Yesterday, Kia finally unveiled their 2nd electric vehicle to be sold alongside their 1st one: the EV6. Introducing the 2024 Kia EV9. This is their 3-row electric SUV or you can think of it as the electric Telluride. This has been teased since last year and now we know what it looks like as it didn’t stray too far from the EV9 concept.
The EV9 has what Kia would call ‘Opposites United’ design where they’re applying contrasting things together like sculptural shapes and assured, assertive geometry. I would call it a more ‘refined boxiness’ design language. It is evident in its side profile where you see the windows, the rear slope, the front grill, and even on the wheel cutouts.
On the inside you have an overall minimalist design approach. You don’t have a teardrop rear as instead there’s a taller roofline for more headroom in the 2nd & 3rd rows. Like the EV6, you have two 12.3inch screens and a 5inch one merging into one to minimize its physical buttons. So instead of having to choose between media & HVAC controls, Kia is relying on one of the touchscreens for most operations. There are a few physical buttons present for turning the heat and AC up/down.
Larger than the Telluride w/ swiveling rear seats.
Now Kia did something interesting here and gave their 2nd row the ability for 180-degree swiveling to interact with 3rd-row passengers. Similar to when Chrysler had this feature on their minivans back in the late 2000s. The 3rd-row will arrive w/ cup holders and charging ports for mobile devices as well. Kia will offer 6 or 7 passenger versions of the EV9 BTW.
Now being an electric SUV that offers a 3rd row isn’t new. But there aren’t many that offer mid-sized 3-rows that won’t cost as much as a Telsa Model X or Rivian R1S. We don’t know how much the EV9 will cost yet or the powertrain or the battery pack or the range or even the dimensions. However reports have the EV9 pricing in the $50K to $70K area with a 300 mile range. Hopefully they can improve on the range as it was the only area that was lacking for me on the EV6 in our review.
This is another EV Kia can check off of their goals of having 15 EVs by 2027. The full details on the EV9 is set to be revealed later this month. I’m thinking it will be at the NY Auto Show this year as well but i have no confirmation but my fingers are crossed.
