As the first three-row midsized electric SUV from a mainstream brand, the EV9 sets a high bar. It’s comfortable, super roomy, and has an airy interior that’s pretty easy to see out of. It’s also deceptively speedy, with a super-smooth powertrain and a robust driving range. And hey, what’s not to like about a big box with lots of space? It also doesn’t consume a drop of fuel.
We came away less impressed with the EV9’s somewhat ponderous handling, form-over-function controls, and interior materials that don't seem up to its $65,000 as-tested price.
Speaking of price, the EV9 is significantly more expensive than midsized three-row SUVs that use internal combustion engines, such as Kia’s own Telluride and Hyundai’s similar Palisade, as well as the Honda Pilot, Mazda CX-90, Subaru Ascent, Toyota Grand Highlander, and Volkswagen Atlas. On the other hand, it's cheaper than other electric three-row SUVs such as the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV and Rivian R1S. Although the EV9 is sized similarly to those conventional SUVs, its wheelbase (the distance from the center of the front wheels to the center of the rear wheels) is 5 to 8 inches longer, which results in very roomy second-row seating.
We bought a Kia EV9 Wind AWD—anonymously from an area dealer, as we do with every vehicle we test—for the purpose of this road test review.
With 379 horsepower from its front and rear electric motors (which give it all-wheel drive), acceleration is quick, effortless, and nearly silent. It’s super-smooth off the line no matter if you’re gentle with the accelerator pedal or you mash it, which we appreciate. There’s plenty of power on tap, whether you want to zip around a slowpoke in a two-lane passing zone, or you need to merge onto a fast-moving highway. The all-wheel-drive system puts the power down superbly.
Due to its instant-on electric power, the EV9 is much quicker than conventionally-powered SUVs. Its 5.3-second 0-to-60 mph time is nearly 2 seconds quicker than the Telluride, for example. Our drivers also appreciated the ease with which the deceleration levels of the regenerative braking system can be customized by merely tapping one of the paddles behind the steering wheel. Most of our drivers found it pretty easy to use the “one-pedal driving” mode without causing undue discomfort for passengers from overly abrupt deceleration—which can be an issue with some EVs. Of note, the single-motor rear-wheel-drive versions have less power, ranging from 201 to 215 hp.
All-wheel-drive models, including the mid-level Wind trim we tested, come standard with the larger 99.8-kilowatt-hour long-range battery. This results in an EPA-estimated 280-mile driving range, which is impressive considering the EV9’s size, weight, and less-than-aerodynamic shape. Like other Kia/Hyundai/Genesis EVs, the EV9 can charge relatively quickly at home thanks to its 10.9-kW onboard charger, but it will still take a good 14 hours to charge from empty using a 240-volt EV charging system due to the sheer size of its battery. A 210-kW maximum acceptance rate makes for competitive charging times at public DC fast chargers.
Handling isn’t an EV9 strong suit, due in part to its weight (at 5,715 pounds, it's more than 1,400-pounds heavier than the Telluride!) and vague steering. It delivers very little feedback to the driver about tire grip, which hurts your connection to the vehicle and the road. Push the pace on a curvy and undulating road and it starts to feel a bit wallowy, like the suspension is struggling to deal with the SUV’s heft. But even though there is a bit of body roll when you drive it hard, we found the chassis very responsive to mid-corner changes with the accelerator pedal. Plus, it proved secure in our at-the-limit evaluations around our track and stopped admirably short in our panic-braking tests.
Most of the time the suspension is able to handle transverse ridges and bumps pretty well, but there’s always a feeling of firmness. Impacts from potholes and other large imperfections are transmitted to passengers as more pronounced wallops than you might expect, considering the SUV’s purpose and that it isn’t saddled with gigantic wheels and tires. We found the cabin pretty quiet, beyond more wind noise on the highway than some EVs. Higher trims have increased sound deadening which should suppress noises better.
The interior is very roomy, including an adult-habitable third-row seat. The front seats provide good comfort, and the large seatback side bolsters form a nice pocket to help hold you in place. Many of our drivers (and passengers) raved about the EV9’s super-cushy, mesh-covered front-seat head restraints. The driving position is mostly good, with lots of headroom and zero right-knee intrusion thanks to the design of the center console. But both the door- and center armrest are on the firm side, and the upper portion of the driver’s instrument screen gets blocked by the steering-wheel rim.
Higher-end trims come with second row captain’s chairs that reduce total passenger capacity from seven to six, but increase the comfort quotient, although the second-row bench in our test vehicle proved quite good; there’s tons of knee room, decent headroom, and just enough toe space under the front seats. The seat’s shape is quite flat, though, and the material is slippery, so you don’t feel all that held in place.
The third-row is pretty easy to access, thanks to a slick, one-button system that tilts and slides the second-row seats forward to create a reasonably wide, flat pathway to the third row. The space back there is roomy by class standards, with lots of headroom and really good foot space under the second-row seats. But knee room is tight, and, as with most midsized third rows, the seat is too low to the floor to give anything close to enough under-leg support. It’s also unfortunate that the outer armrests are hard plastic—surprising in a $65,000-plus SUV.
We were able to fit one large suitcase and two overnight duffel bags behind the third-row seat in its raised position, and we measured 45.5 cubic-feet of maximum cargo capacity with the second- and third-rows folded down—both are competitive figures for the segment.
Unfortunately, some of the EV9’s controls are unconventional and difficult to use. This includes the twist-action, steering-column-mounted gear selector that’s easily hidden by the steering wheel. The EV9’s “on/off” ignition button on the inner portion of the lever is even more concealed. The flush-mounted shortcut buttons below the center infotainment screen look really cool (they are embedded into the wood trim), but they are difficult to read in sunlight and too easy to hit inadvertently while using the touchscreen above. Most of the dedicated climate information can also be difficult for the driver to use or read at a glance because it’s hidden behind the steering wheel rim.
Standard active safety and driver assistance features include automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, automatic emergency braking that operates at highway speeds, blind spot warning, rear cross traffic warning, reverse automatic emergency braking, lane centering assistance, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams.