The Kia EV9 Lives Up to the Hype

If you are to believe the hype, the all-new Kia EV9 electric SUV is going to be the first (second?) automobile to land on the moon. It can outplay Brock Purdy in the QB slot, and if the Dems or the GOP decide to play it safe, either could run the EV9 at the top of their ticket and win the White House in November.

Launched this model year, the EV9 is, apparently, the auto biz's next big thing, in more ways than one. So big! So praised! It has awards coming out of its tailpipe. Only it doesn't have a tailpipe. The electric EV9 won the Utility Vehicle of the Year award from the North American Car of the Year jury. Top Gear named it best family car. The Women's Worldwide Car of the Year council chose it for World's Best Car for 2024, out of 63 contenders. Popular Science called it one of the greatest 50 innovations of 2023. One of R&T's competitors recently barked that the EV9 was a "fabulous car" and "proof that Kia is killing it with EVs."

Conformist consumerism is part of human nature, especially in the social media era. Pontificators don't want to go out on a limb; they can play it safe by agreeing with their competitors. In the EV9's case, even the consumers are frothing. "The best car I have ever owned," said one writer recently about his new EV9 on a Kia EV forum.

Normally, seven-seat behemoths aren't R&T's bailiwick. But the EV9 can't be ignored. So we set out to debunk the myth—or join the crowd. The EV9 comes in a variety of price points and performance metrics: rear-wheel or AWD, standard or Long Range. We got hold of the loaded GT-Line AWD, the highest-priced and highest-performance iteration, and set out on our adventure wanting to despise this metallic monstrosity, out of spite.

First of all, what is it? The EV9 is Kia's new-for-model-year-2024 all-electric three-row SUV. Price: $56,395 to start, optioned up to $78,430 in our test ride. Upon first glance, yeah, the thing is huge. It's slightly bigger than Kia's gas-powered Telluride, making it the biggest vehicle Kia sells. It can tow 5000 pounds. It measures about 16.5 feet long and 70.1 inches high. Good luck squeezing that in your garage. Curb weight is over 5800 pounds, a number that is making Colin Chapman roll over in his grave. The GT-Line boasts 21-inch wheels, and our tester came on Hankook iON evo AS 285/45 tires. (The base model gets 19-inchers.)

In form, the EV9 stands aggressively on rear haunches for a vehicle of its size and relatively boxy stature. You get the feeling that Kia turned on the financial faucet to bring in the best designers in order to make a seven-seat SUV appear thrilling to the eye. The Ocean Blue paint is a worthwhile option if you can spare the $695, especially when matched to black alloy wheels. The headlights are crafted out of 24 LED cubes that collectively look like eyeballs winking sardonically at oncoming traffic.