Kia EV9 review: a smart but agile heavy hauler

Introduction

Boy, the Kia EV9 is big. It looks big in photos and appears even larger in the metal. Get up and into it, with the intention of driving it and the Kia EV9 feels downright enormous. If you’re in need of six or seven seats though, it also makes perfect sense because the size of the outside means there’s oodles of room on the inside. If you’ve got a gaggle of kids, or some work colleagues to get around, it’s therefore an excellent proposition.

This being a Korean car though, there’s lots of value-added stuff that comes with the very accommodating bulk. You get a lot of specification for the money, it all works to good effect and you also get the impressive that everything will still be functioning a few years down the line, unlike some of the premium SUVs out there that, er, won’t. Perhaps even the few remaining badge snobs that think the last word in high-rise sophistication is a Range Rover might even start heading in the direction of a Kia with the arrival of the EV9.

So, what’s on offer? Well, the Kia EV9 is available in two trims, the GT-Line and the Baseline, both of which sound reasonably self-explanatory. The former rides on 21in wheels and the latter on 19s, while the GT-Line is also notable for its cube LED headlamps. The looks are angular and imposing on either model. Crucially for such a large beast though, is the all-electric power lurking underneath, using Kia’s E-GMP platform, which boasts Kia’s fab 800V charging capability. That means you’ve got muscle, range and the ability for charging at speeds of up to 240kWh.

The styling

Full marks should go to Kia for the bold angular styling of the EV9. It’s instantly recognisable from any angle and Kia has come up with a suite of new colours that really do it justice. The example we tested looked great in Ocean Blue Matt, with an interior that made good use of tasty grey, light grey and black sustainable materials.

Dimensions-wise, the GT-Line is a smidgen longer than the Baseline model, at 5.15m while the height is a lofty 1.78m. Width-wise, it’s an interesting thing to get through tight spots at 1.98m – and that’s not including mirrors. However, if you go for the digital mirror edition you lose some of the bulk of conventional mirrors. Amazingly, Kia designers have also managed to make the EV9 with a drag coefficient as low as 0.28, which is quite something when you look at its square shape.

A big part of the appeal with the Kia EV9 is its space and seating setup. The seven-seater works particularly well, but there’s ‘just’ six if you don’t need the extra. Better still, the three rows of seats in the six-seat model are very flexible and can be moved into all sorts of positions. This includes facing each other if you’ve got family members in the back who really get on or like, say, a game of cards on the move. Thankfully, the 90-degree or 180-degree positioning can be swiftly move back again if things aren’t going quite so well.

The seat coverings feel quite tough, and they’re comfy no matter where you’re sitting. However, the two seats up front get the best deal, as they pack in aircell lumbar support. Our test example had the premium relaxation setting, meaning they can be adjusted for optimal comfort if you’ve stopped for a break on a long run.

Kia has also been imaginative with additional storage, like the frunk that hides under the bonnet. In there, it’s possible to stash 52 litres in the all-wheel-drive edition and 90-litres in the rear-wheel-drive model. A nice touch.

The drive

Kia’s colossal EV9 isn’t the handful you expect it to be, despite the lofty ride height and sizeable dimensions. Oh sure, it does take a little bit of getting used to, especially if you’ve got to edge it out through some tricky narrow airport parking exit lanes and then funnel it through queues of impatient inner-city drivers. The view across the bonnet towards the other side of the SUV is perhaps the trickiest thing to calculate correctly, which initially leaves you wanting to stay farther away from the kerb than you normally would.

Once you’ve been fully bedded in with the Kia EV9 though it starts to feel surprisingly supple and is, actually, good fun on interesting roads. Out on the motorway it hauls along without fuss, with a plentiful supply of power that becomes even more usable if you ramp up the drive mode to Sport. Even in the windy conditions while we were driving the EV9, the lack of wind noise is hugely impressive for something with slab sides and mirrors that you would expect to be a little bit noisy. Turns out they’re not.

The Kia EV9 is very forgiving too, allowing us to correct ourselves on an unexpected route change and permit an easy three-point turn on an awkward country lane. The steering is sufficiently light and the on-board tech good enough to allow you to turn the SUV around without breaking into a sweat. Later, during the course of a twist-and-go coastal route, the Kia EV9 turned into a bundle of fun through tight curves. You’d expect it to be rolling all over the place, but the angular design feels easy to control and the suspension setup seems well-tuned to suit a wide variety of locations and conditions. It’s a very pleasant surprise in that respect.

The technology

This being a Kia, there is quite a lot to digest when it comes to the technology on offer inside the EV9. At first glance, the dash is full-on as you gaze across the wide array of screen acreage – the initial feeling is almost overwhelming but it’s easier to handle than you expect. There’s a 12.3in cluster, and a 12.3in infotainment touchscreen augmented by a 5.3in climate control screen. A head-up display is the icing on the cake. The 14-speaker Meridian Premium audio system spreads quality audio across the cabin area too.

Thankfully however, Kia’s clever engineers have made the voyage of discovery that is the infotainment system mercifully easy to get your head around. You can milk more from the EV9 too thanks to its supporting Kia Connect app, smart key setup and even fingerprint authentication of you want to start the car that way instead. Also on the extensive tech list is wireless charging, USB-C chargers in all three rows of seats and the EV9 offers V2L (Vehicle-to-Load) convenience too. That means you can power your laptop using the internal socket, or a coffee machine for that matter.

The digital door mirror option comes with quite large screens on each of the inner front doors. Sometimes these aren’t such a great idea (Audi anyone?), but Kia has the design nailed down tight. Like any unusual tech, though, it does take a little while to get into using them. The same goes for the digital rear-view mirror, which Kia designers have kindly made switchable to a standard format if you don’t get on with them.

Kia EV9 verdict

Initial reservations about its size are soon left behind once you realise just how good the Kia EV9 is to drive. It gets on down the road in style, with lots of power and the all-wheel-drive and clever suspension setup makes it surprisingly agile, even on twisty coastal roads. You do have to be mindful of its dimensions however, particularly if you’re edging your way through busy city streets. The on-board tech helps calm any nerves though.

The size really works if you’ve got people and their stuff to get from A to B mind, and inside there is no shortage of seating options. Go for the six-seater if you fancy the versatility of seats that can be swivelled, but if you’ve got more folks to shift the seven-seat works too. The third row is certainly comfortable enough for adults, even if they may feel a long way from the conversations going on in those super-comfortable front seats. As a package then, the Kia EV9 works, just as long as you’ve got room to park it when you get it home.

Kia EV9 technical specifications

Drivetrain	2x permanent magnet synchronous electric motors, all-wheel drive
Battery	99.8kWh
Power	378bhp
Torque	516lb ft
0-60mph	5.3sec
Top speed	124mph
Range	313 miles
Charge rate	240kWh
Cargo volume	312litres – 2993 litres, plus 52 litres (AWD) or 90 litres (RWD) frunk