Our 2024 Kia EV9 Foreshadows the Three-Row SUVs of Tomorrow

CORRECTION 7/12/24: This story has been updated to correctly state that our long-term EV9 has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Don’t look now, but our long-term stable is filling up with electron-fed steeds. The latest is the excellent Kia EV9, which won a 10Best award for 2024. To see whether the initial love would last, we ordered one for a 40,000-mile test. The EV9 is our first three-row electric long-termer, that is if you don’t count the 2015 Tesla Model S P85D’s third row. And you shouldn’t, because those rear-facing seats weren’t suitable for anything larger than Elon Musk sans legs. The EV9’s back row, meanwhile, can fit full-size humans. Practical and perfect for road trips, three-row SUVs typically get to 40K miles faster than other long-termers—we’re interested to see whether that holds true when the vehicle is electric.

Our adopted 2024 Kia EV9 is the second-highest Land trim, with standard all-wheel drive and the larger 99.8-kWh battery (a rear-drive base model with a 76.1-kWh pack starts at $56,395). We pushed the Land’s $71,395 starting price to $76,385 as tested with options, including the $2000 reclining captain’s chairs that let second-row passengers luxuriate with a deployable ottoman as well as heated and ventilated cushions. The driver and front-seat passenger get climate-controlled thrones as well. With more positions than a dentist chair, and fewer anxiety triggers too, these seats are especially nice for tired parents stuck at kids’ after-school activities or drivers who want to catch some z’s when the EV9 is plugged in at a charging station.

The EV9 features the same E-GMP platform that underpins other Kia and Hyundai EVs, including the 10Best-winning Hyundai Ioniq 5, the entertaining Kia EV6, and our reigning EV of the Year, the Ioniq 6 sedan. The 800-volt architecture allows EV9 & Co. to rank among the fastest-charging electric vehicles we’ve tested. Kia claims the EV9’s bigger battery can go from a 10 to 80 percent state of charge in 24 minutes when connected to a 350-kW DC fast-charger. We tested a EV9 GT-Line that went from 10 to 90 percent in 38 minutes, with an average charging rate of 136 kilowatts, and gained 100 miles of range in only 14 minutes. Impressive stuff. For those charging at home or elsewhere with a Level 2 (240-volt) connection, every EV9 has a standard 10.9-kW onboard charger.

Along with a sizable 443 lb-ft of instant torque, the EV9 Land’s dual electric motors combine for 379 horsepower. This powertrain helped our 5850-pound long-term Land reach 60 mph in 5.1 seconds and zip through the quarter-mile in 13.7 seconds—that’s plenty quick, though slower than the GT-Line’s 4.5- and 13.3-second times, respectively, owing to that model’s greater 516 lb-ft of torque. Despite being nearly 1400 pounds heavier than the V-6-powered Kia Telluride, the EV9 left its gas-fed counterpart in the dust, hitting both marks roughly 1.5 seconds sooner than the last Telluride we tested. Both mid-size SUVs can tow 5000 pounds, and we selected the EV9’s $1500 Towing package for such tasks, although lugging a trailer will shrink its EPA-estimated range of 280 miles.

In our 75-mph real-world highway range test, we saw the mechanically similar EV9 GT-Line make it 240 miles on a full charge (30 short of its 270-mile EPA estimate). However, unlike that trim level, with its 21-inch rolling stock, our Land has a set of 20-inchers with slightly narrower Kumho Crughen EV HP71 all-season tires, which still helped it stop from 70 mph in a respectable 178 feet and circle our skidpad with 0.84 g of grip. We’ll eventually subject our long-termer to our 75-mph highway range test, but so far its overall observed fuel economy is 76 MPGe.

We’re still getting acquainted with our long-term EV9, which has only a couple of thousand miles on the clock. Our early impressions align with previous ones. The structure feels stout, and the hefty three-row EV rides so quietly and smoothly that it’s almost Maybach-like. It’s quick in a straight line, with handling and braking that feel secure, but the EV9 is at its best when cornering at a steady pace rather than a rapid one. It’s softly sprung—perhaps too softly, as that underdamped feeling contributes to head toss when hustling over broken pavement.

Large, heavy doors provide a wide aperture that makes climbing in and out easy. While we love the comfort and flexibility of the second-row captain’s chairs, their motorized folding function moves like molasses. The interior is otherwise very fashionable and functional, with fabric-trimmed surfaces that wouldn’t look out of place on a Volvo, as well as large and versatile storage bins that you’re more likely to see in a minivan than a trendy SUV. We also appreciate that Kia has cut the cord when it comes to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with our EV9 offering wireless connectivity for both.

We’re questioning our decision to get the $115 carpeted mat that covers the cargo floor and the back of the third-row seats because it bunches up and makes erecting the seatbacks a physical altercation. It might be better to cut our losses. We’re also testing our luck (and likely our patience) with the $995 Ocean Blue Matte paint. It’s certainly pretty, but proper maintenance is a commitment to inconvenience, as most automated carwashes will polish the matte finish to a shiny gloss over time. For folks who avoid commercial carwashes and prefer to detail their ride by hand, the EV9’s unique coat might be more enticing. Either way, the big electric Kia’s design is a conversation starter, with several people approaching us during a recent trip to northern Michigan to ask about the vehicle. We noticed their initially interested expressions turned to clenched teeth or crinkled noses when we told them how much our EV9 cost and mentioned the paint job’s required maintenance.

While skipping the matte paint option is easy, it’s harder to avoid spending under $65K on a new 2024 Kia EV9. That’s because the bigger battery and mightier all-wheel-drive powertrain start at $65,395 on the Wind trim. Is that price a deal breaker for an EV with a leash that gets shorter as the family road trip gets longer? Will that paint be worth the pain in the ass it’ll be to keep clean? Or will the EV9 assuage our fears and prove to be as popular and approachable as gas-powered three-row SUVs? With Kia’s biggest electric model foreshadowing the future of family transportation, we now have a year to find out.

Months in Fleet: 3 months Current Mileage: 2450 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 76 MPGe
Battery Capacity: 99.8 kWh Observed Driving Range: 250 miles
Service: $0 Normal Wear: $0 Repair: $0
Damage and Destruction: $0

Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com