SPEAKER 1: This is the Kia EV9, and it's a big deal. This is the first three row non-luxury all-electric SUV to hit the market, and it's coming from a company that already makes some damn good electric cars like the EV6 and the [? Niro. ?] And then there's the Kia Telluride. That's basically the same size as the EV9, and that's our Edmunds top rated SUV.
So you kind of add all that up together, the EV9 should be really good. And that's why I flew all the way to Korea to find out for myself. So yeah, the first non-luxury electric SUV with three usable rows of seats-- that is indeed a big deal.
And for those of you who are vigorously reaching for the keyboard right now to tell me about the Tesla Model X or the Rivian R1S, I get where you're coming from. But the EV9 should have better mass market appeal with a lower starting price. I say should because Kia hasn't told us the price just yet. And speaking of price, go to edmunds.com, where you can find great deals and advice on new cars and also sell your current car.
I don't love giving you vague information, but this is just kind of what we have to deal with at the moment. Here's what I do know. The EV9 is going to go on sale later this year in the States, and somebody well-ranked within Kia told me that the price should start with a 5.
That kind of comes with a big caveat because the base model EV9 is very different from the car I'm driving right now. The base version of the EV9 is going to have a 76 kilowatt hour battery pack and one motor. And with that one motor, you will be getting a very modest 215 horsepower, 258 pound feet of torque.
That should be good enough for 0 to 60 in, like, just shy of 9 seconds. Not exactly a speed demon. That means the majority of you will be more interested in this one, which is the dual motor, all wheel drive version, and it has a much bigger 99.8 kilowatt hour battery pack.
With that, you get 379 horsepower and up to 516 pound feet of torque with an optional boost mode. Should be 0 to 60 in about five seconds-- a lot more brisk. So, when you look at the different models they're going to sell, the Range Hero version is going to be kind of between those two. It'll be single motor, and it'll be bigger battery pack.
And with those two things combined, you're looking at a potential range of up to 300 miles, and the lower trim level should be somewhere around 250. This is all speculation and just hearing Kia's estimates. Of course, we will give it the full Edmunds real world range test when we get one back in Los Angeles hopefully later this year.
So let me just set the table here real quick. It is currently raining harder than the kissing scene in the notebook. I'm on a road right now where there's a speed camera about every 5 to 10 seconds with the fear of getting a ticket constantly. And the speed limit is slow-- like really, really slow.
But you know what? I am still loving this right now. I'm serious. This is still an incredible experience because so far, the EV9 is everything it needs to be and more.
When you think about who is buying this, what are they going to be coming from and then switching into the EV9? Like a Telluride, for example, compared to a Telluride, the amount of athleticism you have here just from the acceleration alone is crazy. I'm laughing at this idea of people switching from a gas car into this and just snacks flying all over the backseat because mom or dad hit it just a little bit too hard off the line at a green light.
But that's what you're met with. It's not quite as crazy as a Rivian R1S or a Tesla Model X. But the acceleration is up there.
If you're switching into this from a Model Y, for example, it feels every bit as quick as that. And you put it into the Sport mode, it really does move. There's plenty of torque to go around. I think the difference between the single motor and the dual motor is going to be massive.
Now, something I should say as I'm going around these bends right now is this is a Korean spec vehicle. And normally, what that means is the suspension is a lot softer sprung than it's going to be in the US. Now, this is a big, heavy electric SUV. Nobody is expecting it to be incredible in the corners.
But I got to be honest with you. I'm going to wait to save judgment for a US spec car because this one right now is very, very soft in the corner. There's quite a lot of body roll. And the way the suspension soaks up bumps is-- you can definitely tell it's just a little bit more laid back and relaxed than the ones that we're going to get.
That said, I hope they don't firm the US version up too much. This is a nice, relaxing driving experience. And yes, it's a bit compromised when you're going quick in a corner, but that's not what the EV9 is about. This is to get people to and from where they need to go with all their stuff in the car, no worries.
So, while we're going downhill for a sec, let me talk about brake regeneration. It's one of my favorite features in any new electric vehicle, and Kia, one of the best out there. There's a little paddle on the left side of the steering wheel.
Obviously, it's not there to change gears and an engine. Instead, it's there to give you back brake regen. So, this even has one pedal driving, which means I don't have to touch the brake to come to a complete stop. You take your foot slowly off the accelerator, the car will slow down all the way on its
Own. You know what? If you don't like it, if you like your car to coast just like a gas car would, you can turn it off. I love that Kia gives you the option.
One other thing I want to mention is the driver assistance tech in the EV9 because this is the brand's latest and greatest in this technology, and it's going to carry them into the future. The EV9 has something called Highway Driving Pilot.
Now, we're familiar with this brand's Highway Driving Assistant, which keeps you in the lane. It uses adaptive cruise control. It's a really nice, easy to use system.
Highway Driving Pilot is the next version. It has LiDAR, radar, and cameras all over the outside of the SUV and means it should be able to level three autonomy.
