We thought the standard EV9 was Kia’s final boss…but we were wrong. This is the Kia EV9 GT, the carmaker’s true endgame boss, dressed up with more aggressive bumpers, neon green accents, and 21-inch alloy wheels—but more important, twin electric motors producing a grand total of 494hp.
The new variant was unveiled at the LA Auto Show, and Kia says it’s targeting a 0-100kph sprint time of just 4.3sec. That’s brisk for a three-row mega-SUV that’ll happily rival Final Fantasy’s biggest and baddest for sheer presence.
Paired with an electronic limited-slip differential and bigger brakes, this thing should have all it needs for when things get twisty. And when they do, the adaptive suspension—a first for any Kia SUV—will adjust the damping (and steering/braking feel) via the different drive modes.
Clearly taking inspiration from the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N (our 2024 Car of the Year, in case you missed it), the EV9 GT also gets Virtual Gear Shift as standard. This mimics a paddle-shift gearbox and gives you a fake redline and a slight delay in acceleration as you perform a virtual upshift. That works alongside the Active Sound Design (or simulated noise, as it’s known to most of us) to try and weave some sporting feel into the EV9.
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We’re expecting it to deploy the larger of the EV9’s battery options with a 99.8kWh unit, and Kia has confirmed that the 800-volt architecture will remain, allowing a 10-80% recharge in less than 25 minutes.
Oh, and those green accents we mentioned earlier—there are lots more of those inside the cabin across sections like the steering wheel and the part-alcantara sports seats. You’ll also see new graphics on the 12.3-inch infotainment screen.
The last change involves the safety suite, which adds park collision protection to an already strong list. The GT is expected to arrive in the second half of 2025, with pricing yet to be confirmed. The standard EV9 starts at £65,025 (approximately P4,800,000 before taxes), and for that money, you only get a single motor and 197hp. So yeah, the EV9 GT won’t be cheap.
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
