The Kia EV9 weighs more than 2.5 tons and is as big as a terraced house. Still, the Koreans dare to send out the electric car with only 203 hp. A stupid idea?
The flagship is the model to show how much a car manufacturer is capable of. This is where the manufacturer can show how much power, how much comfort and how much equipment and technology customers can get if they have a lot of money.
The EV9 is the Kia of all Kias. The biggest, the most luxurious – and the most expensive. Big is really too small a word. EV9 is a giant craft that, like a spaceship in the sky in a sci-fi movie, makes people stare and stare. It is difficult to get a 501 centimeter SUV to blend in with the road, but when it, like the EV9, has a slightly futuristic and very angular design, Kia did not think it should be like that either.
What probably only a few of the glaring people know is that the EV9 they are staring at is an oxymoron. A car that seems to contradict itself. They can clearly see that it is big, maybe even deduce that it is some kind of top model and that it costs a lot of money.
But they don’t see that the giant has an unusually “small” electric motor with unheard of power. 203 horsepower. For 2,501 kilo car. It’s two strong opposites in one car when Kia has a flagship with less engine power than the BYD Dolphin. Stupid or brilliant?
The prices are worthy of a top model
A flagship requires a lot of money. I have already written that once, and it is also the role of the flagship in that way to be exclusive and nice about it. The EV9 started a few months ago at DKK 674,900, and that is actually also the price of the green car I drive (plus DKK 11,999 for the metallic paintwork).
In the meantime, Kia has removed equipment from the model that can be purchased in packages, so the price is DKK 100 below DKK 600,000. It is, if I’m being nice, more accessible, although I can’t see very many Danes being able to afford it EV9.
Those who can afford it can choose to shop for a large electric SUV at Kia or at some of the newly arrived Chinese brands. The EV9 is in the same price range as the Xpeng G9, and so are the BYD Tang, Nio EL6 and Voyah Free. Among established brands, it is luxury brands such as Audi and BMW that also make an SUV in the large class, but they are much more expensive.
Common to all competitors? They have horsepower on a different level than the EV9. From over 300 hp to well over 500 hp. But only the BYD Tang can, like the EV9, offer seven seats, and since the Tang is shorter than the EV9, the EV9 wins in terms of space.
Another high jump for Kia
The interior is a huge strength for the giant from South Korea. As it should be when it comes to space and spaciousness in a car this big. If you use seven seats (the two back can easily accommodate adults on short trips), the luggage compartment behind the third row of seats is still very good.
Three people on the bench in row two have really good relationships. Space, nice seats, high comfort. The two front seats are where you have to go to sit. With the Launch package for DKK 74,999, the driver’s seat has massage, even in the seat cushion, and automatic adjustment of the sitting position while driving, so that you do not collapse by sitting in the same position for hours.
I know I’ve written repeatedly that the EV6 presented us with an even higher level of design and materials in the cabin than Kia had represented up to that point. It happens again with EV9. The design integrates essential functions far better than in the EV6 (and better than in cars from BMW, Mercedes and VW), because there are fixed buttons for temperature settings and the volume of the audio system. There is also a perfectly shaped steering wheel with absolutely brilliant, solid buttons and a brand new infotainment system which is classes better than the one in the EV6.
The EV9 has an overwhelming wealth of equipment details, which with the Launch package really stand out. The sunroof at DKK 19,999 is missing in the test car’s black cabin (light interior is available for DKK 4,999), while fortunately I am not forced to spend money on camera-based side mirrors (DKK 14,999).
Without the Launch package, when the EV9 Long Range RWD costs DKK 599,900 with Premium equipment, the electrically adjustable steering wheel, head-up display, sound system from Meridian, seat massage and the extra fine Relaxion front seats with reclining position with leg rest disappear. But it won’t really hurt, because even without the smallest extra equipment, the cheapest EV9 has a heated steering wheel, ventilation in the front seats and the two outermost seats in the second row and unusually much else.
There are no narrow places
I’m back at the 203 hp. That’s very expensive horsepower if you do the math, and if you only look at that figure on the price list and don’t try the car, it’s an outright disqualification. On the other hand, if the seller can get people out in the EV9, where the 203 hp and 350 Nm have to move 3,070 kilos, if you pack the EV9 to the maximum, it can start to speak for itself.
Then the EV9 can tell that horsepower on a data sheet is something you have to be careful about buying too good of a product. I take the 203 hp as a response to the fact that far too many electric cars have far too much power. Way too much power, because the race has gone mad, and electric cars have to prove that they are much fatter than the petrol cars, which have to “make do” with 140 horsepower.
With me, a passenger and close to 100 kilos of luggage, the EV9 Long Range RWD gets up to the permitted speed smoothly, completely silently and, partly surprisingly, very nicely. It is unproblematic to overtake on the road, and I reach a cruising speed of 130 km/h as easily as nothing.
So what is the problem with 203 hp? There is no problem. Kia limits the base model with rear-wheel drive to a towing weight of only 900 kilos, but if you need to tow more, you can tow 2,500 kilos with the four-wheel drive with 384 hp for only DKK 40,000 more.
Then I am sure that you also have to live with a power consumption that is higher than what I experience. I’m not coming up with a very low number now. Look at the EV9. It is more house than car compared to a Tesla, so the aerodynamics are not good. But the consumption even on very cold winter days does not reach the point where the large battery does not last for around 300 kilometers on the motorway.
It is too big for most people
My time with the EV9, which amounts to eight days of plenty of mixed driving, ends in a warm recommendation of the big electric car. A clear indication that even a reasonable electric motor with low output can make a very large car move so that you never get into trouble. The idea of ​​relatively few horsepower turns out to be brilliant.
The performance is adequate, and compared to the EV9 GT-Line with 21″ wheels and 384 hp, which was the first one I tried, there is still enough power – and at the same time, with the Premium variant’s 19″ wheels, you get much better suspension comfort.
The EV9 is a very, very large car. It is wide, and it is long, and it is too big for most Danes’ needs. But the EV9 is a flagship, and it does its job in classy fashion. It also shows what Kia is capable of, and if it can be translated into something just as good in the more compact SUV EV5, which will hopefully come to Denmark, there really is a lot to look forward to for those who don’t need or advise the flagship.
SPECIFICATIONS
Kia EV9 Long Range RWD Premium
Engine: Electric motor (rear)
Performance: 203 hp/350 Nm
0-100 km/h: 9.4 seconds
Top speed: 185 km/h
Spending: 20.2 kWh/100 kilometers
Battery Size: 99.8 kWh
Charging capacity: 210 kW
Range: 563 kilometers
Dimensions (L/W/H): 501/198/176 cm
Curb weight: 2,501 kilos
Draw weight: 900 kilos
Trunk volume: 333-2,393 litres
Price: DKK 599,900 (EV9 available from this price)
Private leasing (one-off payment/monthly payment): DKK 29,995/8,395*
Tax basis, company car: Contact dealer
*The price of private leasing applies to the Premium version with Launch package (sale price DKK 74,999) and with 15,000 kilometers per year and a term of 36 months.
