Has anyone else noticed how expensive cars have gotten in the past few years? Yeah, me too. It’s a bothersome thing for sure, but some of that bite is alleviated if the car is, you know, good. That’s exactly what we’re working with when it comes to the 2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line. It may have a sticker price over $78,000, but after just a few minutes of being around the electric three-row, you learn just how far nearly $80,000 can go when a company takes the time to make something great.
That’s what the new EV9 is, and it very well may be the best three-row crossover you can buy today (gas or otherwise) for under $80,000. This big, blue, boxy package will give its owner plenty to like whether you’re taking your awful children to soccer practice or blasting down a backroad. It also gives us a glimpse into a world where Kia has higher aspirations than other budget automakers.
Full Disclosure: Kia flew me out to Napa, California, fed me and put me up in a hotel all so I could drive the new EV9.
Driving The 2024 Kia EV9
The driving experience is not the most important part of this car, but it is still worth talking about because it drives pretty well. Acceleration is brisk. Kia claims the GT-Line will get from 0-60 in just 4.5 seconds, which is mighty quick for a vehicle that weighs over 6,000 pounds. I know we live in a world of dumb-fast electric vehicles, but this is WAY more than enough for 99.99 percent of people.
In terms of suspension, it’s not remarkable in any way except maybe that it’s a bit firmer than you may have imagined. That’s okay though, it means driving down a twisty road is a bit more engaging, and it isn’t so brutal as to jiggle you to death on rough pavement.
The steering feel is typical electric car numb, but it does tend to get almost stupidly heavy when you’re in sport mode. The fact the EV9’s 122-inch wheelbase is about as long as a Ford Expedition but it lacks rear steering makes tight maneuvering a bit of a pain in the ass. That being said, its turning radius is still fairly good – especially for something with 285-width tires at all four corners.
The EV9 comes with regenerative braking, but much like Burger King, you can have it your way. There are four different levels of regen you can select using the steering wheel-mounted paddles. I, being a man of taste, kept full regen on the whole time. The system engages rather smoothly and will bring the big gal to a stop rather quickly.
The range is anywhere between 230 and 304 miles, depending on what EV9 you go for, and a lot of that is thanks to the wildly low 0.28 drag coefficient, which is mighty impressive for something this blocky.
When it comes to driver-safety tech, there’s nothing really new. You’ve got your adaptive cruise control, Kia’s highway driving assist (which is very good), lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, and automatic emergency braking. It all works as you’d expect it to, but some of the features can be a bit more invasive than you may like, which means you’ve got to dig through menus to turn them off. What can ya do?
Inside The 2024 Kia EV9
If you’ve seen any other Kia or Hyundai electric vehicle, you’ll immediately be familiar with the inside of the Kia EV9. All of the buttons and switches are laid out fairly logically – save for a couple of things we’ll get to later – and there’s an upscale feel to everything around you. This feels like the interior of an $80,000 car. Sure, there are some uses of cheap plastic, but they are few and far between. For the most part, you’re getting soft-touch materials, real metal and leather, high-quality-feeling plastic and an interesting use of fabric on the dashboard. It’s a nice place to be, which is always important in a big ol’ three-row crossover.
One of the overarching themes of the EV9’s interior space is – well – the space, especially for first and second-row passengers. I spent a lot of time in the driver and passenger seats as well as in the second row, and everywhere I sat, I found there was plenty of head and legroom for someone like me who is 6’1”. (Yeah, I’ve got to flex that I’m over 6 feet tall.) On top of the space you get, you’re also treated to some wonderfully comfortable seats, both in the first row and second row’s standard captain’s chairs on the GT-Line that do a fairly good job of holding you in while going around tight corners. Both rows come with three levels of heated and cooled seats as well as leg rests for long journeys or for when you’re charging. All of this pales in comparison though to my favorite little design feature: the mesh front headrests. They look like something off a very expensive office chair, and I love them.
