A couple of weeks back, we already got a preview of the Kia EV9, the Korean carmaker’s new electric flagship SUV with three rows, a blocky body shape, and a statement-making design. Some of the words supplied in the press release to describe the car in these images are ‘assured,’ ‘assertive,’ and ‘striking,’ and well, the adjectives are spot-on.
Now we have more details to report. Three options will be available when the EV9 goes on sale in its home market in the second quarter of 2023: Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) Standard, RWD Long Range, and All Wheel Drive (AWD).
The first comes with a 76.1kWh battery, while the latter two pack a 99.8kWh battery. In the RWD Long Range spec, that’s good for over 541km on a single charge, claims Kia—and when you manage to max that out and need to juice up in a jiffy, you can get 239km in about 15 minutes via ultra-fast 800V charging. You can also use the EV9 to power laptops and camping equipment via its vehicle-to-load (V2L) feature.
Both RWD variants are powered by a single electric motor in two states of tune. The Long Range version makes 204hp (150kW) and 350Nm, good for 0-100 in 9.4sec, while the Standard version is slightly punchier with 218hp (160kW) and 350Nm, getting the sprint done in 8.2sec. Two electric motors propel the AWD spec for total output of 385hp (283kW) and 600Nm of toque. Nil to century is done in 6sec, but an optional Boost feature—an over-the-air (OTA) update that may be purchased via the Kia Connect Store—unlocks an additional 100Nm to bring the the torque figure up to 700Nm and the 0-100 time down to 5.3sec.
Speaking of OTA updates, other add-ons for purchase include Remote Parking Assist 2, which allows the vehicle to park itself whether there’s a driver in the car or not; content streaming via the Audio Visual, Navigation and Telematics (AVNT) system; and different lighting patterns for those vertical headlights. As if that ‘digital tiger face’ isn’t attention-grabbing as it is.
You do have to decide from the get-go whether you want your unit with six or seven seats. Whichever you go for, all perches—and the rest of the interior—will be finished in eco-friendly materials in line with Kia’s commitment to sustainable mobility.
The last major tech advancement that Kia has made with this model is ‘conditional’ Level 3 autonomy via the Highway Driving Pilot (HDP) system. With 15 sensors providing a full 360-degree field of view, the system can take over temporarily ‘where conditions permit’ to give you a break from driving.
“The EV9 transcends all aspects of traditional SUV thinking and represents the pinnacle of Kia’s design and engineering capabilities,” said Ho-sung Song, Kia president and CEO. “Created to meet the needs of all family members, the EV9 also spearheads Kia’s rapid transition to a sustainable mobility solutions provider, not just by its advanced EV architecture, but also through the numerous recycled and sustainable materials used in its creation.”
More photos of the Kia EV9 2023:
