Level 2 systems.
Mercedes has a Level 3 system – one that lets the driver briefly look at something other than the road – for sale only in Nevada.
Kia says the EV9 GT-Line will offer “conditional Level 3 autonomous driving” in “certain areas of the world.” That’s a lot of caveats, and “conditional Level 3” is not a term recognized by the industry. So we’ll have to wait for more details. We’ve asked for them.
Tailgating? The EV9 Can Power Other Devices
Kia says the EV9 is built on an 800-volt architecture – the fastest-charging form currently available for EVs. Engineers say it can add about 149 miles of range in 15 minutes at a DC fast charger. But we should note that those – the fastest form of EV charger – are still relatively rare. Homeowners are more likely to install a Level 2 charger that can refill the car overnight.
Vehicle-to-load charging capability means the SUV can power other devices as well. Kia says, “families can use up to 3.68 kW of power for laptops or camping equipment” when the car is parked.
