The 2024 Kia EV9 is an all-electric SUV like no other. Not only is it a proper 3-row “e-SUV”, but it’s also an award winning vehicle. Recently it won the World EV of the Year and World Car of the Year awards. So what makes it so good?
Performance
Motors – Like many other electric vehicles, the Kia EV9 is available with a single motor RWD layout or a dual motor AWD layout. This GT-Line trim is the latter with 379 hp & 516 lb-ft of torque (282 kW & 700 Nm). With a curb weight of 2,637 kg (5,814 lbs), this big & heavy SUV sprints to 100 km/h from a stop in around 5 seconds. The acceleration up to that speed is relentless just like in many other EVs with over 500 lb-ft of torque. Once the SUV is traveling above 100 km/h or so, the acceleration doesn’t feel as strong. But it still has more than enough power to get you into trouble with the 5-0 if you keep your foot planted.
Lower trim levels don’t have quite as much power as this version does. The trim levels vary slightly between the US market and the Canadian market which is why here in Canada, the “Wind” trim level is a single motor with the bigger battery. It produces 201 hp & 258 lb-ft of torque (150 kw & 350 Nm). In the United States, the “Wind” trim is AWD with the 379 hp & 443 lb-ft of torque (282 kW & 600 Nm) and an on demand function that will boost the torque to 516 lb-ft. The “Light” Long Range RWD is the equivalent trim of the Wind in Canada. And finally, the “Light” RWD produces 215 hp & 258 lb-ft (160 kW & 350 Nm) of torque and it has the smaller battery pack. The 0-100 km/h sprint times vary from almost 9 seconds for the Wind RWD to just under 8 seconds for the Light RWD.
Battery & Charging – The smaller battery has an energy capacity of 76.1 kWh. The bigger battery has an energy capacity of 99.8 kWh. Both batteries are capable of 350 kW charging (if you can find one) with recharge times spanning between 20 minutes to 24 minutes from 10% to 80%. From a more common 50 kW charger, the smaller battery can be recharged from 10% to 80% in about 63 minutes while the bigger battery will take an hour and 23 minutes. And finally from an 11 kW AC charger, the small one will take almost 7 hours from 10% to 100% and almost 9 hours for the bigger one. These are estimated charge times from Kia.
Range & Efficiency – With the small battery & RWD, the Kia EV9 can travel for up to 370 km (230 miles). With the same RWD layout but with the bigger battery, that range increases to 489 km (304 miles). As for the dual motor AWD, this GT-Line has the lowest range of the three available AWD trims with 435 km (270 miles) of range. The other two have a range of 451 km (280 miles). During my time with the 2024 Kia EV9, I averaged 21.1 kWh/100km (2.94 miles/kWh) which means that I could have driven this EV9 GT-Line for up to 473 km (293 miles). So I can only imagine what kind of range the big battery RWD version can do if I was able to get better than advertised theoretical range from this GT-Line trim.
Braking – The 2024 Kia EV9 uses regenerative braking to recoup some energy while slowing the big SUV down. It has a few different levels to choose from. Level 0 does not recoup any energy and the car coasts when lifting your foot off the accelerator pedal. Levels 1 through 3 progressively increase the regen force which slows the car down more quickly. Level 4, or Max, is the one-pedal mode. The car will come to a complete stop, without touching the brake pedal, whenever you lift your foot off the accelerator pedal. There’s also an Auto regen mode which detects any vehicle ahead and provides varying amounts of regen braking. If the car ahead slows down quickly, you’ll slow down quickly. If the car keeps a constant speed or there is no car ahead, the auto mode will not provide any regen braking. Personally I don’t like using this mode because it always changes and it isn’t as consistent as I’d like it to be.
One thing to note, on two occasions when the battery was at 100%, the one-pedal mode and the higher regen levels did not function. A message on the dash appeared stating that there is no regenerative braking because the battery is fully charged. But once the battery charge dropped to 99%, the one-pedal mode worked again.
As for the brakes themselves, they feel strong enough and the car stops without much fuss in emergency situations. Furthermore, the brake pedal doesn’t move on its own, like the one in the Nissan Ariya, and the transition from regen braking to the physical brakes is seamless. I could not feel it.
Handling – The Kia EV9 is an easy SUV to drive. The steering isn’t straining when you’re parking the car, and the optional surround view cameras are a big help. Additionally, the turning circle is pretty good for an SUV of this size at 6.2 meters. At higher speeds, the car feels stable, especially on highways. It feels almost like an autobahn cruiser. Around twists and turns, this is not a particularly fun SUv to drive. Which in fairness is fine. It’s not meant to be one. It does feel stable thanks to the low center of gravity that the battery pack provides. However, it does get a bit unsettled if a wheel hits a big bump mid-way through a corner. I’ve noticed this in other Kia & Hyundai vehicles too. But overall, it’s an easy and relaxing e-SUV to drive.
Comfort
Ride Comfort – The ride quality of the 2024 Kia EV9 is very good considering that it does not have air suspension or adaptive dampers. Bumps from potholes, manhole covers, or just speed bumps in general, are well absorbed by the shocks. Additionally, it does not feel floaty on highways and road undulations.
The seats are equally excellent for providing comfort. The front seats have plenty of padding and the bolsters are wide for a variety of body types. The driver’s seat can also be equipped with an Ergo-motion function which will move the lumbar and cushion support to prevent numbness. These movable parts can also be used as a massage function. Sadly, the front passenger cannot experience this as it is not equipped with this function.
Interior Space – The 2024 EV9 has roughly the same interior passenger volume as the Kia Telluride. That means that front & 2nd row occupants have plenty of led space and plenty of headroom. The 2nd row can be equipped with bench seats or captain’s chairs with this GT-Line trim upgrading these seats to be power operated. They can also recline and have little foot extensions that rise up.
