Tested: 2024 Kia EV9 Boldly Leapfrogs the Telluride
Quicker and more luxurious than Kia's gas-powered mid-size SUV, the EV9 is an impressive new electric model that's a futuristic evolution of the three-row crossover.
From the December 2023 issue of Car and Driver.
We'd imagine that most car designers don't get too excited when they're assigned to a new three-row SUV. There's only so much you can do with a two-box shape, and the segment is so competitive that it pays to play it safe rather than do something entirely novel. But a few years ago, Kia proved all of that wrong with the Telluride, and now the Korean automaker is doing it again with the new electric EV9.
Whether you view it from 100 yards away or up close, the EV9 makes a big impression. You can tell that the people who worked on this vehicle—designers and engineers alike—were up to the challenge of executing a battery-powered take on the family crossovers that have become so popular in driveways across the nation.
Built on Hyundai Motor Group's top-notch Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), the EV9 has proportions that are radically different from the Telluride's, even though it gives off a somewhat similar boxy vibe. The wheelbase is 122.0 inches long, nearly eight inches longer than the Telluride's, and the wheels are pushed to the corners, giving the EV9 a far more dramatic stance. The headlights, which combine a row of dot-style LEDs with swooshes of LED accent lights, are almost cyborgian, and the vertically oriented, intricately detailed taillights look like they belong on some sort of science-fiction spacecraft.
The attention to detail inside is even more impressive. Although the EV9 is not a luxury utility vehicle, no one seems to have told the people who selected the materials in our fully loaded GT-Line test car. The faux leather is soft, the dashboard incorporates a variety of attractive finishes, and there are innovative touches, such as trampoline-style mesh front-seat headrests that are far more plush than you'd expect from looking at them. Yes, there are screens galore, including a 12.3-inch infotainment screen and digital instrument cluster. They are easy to navigate, and there are enough physical buttons and knobs to make the interface accessible. Our only real UX annoyance was the placement of the climate-control screen, which the steering wheel obscures.
