Road Tested by Hugh Maguire.
It is no mean feat to take on established brands like Range Rover, or Mercedes and BMW for example but the Kia EV9 aims to do just that in the big luxury SUV segment.
The EV9 is Kia’s all new all electric luxury SUV. Two models are available here the EV9 Earth costing from €77,500 and the EV9 GT Line costing from €85,500.
I spent a week road testing the new EV9 and I must say overall I am impressed. Whether people will be willing to part with €85,000 or more for a brand that does not have the status or cache of the luxury German brands remains to be seen. Many other brands such as Toyota and Renault tried and basically didn’t succeed. Will Kia be different?
How does it look?
First of all I really like the rather square bold style. Some might say its big and brash and I suppose it is really but that said it does look good. It has real presence as a result and during my tenure it certainly turned heads hopefully for all the right reasons.
What is it like inside?
Slip inside and the futuristic theme continues with two large screens one for the driver and one centrally mounted but they blend into one sweeping across half the width of the huge cabin. The model on test is a six seater, a seven seat version is also available. The cabin is truly massive inside. Individual ‘captains’ chairs adorn the second row of seating while the third row though obviously smaller could accommodate teenagers or smaller children with ease. There are very nicely designed touch sensitive buttons for the climate control situated below the main screen. Lots of USB and USBC charge ports front and rear, a lovely stereo system and tonnes of storage space.
Quality feels and looks good too. I like the mood lighting and while the eco friendly faux leather does not feel or smell like the real deal it does look very well. I have to say it all feels and looks very impressive. There is a host of standard kit, a list that is way too long to detail here however you will want for nothing in the new EV9. As with many others there is a host of standard safety features but one I could do without is the constant and annoying bings and bongs every time you creep 1km over the speed limit or turn your head to look at the touchscreen. The nanny state of motoring has arrived due European legislation.
In terms of space its vast! The rear is absolutely huge with masses of legroom. The seats are very comfortable and the boot which is accessed via the electric rear tailgate is very good too.
What is under the bonnet?
Power comes from a 99.8kWh battery paired with two electric motors one on each axle driving all four wheels producing 384 PS. Claimed range is 510 km however as I have been saying about all EV’s you won’t achieve what they claim as real world driving, and in winter as now really depletes the claimed range rapidly. That said the new EV9 achieved 380 km from 100% during a wet and cold week of mixed driving.
It is very quiet and refined and handles surprisingly well disguising its huge mass most of the time.
Verdict.
It is a very good first foray into this segment of the market. I really liked the new EV9 but at this price it may well have it’s work cut out to tease someone out of an Audi, BMW, or Mercedes. Nevertheless the quality is there. Residual values would need to be considered too, but that all said this new EV9 is a lovely luxury SUV.