The 3rd row seats are not as commodious for taller individuals like me at 6’4”. Legroom really depends on how generous the person sitting in the 2nd row is. Headroom is more than plentiful. The 3rd row seats can electronically recline in this GT-Line trim and there are roof mounted air vents but the EV9 does not have a 4-zone or 5-zone climate control system. Getting into that 3rd row will test your patience if you go for the 2nd row power seats option. The seats slide and tilt forwards at the push of a button but they take a while to move forward. Thankfully, they are a little bit faster than those in the Mercedes-Benz GLS.
Behind the 3rd row, the EV9 has 573 L (20.2 cu-ft) of space. With the optional power 3rd row seats folded, cargo capacity increases to 1,233 L (43.5 cu-ft). And finally with all rows of seats folded, the Kia EV9 has a maximum cargo capacity of 2,314 L (81.7 cu-ft). To put it into perspective, the Kia Telluride has a little bit more cargo capacity across all 3 rows but the difference is small. There is a little bit of space under the trunk floor and there’s also a small cargo area under the hood.
Noise, Vibration, & Harshness – Because this is an EV, it is smooth and quiet. The electric motors make no noise, unless you want to add in synthetic noises through the stereo system. Tire noise is well subdued and wind noise is negligible.
Odds and Ends
Pricing – The 2024 Kia EV9 is not a cheap EV. It starts at $59,995 CAD ($54,900 USD)for the base Light RWD while this fully loaded GT-Line will set you back $78,995 CAD ($73,900 USD).
Gadgets – For the money, this car is not missing anything. From the dual-pane sunroof, three-zone climate control, head-up display, and wireless charging pad, to the heated & ventilated front & second row seats, the heated steering wheel, Meridian sound system, and rear camera mirror, this car has it all. One thing to note about the rear camera mirror, the camera unit is outside of the car instead of inside. That means the wiper blade can’t clear dirt that’s in front of the lens and you’ll have to do it with your thumb when you get out of the car.
The infotainment system is displayed on a 12.3” touchscreen and the driver also has the same sized screen for instrumentation. This is the same infotainment system that is found in newer Hyundai vehicles, such as the Kona, but with slightly different graphics between the two brands. It’s simple and fairly straightforward to use with the biggest change being the introduction of wireless Apple CarPlay & wireless Android Auto connectivity.
Interior Design – The Kia EV9 follows the minimalist design trend that is very popular at the moment. Two 12.3” screens make up the dashboard instrumentation & controls along with a very few toggle switches for the climate temperature, fan speed, and direction. There are some “buttons” etched into the trim piece that is under the infotainment screen and they provide haptic feedback when you push on them.
I only have two minor irritations about the interior layout. First is the placement of the vehicle start & stop button. It’s on the gear selector which protrudes from the steering column. It’s in a weird place and makes pushing it awkward. It would’ve been better on the dashboard. The other minor inconvenience is the placement of the climate control screen. It’s in between the driver cluster and infotainment touchscreen but it’s obstructed by the steering wheel. From the driver’s perspective, they’d have to move their head to see the controls. There is a little plus sign on it that is visible which will then display all of the climate controls on the main touchscreen.
The rest of the interior is spacious with plenty of small item storage areas. There’s a large bin under the front console, the top of the console can be switched for small item storage or cupholders, and there’s a small space under the center armrest. The reason why this car doesn’t have a deep armrest storage is because it is instead given to the 2nd row passengers. Pulling a tab from the back of the center console reveals a tray. Pushing that tray back will reveal a very deep storage bin. The rear occupants also have a separate climate zone with vents mounted in the roof.
Exterior Design – The 2024 Kia EV9 looks almost identical to the concept car from 2021. Driving in this car down busy city streets will have a lot of people turning their heads. It is a very unique design language. This top spec GT-Line has individual LED lights to make up the high and low beam headlights along with marker lights that illuminate from behind the faux grille. The little lights, along with the LED headlights, turn on in a unique pattern that can be chosen on the infotainment screen. It’s a gimmick, but it’s a fun gimmick.
Along the side, it has pop out door handles (which will probably freeze in sub-zero temperatures) and a power operated charge flap. Around back, the taillights are arranged in an almost boomerang configuration. I also like the 4-spoke wheel design on this GT-Line trim. You don’t see 4-spoke wheels all that often.
Safety – The 2024 EV9 comes with a long list of standard safety features. From automatic emergency braking to lane keep assist to safe exit assist to 8 airbags and much more, the base Light trim level has a lot of standard safety & driver aids. Moving up in the trims will add features such as surround view cameras, blind zone view, parking collision avoidance for the front, side,and rear, and remote smart parking assist.
Warranty – The 2024 Kia EV9 is covered by a 5 year / 100,000 km comprehensive and powertrain warranty with the EV components being covered by an 8 year / 150,000 km warranty. The battery is covered for 8 years or 160,000 km. In the United States, the comprehensive portion of the warranty is 5 years / 60,000 miles and the powertrain is 10 years / 100,000 miles. For more information on Kia Canada warranty, click here. For Kia USA warranty information, click here.
Conclusion – While it may seem crazy to spend around $79,000 CAD for a Kia, if this car had a Mercedes-Benz or BMW badge, you’d easily be spending well over $100,000 CAD for it. Even if it had a Honda or Toyota badge, you’d still be spending the same amount as this car costs with a Kia badge. Electric vehicles are still very expensive, especially one as large as this and with such a big battery pack. However, the entry level trim is a bit of an easier pill to swallow. Either way, it’s obvious why this car won two prestigious awards. It’s spacious, comfortable, brimmed with gadgets, and an excellent EV.
Thank you to Kia Canada for providing the vehicle. www.Kia.ca
2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line Gallery
