Kia has been upping its game at an incendiary rate recently, we’ve had the brilliant little Niro EV, the one everyone wants, the EV6 and the Soul EV, and now we’re getting closer to seeing it in person, the biggest one yet is Kia’s EV9 which lands in Irish showrooms late November. It comes with a decent range of up to 563 kilometres with 800V ultra-fast charging that can add up to 249km of range in around 15 minutes. Starting price in Ireland is expected to be around €77,500 for the 7-Seater Earth Model and €85,500 for the 6/7 seater AWD 384PS GT-line version.
The above will be offered with rear and dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrains. The entry level model for the Irish market is the 7-seater ‘Earth’ model which includes 19” alloys, Triple Panoramic Display, Heated Front and Second Row Seats, Ventilated Driver and Passenger Seats, Head Up Display, 360 degree Surround View Monitor and Premium Meridian Sound system. Standard safety equipment includes Blind-spot Collision Avoidance with Blind Spot View Monitors, LED headlamps with wide projections and high beam assist and Highway Driving Assist 3.
Optional extras include GT-line styling, 21” alloy wheels, Dual Sunroofs, Intelligent Adaptive Front Headlights and Remote Smart Parking Assist 2. In the 6-seater version the second-row passenger seats can be swivelled around to face the two rear seats when the vehicle is stationary.
The Kia EV9 is available with either rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, both using a 99.8kW battery featuring Kia’s fourth-generation battery technology. The rear-wheel drive Earth model has a 150kW motor with max torque output of 350 Nm. With an estimated range of 563 km, the top speed is limited to 185 km/h and can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 9.4 seconds. The all-wheel drive GT-line is powered by twin 141kW electric motors with max torque of 350 Nm front & 350 Nm rear. It has a top speed of 200kmh, can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in 5.3 seconds with an estimated WLTP all-electric driving range of up to 505km.
The centre console comes with fast wireless phone charger, with the lower section housing USB port and charger. The second and third rows also feature USB chargers. Various ambient mood lights from inside the front rear armrests give the cabin a warm and cosy environment for its passengers while out camping or on adventures.
The base line model is 1,980mm wide and 1,750mm tall (not including the roof rack), with a 3,100mm wheelbase. Besides being spacious and roomy for passengers, the Kia EV9 also comes with additional storage space in the form of a frunk, or front trunk. The rear-wheel drive variation has a maximum frunk volume of 90 litres, while the all-wheel drive version offers 52 litres of storage space. The rear trunk offers 828 litres of storage space when 4/5 seats are upright and up to 333 litres when 6/7 seats are facing upright.