KOREAN car manufacturer Kia has recently completed a whirlwind tour of UK dealerships to showcase its latest release – the EV9.
We were invited to take a sneak peek at one of only two examples in the country at the Birchwood Kia dealership in Eastbourne.
When you look at the initial images released by Kia when it announced the model, you’d be excused to think it’s just another concept drawing. However, this is probably the only time I’ve seen a new car and it’s exactly like the concept images.<
When you first see the EV9 the first thing you’ll notice is the sheer size of the vehicle. It’s absolutely massive – far greater than most SUVs on the road. But, the extremely keen presenter who was hosting the introduction to the car was keen to point out it’s no bigger than the Volvo XC90, Range Rover Sport or Audi Q7.
The EV9 is a seven-seat, as standard, electric vehicle with a range of 340 miles and a tow capacity of 2.5 tonnes – so you can tell the EV9 is an absolute beast and has a massive presence on the road.
Not only does it look like something that’s been sent here from the future, but it’s full of features which could make it a viable option for the UK’s chauffeur market.
One of the first that jumped out at me is the fact the rear cabin can be purchased with captain seats which spin around to create a conference seating area – much like a Caravelle or Viano the industry is familiar with.
Due to its electric drivetrain, the EV9 benefits from acres of interior space. Like most EVs, the batteries form the chassis of the vehicle, so there’s no drivetrain to work around inside. The floor is flat with plenty of legroom and headroom for any size passenger.
It’s powered by either a single motor rear-wheel drive setup for the ‘Air’, or a dual motor all-wheel drive powertrain on the ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’. Every grade of EV9 is equipped with a large 99.8kWh fourth-generation lithium-ion battery. Range for the rear-wheel drive EV9 ‘Air’ is rated as up to 336 miles (WLTP combined), while the all-wheel drive EV9 ‘GT-Line’ and EV9 ‘GT-Line S’ variants offer up to 308 miles range per charge.
Based on Kia’s E-GMP platform, every EV9 is capable of 800V charging which can deliver 10-80 per cent charge in 24 minutes at the fastest 350kW ultra-fast charge points.
The EV9 is available in three grades, ‘Air’, ‘GT-Line’ and ‘GT-Line S’, a six-seat variant is also exclusively available for the range topping ‘GT-Line S’ grade. EV9 pre-orders are open now with prices starting from £64,995.
We will complete a full road test of the EV9 when vehicles become available early 2024.
