Review – Kia EV9 RWD (2024), the sweet spot?
Smart EV, that Kia EV9
The EV9 is the top model in the rapidly growing lineup of electric Kia models.
It is the first Kia with charging technology that enables V2H (Vehicle-to-Home), V2G (Vehicle-to-Grid) and V2V (Vehicle-to-Vehicle) charging. Furthermore, the EV9 is the first Kia with bi-directional charging technology, enabling it to power not only electrical appliances, but also homes, for example.
In short: a smart SUV with very rich equipment as well.
Equipment Kia EV9 Air
Standard features of the Kia EV9 Air include power front seats, a navigation system including Kia Connect and Live Services, a 360 camera and seat heating and ventilation for the front seats and second row of seats.
Also standard is the 29.6-inch triple panorama display.
In terms of driver assistance systems, you may think of adaptive cruise control, highway assist and the autonomous lane-following assist with hands-on detection.
Many of these systems can be turned off.
Those who are smart do so before leaving.
That saves a lot of annoyance and beeps on the road.
By the way, the Kia EV9 Air has 19-inch alloy wheels, door handles with auto-flush function and privacy glass.
Inside, the vegan leather-trimmed seats stand out.
Kia EV9 Plus equipment.
The Kia EV9 Plus is entirely new to the lineup and is positioned above the Air.
This version can also be ordered as a RWD Single Motor or AWD Dual Motor.
The Plus – compared to the Air – features include a more luxurious version of the vegan leather seat upholstery, a digital interior mirror, a driver’s seat with memory and massage function and the Meridian premium sound system with 14 speakers in total.
Both the Kia EV9 Air and the Kia EV9 Plus are available with two different interior types.
There is a choice of a two-tone interior in light gray and in dark gray.
This includes gray and dark gray shades incorporated into the dashboard and door panels, respectively.
The interior of the EV9 is finished with about 34 kilograms of durable materials.
The Launch Edition RWD Single Motor has the same specifications as the Plus Single Motor and adds to the already rich standard equipment an advanced head-up display and metallic paint at no extra cost.
The EV9 also comes as an all-wheel-drive 282 kW (384 hp) Launch Edition GT-Line Dual Motor.
That version especially offers extra power.
Kia EV9 RWD (2024): the points of interest at a glance – Review – AutoRAI TV
Do you need all that power?
The big question: do you really need that power?
Not really: the 150 kW (204 hp) and 350 Nm strong Kia EV9 RWD is also sufficient.
Don’t expect earth-shattering performance with that powertrain, but just “fine performance.
The top speed of this version comes out to 185 km/h and the 0-100 sprint takes about 9.4 seconds.
For an EV, that seems on the slow side, but because the electric motor – which you can also find in the electric Niro – has 350 Nm at its disposal, acceleration is pleasant.
Heavy car, such an EV9
You also have to realize that the Kia EV9 weighs a whopping 2,401 kilograms.
The AWD version puts even 2,525 kilograms in the scales.
That high weight is due in part to the 99.8 kWh lithium-ion battery.
That alone weighs 566.5 kilograms.
The EV9 RWD is allowed to tow 900 kilograms braked.
Want more braked towing capacity?
Then get the AWD.
That one can tow 2,500 kilograms.
Driving range Kia EV9 RWD
On paper, the Kia EV9 RWD has a range of 563 kilometers.
In practice, you can count on about 450 kilometers, depending on driving style.
Charging the battery is really peanuts.
AC charging is possible with 11 kW, but with a quick charger it’s even more fun.
In fact, the car can handle 210 kW of charging power.
Charging from 10 to 80 percent then takes about 24 minutes.
Kia EV9 is anything but small
The Kia EV9 is a hefty car.
The length of the SUV comes out to 5,010 mm and the width is 1,980 mm.
High it is also with 1,755 mm.
Then we have the wheelbase: 3,100 mm.
Whew!
You really have a sea of space in the interior of the Kia EV9.
In that respect, it is an ideal family SUV.
Luggage space is 333 liters when the third row of seats is in use.
With the third row of seats folded down, the boot grows to 828 liters.
If you fold everything down, you even get 2,318 liters of storage space.
This is still excluding “frunk,” because under the “hood” you have another storage box of 90 liters (AWD: 52 liters).
How does a Kia EV9 RWD drive?
The Kia EV9 drives surprisingly pleasant.
It is extremely quiet and, above all, incredibly comfortable.
It is an everyman’s friend that feels remarkably compact when you drive the car.
Yet we were also able to detect drawbacks.
Disadvantages Kia EV9
- The touch part of the climate control is right behind the steering wheel so this display is actually out of sight.
- It is difficult to rest your hand on the edge of the dashboard because shortcuts are housed there.
So you sometimes accidentally touch a function. - Fatigue recognition is very enthusiastic though, we sometimes got a warning to take a break after only one minute.
Kia needs to do some fine-tuning there.
Because even with normal driving, the system thinks you should take a break.
