The all-new Kia EV9 has landed in Australia, and comes in as a fully electric alternative to the Sorento. It also comes in as the most expensive Kia ever to hit the showrooms.
Three main model grades are being introduced, from the Air, Earth and GT-Line. The Air uses a 76.1kWh battery to power a rear-axle-mounted motor (RWD), while the other two feature a 99.8kWh battery feeding a pair of electric motors (AWD).
Output levels are pretty impressive, with the Air’s single motor spinning out 160kW and 350Nm, which is enough to provide a 0-100km/h time of 8.2 seconds, Kia claims. The Earth and GT-Line offer 283kW and 700Nm from their twin-motor setups, however, the Earth does the 0-100km/h sprint in 6.0 seconds while the GT-Line does it in 5.3 seconds.
Range figures span from 443km, 512km, and 505km, respective to the grade direction. All offer both 400V and 800V electrical system. Using an ultra-fast charger the EV9 can be topped up from 10-80 per cent in 20 minutes in the case of the Air, or 25 minutes in the bigger-battery Earth and GT-Line.
This is a smart-looking SUV, with lots of carved profiles and surfaces. Kia describes it as offering a polygonal design language, showcasing a Kia-first 3D underbody layout for optimum aero efficiency. Despite its size, the drag coefficient is just 0.28 (low for an SUV).
Inside, this is all about modernity and clean-viewing technology. Most of the controls are housed within screens, with twin 12.3-inch curved displays for the infotainment and gauge cluster, and another 5.0-inch display for the “segment display” screen.
The EV9 is a three-row-seat SUV – a seven-seater, in other words – with a flat floor thanks to the E-GMP underpinnings (shared with the EV6, and Hyundai IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6) opening up lots of space. Boot volume is rated at 333L with all rows up, 828L with the third row down, and 2318L with all rear rows down.
As for the towing capacity, if you’re wondering, it’s limited to 900kg in the base RWD Air, and 2500kg in the AWD models. Kia hasn’t mentioned range figures during towing.
Going for the GT-Line adds a two-tone artificial leather upholstery package, suede headlining, heated and ventilated rear seats, digital side mirrors, and a 14-speaker Meridian surround sound system. It also comes with huge 21-inch alloy wheels.
The new model is on sale in Australia now from the following prices (excluding on-road costs):
2024 Kia EV9 Air RWD: $97,000
2024 Kia EV9 Earth AWD: $106,500
2024 Kia EV9 GT-Line AWD: $121,000
