A high-performance 3-row SUV is ridiculous if you think about it. A vehicle large enough to carry seven or eight and all their gear in comfort but as quick as a 2-seater sports car to 60 mph sounds impossible. But they’ve been common to the luxury car classes for years.
Now, they’re coming down to (sort of) affordable cars.
Kia will release a high-performance version of its big electric 3-row in January, the company says. The Kia EV9 GT will be capable of a 0-60 mph sprint in just four seconds flat. It will ship with all-wheel drive (AWD) as standard equipment. Kia says a “reinforced suspension” will help keep the SUV’s big body under control at those speeds.
Kia’s Second Electric GT Model
The news came in a presentation to investors late last week. But it’s no surprise.
Kia did the same with its EV6 2-row electric SUV. The standard EV6 is a sporty-looking electric vehicle (EV) well suited to the needs of most drivers. Its EV6 GT variant is shocking, with a sub-four-second 0-60 time and the kind of handling that made Kia give it to our Mike Danger for testing on a race track.
The EV9 is larger but shares many of its sibling’s parts. One of the most distinctive-looking cars on the road, the EV9 has a stylish angular design theme and an upscale cabin with cool see-through headrests.
Electric vehicles make for easy conversion to high-performance spec. Gasoline engines build torque over a few seconds of acceleration, meaning they’re putting out more power three seconds after you mash the pedal than one second after. Electric cars produce 100% of their torque instantly. So engineers can get more split-second acceleration out of them.
Making a family hauler accelerate like a race car is easier when it’s electric.
Price May Not Seem Kia-Like
The hardest part may be keeping the price down. The EV9 on dealer lots today starts at $56,395 (including the $1,495 delivery fee) and stretches into the high $70,000 range fully equipped. Because Kia builds it in South Korea, it’s not eligible for the $7,500 federal EV tax rebate.
An EV9 GT would have to start higher. Those, many Americans would probably say, are not Kia prices. Kia is generally an affordable automaker. But the EV9 already competes with luxury SUVs on price. Adding the cost of blistering power for faster acceleration and the bracing to make a suspension system handle it well will not be kind to the sticker.
We may not know more until winter. Kia President and CEO Ho Sung Song told investors the vehicle will be revealed next January. Automakers typically release details a few weeks before a big reveal.
