Video: The 2024 Kia EV9 is a Futuristic Electric Telluride

I mean, we've all seen three-row SUVs than for what it represents, which is a shift for a mainstream manufacturer to bring an all-electric vehicle into what has mostly been at best a luxury space with three-row EVs. Three-row SUVs were already wildly popular as gas vehicles and this first mainstream three-row option should be a groundbreaker. Kia aims for this to be basically, a big electric Telluride. So, let's check it out. The styling is big and boxy. This front angle is where I really see the soul of the EV9, so to speak. You do also get some interesting lighting elements here. There are some pixelated lighting elements available that exist in this part of the front styling, but overall, has sort of a square KIA EV shape that we're familiar with from the EV6. As you come along the sides, the sides are nice and flat. The lines are straight. It's a very boxy SUV. So far, all the EV9s we've seen have interesting geometric wheel shapes. These sort of four-spoke designs are exclusive to this the GT line. The other EV9 on this stage has its own fun geometric wheels. And along the sides, the lines are nice and flat. Normally, these door handles would sit flush for aerodynamic purposes. Good straight, no real curve like a coupe-like SUV. Just good overall boxy SUV and that's something the EV segment has been missing. The cargo area is refreshingly normal. I expected weirder and I'm not sure why. Given how much this looks like a normal SUV. Probably the only really weird fluky bit here is this cover that covers up the power lift gate control. Not sure why it's there, but seems like an extra step. Seems like it'd be a pain, if you're carrying a bunch of groceries, but I'm not a car designer. Otherwise, you get seat controls, a household outlet, little bit of storage down here for some repair tools and tire kit, but otherwise, normal SUV, normal cargo area. Now regrettably, neither of the EV9s on stage is powered on right now. So, we can't do a great demonstration of the interior. We'll have to rely on Kia's footage for some of that. But I do wanna show you around and show you what's good and what's not so good. We'll start with the good. The control layout, the roominess, really good overall. You do have a gear selector up here. Gives you some nice extra leg room. There's a nice little pass through here for cargo, a bag perhaps, extra drinks. Who knows? You do have USB ports down here, physical climate controls, physical audio control, at least for volume. But then Kia just decided to get a little weird with it. So, these here are haptic buttons that control the infotainment screen. So you have your home, your map, you can search, change your media, go to the setup. And when you press these, when the car is on, you get a little feedback, a little vibration and then something happens on the screen. It worked well enough when I was in a vehicle that was on, but you know what else works well? Buttons. Buttons work well. Didn't need to change that. Overall, the graphics are pretty good when they're on. It's an okay interior. Kia says they're targeting sort of an ultra-luxury SUV. I don't know that I agree with that. I think their target is more in the Telluride market. So, for a gas vehicle, we're talking high $50,000 range, as a loaded model. With EVs, that could be a little bit more, but the materials aren't bad. They're just not luxurious, they're nice. And fortunately, that material's quality and roominess does carry over into the second row of the EV9. Now, in the back, again, there are some slight roominess issues, because we can't move things around, but overall, there's really good leg room for second row passengers. There's no clumsy center console here that can block access to the third row. So, it also, adds to the airy feeling with these captains chairs. I have great head room, climate controls here for the second row, climate vents up here. And if I do need storage, there's this movable console that slides out from the center console in the front into the back. Gives you some extra storage options. It's a nice little feature. I really like it. It takes advantage of the EV9 not having a traditional transmission tunnel running through the center of the vehicle. You can also get available reclining second row seats that sort of act like second row lounge chairs and give it sort of a limo vibe. There is still a third row when you have those though so that can really compromise the space overall. The third row itself is compromised for adults of my size. So, let's go check it out. Again, just because of the nature of the auto show, nothing's moving. I'm not trapped here, but I can't really experience this. But even with these seats moving and in a better position, I just don't have room back here as a six foot one adult. This is where you would put children, kids in car seats, very small adults. You do get some nice convenience features, cup holders, USB-C charge ports, some extra vents up here as well. Headroom isn't so bad. It's really just the leg room. If you have passengers in the second and third row, you're probably gonna have a negotiation of where the seats need to be for everyone to have some leg room. That's not really out of the realm of normal for SUVs of the size. So, while it's not a deal breaker, it is unfortunate. Material's quality in the third row, unsurprisingly, takes a dip. It's not unusual for SUVs of this size to have that happen, but again, if you want the nicer materials, nicer surroundings, you're gonna wanna be in the second row or sitting up front. Unfortunately, for the EV9, one of the biggest unknowns right now is range and charging. We do have some bits of statistics that will be available in single-motor rear-wheel drive or dual-motor all-wheel drive. The single-motor version is 215 horsepower with a 76.1 kilowatt hour battery. The dual motor is a much more powerful 379 horsepower with 516 pounds feet of torque, and the battery size is 99.8 kilowatt hours. Kia says the range target for the EV9 is 300 miles, but that's for the single-motor rear-wheel drive, which is a bit disappointing. Most consumers buy these SUVs with the advantages of all-wheel drive in mind and not getting that range except in a very underpowered-seeming rear-wheel drive version is a bit unfortunate. Fortunately, Kia EVs excel at charging. The max fast-charging rate for the EV9 is 230 kilowatts, which is just slightly lower than the EV6, which is one of the fastest-charging vehicles we've tested thus far. The onboard charger is rated at 11 kilowatts, which Kia says enables quote unquote expedient level two charging. Definitely, stay tuned for actual range for the full lineup of the EV9 and charging estimates and we can see just what that expedient really means. Until now, three-row EVs were almost exclusively luxury vehicles like the Rivian R1S or the Tesla Model X or vehicles that just shouldn't have a third row like the Tesla Model Y. The Kia EV9 has a chance to get a leg up on its competition depending on its still unannounced pricing. If it can keep it in a reasonable sort of range close to the Telluride, but a little pricier, we think it's got a decent chance. One thing that will help it is Kia says the EV9 will be assembled in Georgia, which should help with our ever-changing federal EV tax credit rules depending on whether the buyer qualifies as well. Stay tuned for more details as we get closer to the Kia EV9s on sale date later this year. Kia says it should arrive in the fourth quarter of 2023 and we expect things like pricing and range to be announced around then. For more on the 2024 Kia EV9 and everything else here at the 2023 New York Auto Show, be sure to head to cars.com.