2024 Kia EV9 Review – the Good and the Bad

Kia EV9 is in the luxury price bracket with the range topper being 120grand. It’s true, much of the money is spent on the 99.8kWh battery and that doesn’t leave a lot for Kia to put into the rest of the car. How then, does Kia manage a premium feeling in a cabin that has no leather, no woodgrain and none of the traditional trimmings of success? Simple, Kia used good design, top notch technology, and supreme comfort.

EV9 comes in 3 tasty trims, Air, Earth and Water. No, no, no, I meant Air, Earth, and GT-Line. Isn’t it about time Kia retired the GT-Line nomenclature?

See our previous EV9 quickie story HERE.

One last question: Is Kia EV9 an SUV or a people mover?

A full list if tasty tidbits can be found on the specifications sheet HERE: MY24_KiaEV9_Specifications

Looks:

The love-or-hate design will appeal to a modern ascetic. Less is more with simple clean lines on an SUV (verging on people-mover) shape to wrap around a gloriously spacious cabin. The 3100mm wheelbase allows a lot of scope for the interior to be given over to the things that matter, people.

The bonnet has a small frunk to carry your dainties, or for the more practical, the charging cables. It also stashes the necessaries of electric propulsion, namely one of the two motors, and all of the computers and cables to control it all. Unlike an ICE vehicle, it will never be covered in oil or leaking fuel.

The sharp lines define an imposing face dominated by vertical light displays and masculine angular DTRLs. Only the GT-Line gets Matrix LED headlights, with our test car having thin lens LED projector type lights instead. It doesn’t have quite the same ring, and considering the Earth costs a princely $106,500 plus on-roads, Matrix lights aren’t a big ask.

Similarly, the side mirrors are actual mirrors, whereas GT-Line gets fancy digital affairs. For those who have experienced digital side mirrors, you’d probably prefer the olde-worlde charm anyway. Digital mirrors are a gimmick that should pass quickly into folklore, they are horrible.

The imperious EV9 is a full-size SUV (AKA upper-large) but is only 177mm off the ground and 1755mm tall. The floor is thick enough to take the battery, with the outer pack being the same size regardless of energy capacity, only the number of inner cells varies.

The rear doors are gargantuan, more like a portal to another dimension. The generous opening created by the rear hatch is bound by a set of tall LED taillights that clearly signal the big Kia’s outer limits.

Strangely, the EV9 feels both huge and comfy all at the same time. The crowning glory for techy-type early adopters are the pop-out door handles that glide gently from their housings as the driver approaches.

A full list if tasty tidbits can be found on the specifications sheet HERE: MY24_KiaEV9_Specifications

ABOVE: 2024 Kia EV9 Earth

The cabin:

If you’re expecting pleated leather door cards, quilted seats, wooden door caps and dashboard, and crystal gear knobs, you’ll will be severely disappointed. EV9 is built with a different ethos where recycling is important and the planet is part of consideration.

Fabric are partially recycled material, and the light tones give add an ambience of lightness. The open weave with back lighting has a modern feel.

Space is one thing that can’t be simulated, it is either there or it isn’t. The 2^nd row is the most capacious, but even the 3^rd row has room for a nimble adult. I tried boarding the craft by the rear doors to try out the back row. Alas, a poorly back and 3^rd row seats do not mix.

That said, the 3^rd row was reported to be cosy by the courting couple cosseted in its bijou digs.

EV9 could easily ferry posh peeps between their clubs, airports and homes in the leafy inner suburbs, but this 7-seat family wagon is out of the reach of families with 5 kids.

The middle range Earth has heated and cooled front pews, but is missing the gentle-rub-up-the-right-way device. The seat coverings are genuine, simulated, fake, artificial-leather that even a weathered driver would find it hard to fault.

From the front seats, option menus are fettled by cleverly concealed buttons. Part of the upholstered dash is marked with words, and it gently caressed elicit a subtle “bump” with accompanying “clunk” sound.

The starter button is on the gear wand along with the PARK button. Leaving the centre console free for storage and charging.

A full list if tasty tidbits can be found on the specifications sheet HERE: MY24_KiaEV9_Specifications

The luggage space is ballroom-esque when 5 seats are stowed, but there is still enough for 7-up on a weekend away, with frugal packing of course.