If you’ve splashed too much seed into the world and need enough seating for a couple more people, you’re in luck. You can tell Kia really prioritized the third row. At 6’1”, I can still fit fairly comfortably back there. Now, it isn’t going to be as spacious as something like a Suburban, but it is bearable. There’s plenty of head and legroom in the third row that’ll make a short-ish journey more than acceptable for the people you like least.
Now, this is a big, boxy SUV, so you’d expect there to be plenty of cargo room, and goddamn, you’d be right. With the third row collapsed, there is 43.5 cubic feet of room. If that isn’t enough, you can drop the second row for a nearly flat load floor with 81.7 cubic feet of space. But if you need to leave the third row up while also carrying luggage, you’ve still got 20.2 cubic feet. Not too shabby, baby.
OK, OK, that’s enough about space, let’s talk tech. Well, folks, It’s a bit of a mixed bag. If you want the latest and greatest when it comes to infotainment, look elsewhere. That’s not to say the infotainment in the EV9 isn’t good. It gets the job done, and has a nice, simple functionality that is similar to just about everything else Kia and Hyundai offers. If that’s not what you’re looking for, don’t worry, you can use wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to mirror your phone.
Around the cabin, you’ll find oodles and oodles of USB-C ports, enough for every passenger and then some. That’s very welcome, but if you’ve got something that only has a USB-A plug, you’re biffed.
In terms of a sound system, the EV9 has one. It’s a Meridian unit with 14 speakers, and it’s fine. It won’t blow your mind or anything, but the sound is fairly crisp and clear. It’s fine. I don’t know. Who is buying an EV9 for the sound system anyway? Weirdo.
Overall, the interior of the EV9 is a great place to be… except for one thing: the goddamn climate control screen/panel thing. It’s placed smack dab between the two screens and holy hell is that a bad place to put it. First of all, the driver cannot see it, because it’s right behind the steering wheel. Second of all, the passenger can barely use it because it’s so goddamn far away. Luckily, there are physical controls for fan speed and temperature that are easily reachable.
The Specs And Tech Of The 2024 EV9
The EV9 is the latest Hyundai/Kia vehicle to be underpinned by the skateboard-style E-GMP 800V platform that the Ioniq 5, EV6 and Genesis GV60 ride on. Just like with those cars, you get several different motor and battery configurations.
At the bottom of the lineup, we’ve got the EV9 Light which starts at $54,900. It’s rear drive-only and comes with 215 horsepower, 258 lb-ft of torque, a 76.1 kWh battery and 230 miles of range. From there you’ve got the EV9 Light Long Range, which is still RWD-only, and it trades some power for range. Here we’ve got 201 horsepower, 258 lb-ft of torque, a 99.8 kWh battery and 304 miles of range. Those are the only two rear-wheel drive options for the EV9.
Next up are the EV9 Land and Wind, which start at $63,900 and $69,900, respectively. Both are dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setups that put out 379 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque (516 lb-ft if you pay a little extra). They’ve got the same 99.8 kWh battery packs from the Light Long Range and have an identical 280 miles of range.
Finally, we’ve got the top dog of the lineup (for now): the GT-Line, which just happens to be our test subject. It has an identical 379 horsepower to the cars below it, but it comes standard with 516 lb-ft of torque. It also carries the same 99.8 kWh battery and gets a slightly-less impressive 270 miles of range. To be fair, I do think this car will hit that number relatively easily. The entire time I was driving, I averaged well over 3 miles per kilowatt. If you take it easy, you can crest 4, and that’s mighty impressive in something this big.
All EV9s are capable of DC fast charging at up to 235 kW, and the onboard AC charger is rated at 10.9 kW.
Summing Up The 2024 EV9
Put simply, the EV9 is a good electric crossover – one deserving of its price point. This isn’t the company that built your grandmother’s Kia Spectra. This is a serious vehicle in a very serious – and rapidly expanding – segment.
The EV9 does a wonderful job of combining good looks, a huge amount of space, decent luxuries and good driving dynamics into a package that is well worth it.