2024 Kia EV9 Air RWD | PH Review
The most affordable way into Kia's new seven-seat SUV is with rear-drive and 204hp - is it the best way?
There are big years ahead for the large electric SUV. The EV Range Rover is coming, of course, and it’s impossible to imagine the reinvented Jaguar going without something similar; the Volvo EX90 is imminent, and there must be many more manufacturers pondering the leap into battery-powered behemoths. Seven-seat BEVs aren’t going to save the planet, but there are sufficient ICE counterparts out there to suggest the demand will persist. Until now, those who didn’t want a Tesla Model X (or the Y when it was offered with seven seats) haven’t had very many alternatives to choose from - the Mercedes EQ B is half the price, sure, though about half the size as well.
But now there’s an EV9. Before there’s a seven-seat Land Rover Discovery EV or the Volvo or anything else, there’s the Kia. Recently launched in its all-wheel drive, dual-motor format, it's now available in single-motor, rear-drive configuration; if it’s anything like the smaller EV6 with which it shares the E-GMP architecture, this might be the 9 at its most appealing. The look is unchanged, it’s more spacious (with a slightly larger frunk thanks to no front motor) and it keeps the price shy of cars like the iX.
Anyone who don’t fancy driving around in the BMW or any kind of Tesla will certainly find something different in the Kia. To these eyes it looks brilliant; undoubtedly vast at more than five metres in length, but well proportioned with the wheels pushed right out (to make a 3.1m wheelbase), the roof quite low and the design confident without being too brash. If anything this huge can avoid brash. For those that find an EV6 perhaps a bit weird, this certainly resembles a more conventional SUV, albeit a much more stylish one than we’re accustomed to. It’s arguably the perfect vehicle for electrification, too; family 4x4s need space inside, and having a battery underneath instead of a powertrain makes it possible. Plus the sheer size of the things means a big battery (99.8kWh) can be accommodated. All while looking the part. Again, mega battery and massive dimensions don’t entirely seem in keeping with the spirit of zero-emission, (sort of) sustainable motoring, though this seems unlikely to attract ire in the way some similar cars do.
The generous size does mean the EV9 is a proper family bus, too, with more than 300 litres of boot space even with all seven seats up (a six-seat option is there for the top-of-the-range GT Line S) plus a 90-litre frunk. The front rows are cavernous, small humans could fit in the storage compartments, and everything makes sense after recent experience in another car on the E-GMP underpinnings. A blessing and a curse, of course: its association with more affordable models means the EV9 would struggle for wow factor at BMW iX money. At the still-very-chunky £65k or so this Air costs, it passes muster in terms of quality and ambience.
In this specification, the EV9 is the first electric car PH has tested in a long time that never feels fast. It doesn’t necessarily feel slow, either, but the instant zip of initial acceleration we’ve come to expect is rather softened by 2,501kg. It gets up to speed without much hesitation, and cruises supremely well, though meaningful acceleration does tend to require more of the throttle than most electric SUVs. A 0-62mph time of almost 10 seconds is essentially unheard of in anything battery electric, although it's no real impediment - in fact, it’s preferable to stupid neck-snapping acceleration that can’t be used most of the time. But if it’s regularly going to be loaded up with people and stuff, there is a danger that the EV9 might labour just a tad. Even the wizardry of electrification can only conjure up so many miracles from 258lb ft and what would likely be three tonnes.
More encouragingly, the EV9 is a really lovely car to drive at any speed. It’s seldom that exposure to the slowest derivative of any lineup bodes well for a flagship model, but that’s exactly the case with the Kia. It’s a big, heavy car, of course, yet the consistency and cohesion of the controls engenders confidence quickly. Details that can be forgotten, like brake pedal feel, have seemingly had time spent on them, and light steering is more than accurate enough to have that bluff nose going exactly where required.
There are no cheat codes employed here, either: no four-wheel steer, active anti-roll or even adaptive suspensions. It’s just passive springs, dampers and anti-roll bars, calibrated for a really smart everyday compromise on pleasingly modest 19-inch wheels. It doesn’t crash around urban potholes, and neither is it entirely averse to cornering; the EV9 feels secure, balanced and, in slower speed turns, just a little bit throttle steerable. Which is fun. Eventually, the limitations of the hardware are exposed, over successive bumps or changes of direction, but not before the Kia has impressed with its road manners. Given the remit and the dimensions, it drives very smartly indeed, making the driver feel right at home in something so large whatever the environment. Not having to worry about another car setting is a boon, moreover, when it’s already reprimanding you for not paying attention.
On a reasonably brief and brisk test drive (returning 2.5mi/kWh), it’s hard not to be impressed by the EV9. Swapping an old ICE or even PHEV seven-seat SUV for this would feel like time travel, such is the progress made in refinement, interior space and ease of use. Useful and desirable feels like exactly where a big Kia should be (needs to be really, when you account for the cost) and it takes all that was good about cars like the EV6 and supersizes it. Maybe it should be faster, maybe the interior should be a little more glam and definitely it should be a little lighter, but as an opening gambit, the Kia EV9 Air is a deeply impressive seven-seater. We’ll look forward to driving more powerful variants in due course - anything that improves on this will be very good indeed.
SPECIFICATION | 2024 KIA EV9 AIR
Engine: Single permanent magnet synchronous motor, 99.8kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 204
Torque (lb ft): 258
0-62mph: 9.4sec
Top speed: 114mph
Weight: 2,501kg
Range: 349 miles combined (3.1mi/kWh claimed)
CO2: 0g/km
Price: £65,025
The interior is absolutely fine - if this were a Kia Picanto.
I had a Hyundai Ioniq 5 on order a year ago (now that is a great design) but ending up cancelling it due to a gut feeling about going purely electric and realising the perceived benefits vs cost weren't that appealing. Plus I'm not convinced about not interested in the so-called green credentials of electric cars. A major turn-off was the interior however. It's new and clever and convenient and all that but very sterile and not very warm or welcoming.
I'm getting the same feeling here; it's like being sat in a lab.
king wonder the roads have craters in, with affronts like this smashing about on them.
The Kia's design is cohesive, even if it's not classically attractive.
For those who cringe at the thought of owning the beige German stuff this would be a good choice.
2.5m/kw isnt very good at all though, thats a real world range of about 225miles. Even my ancient Tesla MS manages 3m/kw without even trying.
I wonder how it was tested in the review to achieve this low figure?
For £65k I want it to be a nicer place to sit. 4 adults and luggage and it's knocking on the door of 3000kg which is very heavy. My road has had to be repaired twice in the last 2 years by the council and it's still feels like driving on a 4x4 testing track - I'm assuming it's cars (ICE and EV) with bodyweights like this causing it.
I liked the CarWow review of this car - I think they got a nicer colour that was more sympathetic to the trim, but I'd definitely rather have a vasectomy than back myself into a corner where I'll be justifying one of these to myself.
https://twitter.com/Nir_Kahn/status/17634329622158...
But no. "Common Sense" tells people they are safer in bigger cars, and this erroneous belief is deployed as a convenient tool to disguise the real reason most people buy massive SUVs, which is perceived social status and one-upmanship. So on we go with this ludicrous trend.
Sigh.
But goodness, the way it looks... stylish, discrete and classy it certainly isn't. Made to look 'futuristic' for the sake of it, I can't imagine the exterior design is going to date well.
The interior looks fine; seems practical too - well done Kia.
The interior space is huge ! Adults can easily sit in comfort in the back 3rd row
No wonder the roads have craters in, with affronts like this smashing about on them.
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