Features that you pay for and download to your vehicle are slowly becoming a thing with EVs. Both Cadillac and Ford have done it with the Lyriq and Mustang Mach-E. And now Kia is doing it with its EV9 SUV. MotorTrend is currently long-term testing an EV9. As part of the test, they decided to try out every OTA feature the EV comes with by purchasing every single one in a rather pricey endeavor to see whether or not any of these features were worth the cost.
While MotorTrend listed what features they purchased in order of cost from highest to lowest, it’s not quite that simple. Purchasing the features is done through Kia’s Connect Store, an app store built into the EV9’s infotainment system. However, accessing the store requires activating Kia Connect which comes in four monthly plans. The basic plan is free. The other plans range in cost from $5.99/month or $59/annually to $19.99/month or $199/annually. In addition to accessing the store, you get what MotorTrend described as useful features like the ability to see the car’s surroundings using a 360-degree view from the camera system, vehicle charge level, battery preconditioning and regular map updates for the nav system. Luckily Kia Connect comes free with a three-year trial before you have to pay.
Once that was done, MotorTrend started their purchase of the EV9’s OTA features with the most expensive option available. For a one-time price of $900, they bought the EV9’s boost feature, which improved torque from 443 lb-ft to 516 lb-ft. That was enough to knock the EV9’s zero to 60 mph time from 5.1 to 4.6 seconds. Motor Trend says this is for those who “like the sensation of being pinned in your seat as you speed away from a stop,” and considering that a tune on a gas-powered car would cost thousands for the same result, they say it’s worth it.
The second most expensive feature was the EV9’s unique lighting patterns. For a one-time cost of $250 the “pixels” on the EV9’s front see-through plastic body-colored panel will light up in five distinct patterns. MotorTrend
essentially said this one isn’t worth it given that most people will miss it because the EV9 doesn’t detect the key fob far enough away for anyone to see what’s happening.
The last of the big pricey OTA features was the remote smart parking assist, which requires a one-time payment of $600. This gives the EV9 the ability to park itself with or without the driver. Apparently, it’s so slow that MotorTrend called the feature “tedious and time consuming” as the EV9 moves at a pace described as slower than walking and sometimes required three and even five-point turns. They called the feature useful for some but not “worth most people’s time or money.”
The last two features were, aside from the Kia Connect feature and its monthly cost, the two cheapest. Kia has been an automotive partner with the NBA for years now. This has resulted in Kia offering NBA team display themes for the infotainment system and gauge cluster. MotorTrend says there’s even a crowd-cheering sound every time you power the EV9 on or off. The problem is that each theme costs $40 and can only be used if you have an active Kia Connect subscription. The last feature is premium data services, which at $25 a month for 4G in-car hotspot capability, isn’t worth it considering most people have a faster hotspot in their pockets.
So there you have it. This is the future folks, where you can pay to unlock features already built into your car or for gimmicky things like wallpapers and lighting patterns to impress your neighbors. Luckily you don’t have to pay for most of these, but automakers are going to try their hardest to make you.