What it doesn't have is approval from the government to actually work and do that. That's all going to be sorted out later on. So if you're one of the early adopters for EV9, know that your cash to be ready for level three at some point. But that will come with an upgrade, Ia says, whenever it's ready.
Let's be real. Sometime in the last few years, Kia took a quick look at the Telluride's huge sales numbers and decided that the EV9 shouldn't stray too far from that recipe. Well, mission accomplished, folks. This thing looks like an AI generated image of an electric Tellur-- oh my God.
Never mind. Never mind. Good thing people are still designing these things for now.
The Telluride inspiration is undeniable, albeit with a bit more streamlined modern approach. There's a really fund balance going on here between futurism and rugged. And I'm willing to bet that's a combo most people are going to really like when they start seeing these things crawl around the neighborhood.
Here's what I mean by that. We have these big roof rails and really chunky big body cladding to give that tough, traditional SUV look and stance. But check this out-- pop out door handles, a huge EV thing to help with aerodynamics and maximize your range. And then, of course, you don't need a big grill. So there's just this little cutout. It keeps the design more modern and tidier.
And I have to talk wheels for a second because just look at how outlandish this looks. It looks completely foreign to most other cars on the road. Kia's going to offer 19, 20, and 21 inch options on the EV9. Of course, the 19s are going to be what you want for maximum range. 21s are what you want to make a statement.
This is the only angle that's giving me pause right now, and that's because every time I look at this, I see a Volvo. And I don't know if it's just me.
Am I crazy? Am I wrong? Let me in the comments. I know you love to do that.
Although the EV9 has very similar dimensions compared to the Telluride, it's actually bigger on the inside. And this is where it's starting to look like a winning recipe for families. Up to seven passengers and all of their things should fit on a road trip.
This is the biggest test for the EV9. If you're buying something this big, you want to fill it up with people and take it on a road trip. So let's break it down row by row and see how the passenger space is.
I got to say, immediately getting into this car for the first time, I am so impressed by how they divvied up the space in here. There's just no compromise compared to a Telluride. There's no place the battery eats up extra space. It's legitimately comfortable as a passenger.
Obviously, front row is going to be best. We have massage function on the driver's side, heating, ventilation up here. I got a very comfy chair.
But look at this. You even get a nice little automatic footrest and, in addition to that, a ton of recline here so you can stretch out in the passenger. Let the driver handle all the hard stuff. Kick back.
But we are not done, not even close, because the second row, totally a great place to hang out here in the EV9. This is the fun part of the video I remind you that I'm 5 foot 8, and then a bunch of you tell me, that's not very tall. You know what?
You're right. It's not very tall. But EV9's got you covered because even if you are a lot taller than I, am look at the space you get here. They learned something from building the Carnival, which has those seats on the sliders that rock backwards and forwards.
I've had other specs of this car today, and not all of them are automatic like this. This is obviously a top trim level. But even the manual slide back and forth, it's great to get all this legroom. Because the roofline is so flat, it doesn't taper at all, there's nothing that impedes my headroom back here.
And just like the [INAUDIBLE], you get heating and ventilation. So, second row, totally checks out. Now let's pass the hardest test.
This is where you make or break a family vehicle-- the third row. You can't just throw only your smallest kids back here. Can real, actual-sized adults fit here? The answer is yes, and yes, pretty comfortably too.
The legroom isn't really huge issue. Again, you can move the seat even more forward than it is right now in this position. But I have an air vent right in my face to keep me cool.
I have a place to plug in my phone, cupholders, and then check this out-- automatic recline, and it's not just a slight inch or two recline. This is all the way back. You could legitimately take a nap back here if you want to. So, six, seven people in an EV9 on a road trip, we're good.
Everything around the driver feels very next generation Kia. And that's a good thing. However, at first glance, there's a lot of hard plastic. But at least the upper trim levels of the EV9 offer nice materials on top of it.
The seats are fantastic and covered in alternative cow-free materials if you so choose. The twin 12.3 inch displays are bright, beautiful, and easy to use. However, the infotainment has more menus than I think are necessary.
And still, Kia refuses to add wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. They insist that plugging in your phone is the best way to do it. Eh, agree to disagree.
Just beneath the touchscreen is a row of buttons that you actually have to press down on the dash to activate. They don't work as well as real buttons, but I guess they look better. At least Kia still offers real, actual switches to activate the temperature and the fan speed. All in all, I still think that this is a better setup than in the EV6.
So I've already mentioned that this is about the same size as the Telluride, and what better way to show that off than random bags full of camera equipment, which you might not be lugging around on a daily basis. But it does show you that a huge, chonky backpack can fit out here no problem at all.
And when you unload it, we have one of my favorite features in the entire car. We have a power folding third row. And it's not just the third row that power folds. You can actually do the second row as well all in one shot. Look at that.
So the very first thing I said in this video is that the EV9 is a big deal, and it is, both for the industry and for Kia itself. Now having spent the better part of two days straight in the EV9, I can tell you it is the right size. It has the right amount of interior space, and it has the right driving dynamics to go along with it. If, if, they nail the pricing on this like I hope they will, it should be a home run.
