As we barrel towards an all-electric future, many EV makers have well targeting the preferred car lessons. There at the moment are loads of compact electrical SUVs, however what should you want one thing higher suited to a big household? Three-row mid-size SUVs are the go-to alternative, however the electrical choices are decidedly sparse and have been restricted to costly luxurious manufacturers.

The 2024 Kia EV9 seems to vary all of that. The EV9’s dimensions are similar to the seemingly unassailable Telluride SUV‘s, although the EV’s wheelbase is sort of eight inches longer. We had the chance to drive a Korean-spec EV9 from Seoul to the east coast of the peninsula and again. After this primary expertise with Kia’s family-size EV, we anticipate it will likely be as profitable as its gasoline-powered sibling.

Three EV powertrains

In fact, specs are vitality essential right here, so let’s soar in. The EV9 can be supplied in three guises. The entry-level normal battery has a capability of 76.1 kilowatt-hours and is estimated by Kia to ship 223 miles of vary. Output from the one rear motor involves 215 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. That ought to get the EV9 to 60 mph in 8.0 seconds or so.

The Lengthy Vary fashions improve to a 99.8-kWh battery and are supplied in both rear- or all-wheel-drive. The newest info means that the long-range rear-drive mannequin will ship the identical energy because the standard-battery model, however vary will increase to 300 miles. The added weight of the bigger battery slows 60-mph acceleration to round 9.2 seconds, which is relatively pokey for a contemporary EV.

We drove the Lengthy Vary with a second motor powering the entrance wheels. Mixed with the rear motor, it churns out 379 horsepower and as much as 516 pound-feet, though vary drops to an estimated 270 miles. It ought to hit 60 mph in a way more respectable 5.0 seconds.

EV9 preliminary driving impressions

Kia continues to be finalizing how the North American fashions will differ from Korean-spec ones, but it surely’s a good assumption we’ll get sportier tunings for the suspension and throttle mapping. Contemplating it is a mid-size, three-row household SUV, we actually do not see the necessity for a distinct tuning, since our Ok-spec EV9 was a pleasure to drive. Off the road, energy supply is as quick as most different EVs and can simply exceed most drivers’ expectations. On the freeway, the journey high quality is appropriately gentle whereas not being floaty over undulations. One-pedal driving is offered by adjusting the steering-wheel paddles, and it is simple to roll the EV9 to a whole cease easily. For extra pressing deceleration, the brake pedal has a well-known really feel and will get the job completed, however you’ll really feel the car’s substantial weight shift ahead.

That mass elements in far much less prominently on the few sections of curvy mountain roads, because of the underfloor battery that offers the EV9 a low middle of gravity. It is poised and really controllable when pushed more durable than is prudent. This instills confidence that you’ll swerve round surprising obstacles while you’re simply cruising. We’re curious how the U.S.-spec EV9 will differ, however as it’s, we haven’t any complaints in regard to driving. Nicely completed, Kia.

EV9 inside

In distinction to the EV9’s enticing cyberpunk-like beveled exterior, the inside is softer and extra inviting. The horizontal sprint stretches from door to door and options what seems to be a single extra-wide show that extends from the instrument panel to the infotainment display. In actuality, there are two 12.3-inch screens, plus a 5.0-inch touchscreen for secondary local weather controls.

Regardless of what initially appears to be a scarcity of bodily switchgear, there are certainly some shortcut buttons embedded within the woodgrain sprint trim. It’s essential to give these embedded buttons a severe push, however you get affirmation with a strong haptic faucet again. We’re additionally happy that there are levers for the temperature and fan controls slightly below and a quantity curler dial in between. The infotainment system reveals some sluggish reactions right here and there however is straightforward to make use of with its quite a few however well-organized menus.

The cabin makes liberal use of sustainable supplies, with most surfaces getting a grained-leather look. There are many enticing components, and we even just like the shiny plastic trim items, however most of the coverings we count on could be effectively padded are noticeably agency. Because of this, they are not as pleasurable to the contact.

We’re particularly thrown by the awkward van-like hump that helps the middle of the dashboard. Its onerous plastic shroud appears extra at dwelling in an airliner’s economy-class seatback, however we’re glad there’s no less than one thing to interrupt an in any other case flat ground. It ought to preserve errant objects from rolling from the passenger facet to underneath the pedals, however we predict it may have been styled to higher mix in with the remainder of the cabin.

The entrance seats are firmly cushioned, and after an hour we started to really feel some onerous factors. The artificial upholstery seems and feels as downmarket as what you’d get in a rental-spec sedan. We’re hopeful that the U.S.-bound fashions could have different choices and maybe a textile protecting much like a number of the inside trim components. The driving force seat has all the vital energy changes to get comfortably located, however we needed to scoot the seat ahead greater than we most popular as a result of the steering wheel would not telescope far sufficient again.

The seats have a recline function with a powered leg relaxation for while you’re ready whereas the battery recharges. There’s additionally a novel mesh headrest and a small lip behind it that you would be able to hold your coat on. The floating middle console has a roll-top cowl, a wi-fi charger within the center, and a big armrest bin. Beneath is a deep tray for bigger objects.

The second-row captain’s chairs are comparable in look and luxury to the entrance seats. On our pattern car, they’d heating, air flow, and an oddly aggressive therapeutic massage perform. The seat vibrates and likewise kneads your again and backside, however even in its lowest setting, it tended to scramble our innards. The seats slide ahead and again fairly a methods, however sadly we can’t get the 180-degree swivel perform different markets will get pleasure from. A second-row bench is offered and will increase passenger capability from six to seven.

The dual third-row seats have sufficient headroom to accommodate adults, however second-row passengers might want to slide ahead to offer back-benchers sufficient legroom. Thankfully, there’s ample legroom for each rows on this configuration. Behind the third row, the cargo space can maintain as much as 20 cubic toes, which practically equals the Telluride’s capability. With each rows stowed, cargo area expands to 82 cubic toes. We’ll have to attend till later for the intermediate quantity that pertains to stashing the third row whereas the second row is occupied.

EV9 charging

Kia matches the EV9 with an 11-kW on-board charger, which is sufficiently massive to get the max out of most 240-volt Degree 2 home- and public-charging setups. DC fast-charging functionality, however, tops out at 230 kilowatts when plugged into 350-kW charging tools utilizing the CCS connector. Kia says says that ought to replenish the usual battery from 10 to 80 % in solely 20 minutes, with the bigger long-range battery needing 24 minutes. Our earlier EV6 testing largely validated Kia’s claims previously, so we do not doubt their estimates right here.

On the entire, the 2024 Kia EV9 managed to exceed our admittedly excessive expectations primarily based on the general excellence of the smaller EV6. Whereas some inside supplies are considerably disappointing, it would not bitter the general expertise.

Pricing hasn’t been introduced, however we might be shocked if it have been wherever as costly because the restricted batch of three-row electrical SUVs already on the market: the Rivian R1S, the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, and the Tesla Mannequin X. Which means, when it arrives late this 12 months, the EV9 could have few if any direct rivals. And a higher-performing GT mannequin is also within the works, which ought to additional set the EV9 aside.

Contributing Editor

With a background in design and open-wheel racing, Mark Takahashi bought his foot within the door as an artwork director on automotive and motorbike magazines. He parlayed that right into a profession as an automotive journalist and has reviewed hundreds of autos over the previous few a long time.