Flagship electric SUV finds its basis in the award-winning EV6 but adds two extra seats and squared-off style
Darren Moss Darren.Moss@haymarket.com
LATE 2023
‘GO BIG OR go home’ isn’t just a motivational phrase that you might hear shouted across football fields or gyms; it also aptly describes the new EV9.
You see, Kia has already had plenty of success with electric SUVs, even winning our overall Car of the Year award with the electric EV6.The South Korean brand certainly isn’t about to go home, then, and is instead readying its biggest car yet; the EV9 is likely to be similar to the hefty BMW iX and latest Range Rover in terms of size.
So far, we’ve only seen it in concept form, but the design isn’t expected to change all that much on the road to production.Thin LED lights will feature on the front, flanking a closed-off front grille. Meanwhile, thick body cladding will trail the EV9’s lower edges, emphasising its size and SUV character. Only the cameras, which replaced conventional door mirrors on either side of the EV9 concept, will be dropped.
The EV9 uses a stretched version of the EV6’s underpinnings, but it’ll have a 100kWh battery in place of that car’s 77.4kWh unit.As a result, we expect the EV9 to at least match the EV6’s official range of up to 328 miles, despite being a bigger, heavier car.
As is the case with the EV6, buyers will be able to choose between rear-wheel-drive versions with a single electric motor, and models with two motors for four-wheel drive.
When it comes to charging, the EV9 should be able to take on power at a rate of up to 239kW, meaning a 10-80% top-up can be completed in the time it takes to grab a coffee and visit the toilet. However, until the UK has more chargers that can deliver juice at that rate, most stops will take longer, Inside, there’ll be seating for up to seven, and while we’re yet to inspect the production car, the concept featured a combined digital driver’s display and infotainment screen measuring 27.0in. It’s expected that owners will be able to add new functions – for example, the latest semi-autonomous driving systems – at a later date, without having to visit a Kia dealership.This is made possible by over-the-air software updates via the EV9’s infotainment system.
EV9 prices are yet to be confirmed, but as the flagship of the Kia range in the UK, it’s expected to start at around £65,000. Even at that price, however, the EV9 will be a relative bargain next to most electric luxury SUVs.
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