With a list of awards for car of the year in various global competitions and our excellent driving reviews of the model, Kia is positioning its EV9 where no Kia has been before in terms of price tag. Will all of this be enough to convince customers to pay this significant amount? From the importer TelCar, in an era where the concept of "luxury" has become more blurred than ever - a price ranging between NIS 429,000 to NIS 489,000 will not be a barrier. The fact that we are in a period where even for those who have money, it is not always pleasant to part with it and with limited initial allocation of units, there is certainly a certain contribution to pricing it this way. Here are the details about it.
Based on the electric platform of Hyundai-Kia's E GMP, with a length just over 5 meters (501 cm), width of 1.98 meters, and a height of 1.75 or 1.78 meters depending on the version, the EV9 is one of the largest vehicles from the manufacturer, second only to its minivan, the Carnival. The wheelbase stretching 310 cm complements the picture in terms of dimensions. As is customary in 7-seater crossovers, the cargo area with all seats in use is limited - 333 liters or 828 when the third row is folded. For illustration, we are looking at a vehicle that dwarfs the Toyota Land Cruiser (4.84 meters) and is in the size range of the Ford Explorer.
He is offered in two propulsion versions, both using a 99.8 kWh battery. However, the version marketed with a "Premium" finish level will come with rear-wheel drive, a power output of only 203 kW and 35.7 kWh, acceleration to 100 km/h in 9.4 seconds, and a top speed of 185 km/h. Its relative advantage is the range of 563 km. Above it, there will be the GT Line version, with two engines and 384 kW, featuring faster acceleration taking 5.3 seconds to reach 100 km/h, a top speed of 200 km/h, and a reduced range of 505 km. Both versions support fast charging of up to 350 kW with an ultra-fast charger.
The finish levels also differ in their seating arrangement, with the Premium offering 7 seats and the GT Line 6 seats arranged in a 2-2-2 layout. The equipment also varies between the two finish levels. In the "Premium" version, there are electric adjustments for the front seats, heating and ventilation for the first two rows of seats, a panoramic sunroof that opens at the front, an electric cargo area door, wireless charging surface, vegan leather upholstery, driver profile recognition via fingerprint, a 12.3-inch screen for the multimedia system, and a screen of 5.3 inches for climate control.
The GT Line finish replaces the seats with ones that allow for a reclining position, including footrests for the driver, a head-up display, a Meridian sound system, electric steering alignment, matrix LED lighting instead of regular LED in the Premium, driving modes, and an open console with a tray for the rear seats.
At two finishing levels, the safety equipment list is identical, including lane departure correction, vehicle alert in "off-road mode", alert for opening a door with passing vehicle detection, cross traffic detection and rear driving braking, adaptive cruise control, automatic braking, speed limit detection, and a system to prevent child forgetfulness (not sensor-based but passive, activated by door opening).
As mentioned, the price of the EV9 is reasonable, even affordable. With a starting price tag of NIS 429,000 for the Premium and rising to NIS 489,000 for the GT Line finishing level. According to the importer in its customer approach, there was no justification for a third finishing level that sits at a gap of NIS 60,000 between the two. However, such level has not been ruled out in the future. The warranty for the model is 3 years without mileage limit, and the battery is covered for 7 years or 150,000 kilometers. The maintenance interval is 30,000 kilometers or two years.
Currently, the EV9 has no direct competitor. Electric 7-seater crossovers like the Mercedes EQB or smaller than it like the BYD Tang. In any case, they are found in both ends of its price range, and it is not certain that it is aimed at the customer base of theHONGQI E-HS9, which floats more or less in the price range and dimensions. But it may well appeal to customers who wish to replace luxury 7-seater crossovers like the Audi Q7 or the Volvo EX90 with one with a similar level of equipment, but with less conspicuous branding at the front.