Gizmos:

The lane-keep-2 is the latest generation of convenient driver assistance. Using any of it for the first time can seem daunting, but once accustomed, the car does much of the hard work for you. Cameras and other sensors will keep an eye out for maleficence, taking action as needed. If it sees potential damage afoot, it chucks out full reverse thrust, parachutes, bugles, and a set of hounds. It is quite off-putting when deployed at inopportune moments. Sensitivity can be adjusted to suit personal driver tastes.

In a new brave world, driver and safety aids have melded into a single entity.

The cameras highlight different areas around the car at different times. The views help moving at any speed but beware, anchors may still be chucked out with a short stay. The auto braking system is a little like a skittish horse that takes exception to stray leaves.

There is no HUD aka Head Up Display. This scandalous omission is an abomination.

The Drive:

The AWD versions are frisky little fillies and have a 0-100 of 6 seconds, a little faster for the full cream GT-Line version. The RWD “AIR” is a veritable slug at 8.2 seconds by comparison.

I confess to not being immediately enamoured by EV9.

Without knowing anything other than what it looked like, the Sherman-Tank-ish impression left by this hulking brute made it look slow. Friskiness at traffic lights aside, corners are fun even with the the 2500kg heft.

There are off-road modes as well as settings for a smoother tarmac experience. I’m not convinced that taking an EV off-road is a truly fabulous lark. Imagine an errant rock perforating the sturdily-made battery box. A buggered battery will likely fan itself into a un-comforting glow, thence a fire.

Now that we’ve dealt doing dirt a deft slapping, we turn to our road trip where the boys-n-me did our out-of-town duty. After shooting the video, I collected the cacophony of queens and carried them on a “magic carpet” to The Cottages. There was room for more, but Nico’s new croc-wearing squeeze came unceremoniously unglued on the gravel drive, falling at the first hurdle.

With 5 on board, the EV9 was barely bothered. Unlike ICE vehicles, there doesn’t seem to be quite the same lag once fully filled with people and their detritus. Steering lacks a sense of real feeling and the brakes were rarely touched, with 1-pedal driving being used almost 100% of the time. Apart from saving on pads and discs, it rejuvenates the battery.

Mountain passes needed a sensitive hand, with 566kg’s worth of batteries trying their best to get you all untidy. EV9 ironed out all but the worst of the inconsistencies on the appalling backroads.

A full list if tasty tidbits can be found on the specifications sheet HERE: MY24_KiaEV9_Specifications

Once ensconced on the verandah of my favourite cottage, I gathered the gay mafia for final notes.

What the boys thought:

Nico:

EVs have a certain appeal. I’d be more impressed if it could be tethered for off-grid use. It would be nice on a longer trip but the sound system wasn’t all that.

I’m told the top model has a better audio setup.

Travis:

EV9 is a great drive, but tows 2500kg, and although that’s plenty, the range suffers. As it is, we found it hard to charge anywhere but the superfast outlets and at the Cottages.

Considering the top EV9 has a drive-away price around $140,000, I think I’d rather a smaller BMW or Mercedes.

Casper:

In most cases the EV9 is sure-footed. It is easy to park and wonderfully comfortable on the open road. I’m not yet past the range anxiety stage. I give a road trip a whack but only if I knew for sure that all the outlets were working. Our experience was the opposite.

Raffy:

I liked EV9’s looks. The fact that we could power external appliances was cute, but a bit gimmicky. I can’t see we would ever use it.

Power and grip are not the first needs of a big SUV, it is comfort and economy these days. 4WD vehicles have morphed into all-purpose rides for people who like space.

Alan:

What a peach EV9 is. Gay drivers can be hard on their cars, throwing themselves into bends where their talents have been overestimated. You simply cannot do that with a chunk this big, it needs careful fenagling to be driven at speed in bendy bits. Finally, highways are a joy and round town is sublime.

For those who have the money and want lots of space, this’ll do nicely. EV9 Earth will be $120,000 drive away and at that price there is a lot of choice. For a little extra buyers could go for a luxury brand, but they don’t have the fast charging ability of the EV9.

2024 Kia EV9 Earth