Kia’s 2024 EV9 electric SUV looks, feels like a hit
Kia has another hit electric vehicle on its hands. That’s my prediction after spending 90 minutes with the 2024 EV9 electric SUV last week.
I didn’t get to drive it, and while I don’t yet know the price, the roomy three-row SUV feels destined for success. That is, unless the automaker has another inexplicable brain-fade, like it did when it forgot to illuminate the brake lights on the award-winning EV6.
In the absence of another self-inflicted wound, the EV9 looks like a winner: Proven technology in a big, bold design that encloses three rows of seats and a passel of appealing features.
Sales begin in the fourth quarter. Initially built in South Korea, EV9 production will shift to Kia’s West Point, Georgia, plant in the middle of 2024.
Kia expects the EV9 to initially qualify for the full $7,500 U.S. federal EV tax credit for leased models, and eventually for retail sales as U.S.-built vehicles and batteries become available.
The EV9 will replace the Telluride as Kia’s flagship.
Bigger, roomier than Telluride
The EV9 is half an inch longer than a Telluride, Kia’s current flagship. The EV9’s 122-inch wheelbase is 7.8 inches longer, thanks to the electric vehicle’s compact running gear. That, and the absence of the center tunnel’s hump, contributes to plenty of passenger and cargo space.
Overall, the EV9 is longer, wider and taller than the Audi Q8 e-Tron, BMW iX, Cadillac Lyriq and Tesla Y. It rides on Hyundai-Kia’s eGMP platform and has an 800-volt electric system for fast charging.
The EV9 will be available with rear- or all-wheel drive.
Most of the EV9’s direct competitors have yet to go on sale: electric versions of the Chevrolet Blazer, Ford Explorer and the Hyundai Ioniq 7.
Power and performance
Rear-drive EV9s will have 201 or 215 hp and accelerate to 60 mph in 7.7 or 8.8 seconds, depending on battery. AWD models, with a motor on each axle will have 379 hp and either 443 or 516 pound-feet of torque, depending on software. They’ll reach 60 mph in 5.0 or 5.7 seconds, depending on output.
A 76.1 or 99.8 kWh lithium-ion battery is built into the frame under the passenger compartment. The larger battery should provide about 300 miles driving range.
Other claims for battery performance and range:
Charging from 10%-80% at 350kW will take 20 minutes for the 76.1 kWh battery, 24 for the 99.8.
120-130 miles range in 15 minutes for the 76.1 and 99.8 kWh batteries, respectively.
Kia expects the 99.8 kW, AWD model to be its bestseller in the U.S., the EV9’s main market.
Key features
I had the run of a base Land model and a loaded GT-Line.
Highlights include:
Sustainable and appealing interior materials, including mesh headrests made from recycled PET, the material in plastic bottles.
Exclusively synthetic seat covers. No leather upholstery.
Flush touch points on the dashboard to call up the home page, navigation, media and other functions on the touch screen.
A stalk projecting from the steering column combines the starter button and gear selector.
Storage including a tray under the center console and a pullout bin for rear passengers.
Eight exterior colors, including silver and blue matte finishes.
Hands-free driving capability on the highway, similar to the GM Super Cruise.
Fingerprint recognition to start the vehicle and recall driver’s settings.
Contact Mark Phelan: 313-222-6731 or mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan. Read more on autos and sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2024 Kia EV9's design, features make electric SUV look like a hit
