With their recent surge in popularity, the automotive market is now flooded with all sorts of new-fangled EVs. Whatever the heart desires, there is a car that will fit your needs. So, how would an automaker stand out amongst the surging EV wave?

Well, you dial it up to eleven of course.

This is Kia’s latest and greatest EV – the EV9. A three-row, hulking executive giant dressed to the nines to impress.

Kia’s newest electric kid on the block brings a lot to the table, taking the fight to where traditional luxury automakers dominate. But, is it enough to stand toe to toe with them?

Macintosh-esque facade

When it comes to design, the Kia EV9 puzzle seems to fall into place rather gracefully.

A long departure from the drab and boring Kias of the past, this gentle giant is comparatively length-wise to a Land Rover Defender 110.

But, the EV9 ducks down a smidge lower in height, while stretching out its legs with a wheelbase that nudges past the Land Rover.

It’s big, yes, but it has a kind of elongated elegance that sets it apart.

It also carries Kia’s ‘Opposites United’ design philosophy, a concept we first saw with the EV6. The pens and sketches have matured with the EV9 – the design is bold, but it’s not about flexing muscles or throwing shapes just for the sake of it.

There’s a level of sophistication here, a visual language that speaks of presence without having to shout about it. What this is, is a head-turner that whispers its presence rather than roars it, and it all comes together rather nicely.

Gadgets and space galore on the inside

The cavernous space of the Kia EV9 is a movable feast for seven adults, complete with all the modern tech trappings you’d expect, plus charging ports, cupholders, and air-conditioning vents for the backseat crowd.

Access into the third row is easy enough with the large rear doors, and 3rd-row space is decent even for adults. Plus, the EV9 comes with one party trick that I haven’t seen in another car for quite some time.

Second-row seats have the ability to swivel, and the outward-facing position makes it a breeze for child seat installation.

Keep swivelling, and these seats can form a sort of ‘meeting room’ with the 3rd row, although legroom does become quite intimate if there’s a full house. Infants and babies would appreciate this rear-facing child-seat position though; important for children whose spinal cord hasn’t yet ossified.

Both ends of the EV9 allow for storage, but the frunk like many other EVs is best left for modestly sized items like your charging cable.

The rear is practical even with the 3rd row up, and transforms from grocery getter to moving day hero in seconds, offering a cavernous hold once those back seats are neatly tucked away.

In theme with sustainability and clean energy, the EV9’s interior is a veritable cornucopia of sustainable materials – from biopolyurethane foam for the headrests to dashboards and trims crafted from nature’s pantry. Not a hide in sight, my eco-conscious friends.

Instead, this chariot opts for ingredients more likely found in your breakfast cereal than your typical SUV interior. It’s a nod to the future where cars are kinder to the planet than the steak on your plate.

Up on the flight deck, Kia’s 12.3-inch central touchscreen is a familiar friend, but the climate control screen is partially blocked behind the steering wheel. At least there are still physical buttons to adjust temperature and fan speed.

Otherwise, the screen is responsive and bright, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto working a treat as you go about your day. The similarly sized instrument cluster is easy to understand as well, with a simple UI that keeps information tidy.

The EV9 experience is rather serene, and even if you are the designated driver, you’ll feel contented in the driver’s chair.

On the roads

To get the Kia EV9 moving, the start/stop button is elegantly integrated into the drive selector which sprouts out like a modern sculpture from the steering column. A twist here and there, and you’re either surging forward into tomorrow or gliding back into yesterday.

While flaunting a steering wheel that dares to stray slightly from the round norm, the car thankfully sticks to tradition rather than opting for some strange spaceship-esque yoke.

The paddle shifters don’t control gears but rather the intensity of regenerative braking, and there’s even an ‘auto’ mode, although it occasionally misses the mark compared to Mercedes’ more intuitive setup. 

The EV9 doesn’t bury you under an avalanche of gimmicks. Sure, it boasts modes aplenty – from the thrifty Eco to the spirited Sport – but switching between them alters little beyond the throttle’s enthusiasm, the dashboard’s colour scheme, and steering feel – it goes from a gentle nudge in Normal mode to a more assertive push in Sport.

This EV is undeniably a behemoth, proudly stretching its dimensions. Navigating narrow carparks or squeezing into quaint parking spaces might just turn into your daily mini-adventure. Unfortunately, this isn’t helped by the digital wing mirrors, which can lack depth perception when reversing.

Thankfully, the array of cameras on station give you a bird’s eye view, and takes away most of the aforementioned stress. Once it is in its lot, the EV9 claims its space with the confidence of a regal procession.

When it comes to the plethora of driver assists, the EV9 is eager to chime in with a cacophony of alerts and reminders. From the well-meaning but vigilant lane-keep assist to the speed-limit sentry that chirps with every slight transgression, the EV9 seems intent on keeping you on the straight and narrow, sometimes a tad too overzealously.

Don’t worry, for those who prefer fewer intrusions, most of these can, fortunately, be turned off in the settings menu.

On the roads, the EV9 is generally easy to handle. 283kW (380bhp) and 700Nm of torque is plenty, and you’ll never be caught lacking behind another vehicle even with passengers in tow.

The speed and acceleration of the EV9 wouldn’t surprise you as much as other road users when they see a huge hunk of shiny metal zip past with quiet efficiency.

Even if you corner enthusiastically, the car keeps itself composed thanks to the E-GMP platform keeping most of the weight nice and low, and the OEM Pirelli Scorpion Verde tyres give you added confidence even in adverse weather.

Range anxiety isn’t a huge concern either thanks to the gargantuan 99.8kWh battery pack, giving you approximately 450km of real-world range; I averaged a 22.5kWh/100km figure during my time with the car. 

Charging is also brisk thanks to its 800V architecture, enabling the EV9 to take in up to 350kW with a fast DC supply. A 10-80% DC rapid charge is supposedly possible in about 24 minutes.

So what is its competition?

…what competition? Until the recently announced Hyundai Ioniq 7 arrives, the Kia EV9 practically has the market segment to itself. Everything else is either much more expensive (Mercedes-EQ EQS SUV), or only offers two rows of seats.

That leaves you, a prospective buyer, with one last question. While you might fancy a car with a more ‘upmarket’ badge, do you genuinely need one?

This brings me on to my next point.

It’s time to stop looking at just the badge

The Kia EV9 is a very rounded bit of kit. Best of all, it is a worthy flagship product, and not simply because it offers a lot for the money.

Rather, it is genuinely a well-thought-out product. A car that is tough enough to stand up to family life, has enough features to keep itself futureproof and packs enough to justify a price that would have seemed laughable for a Kia a mere decade ago.

In any scenario, the EV9 makes a strong case for itself.

Technical Specifications

Kia EV9 GT-Line

Engine: Dual Electric Motors

Power: 283kW (380bhp)

Torque: 700Nm

Transmission: Single Speed (Automatic)

0-100km/h: 6 seconds

Top Speed: 200km/h

Battery Capacity: 99.8 kWh

Price: S$289,999 (GT-Line) without COE (accurate at the time of this article)

Contact: Kia Singapore

Photo By: Sean Loo (@auto.driven)

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It seems like you cannot go a week now without news about a new electric vehicle (EV) that is going to hit the market soon in the near future. The market is flooded with all sorts of new-fangled EVs, so how would an automaker stand out amongst the crowd?

Well, you dial it up to eleven of course.

Here we have something that hails from the land of Kimchi and intoxicating K-pop music, and it’s called the EV6. This is Kia’s newest electric kid on the block, and it brings a lot to the table where luxury automakers dominate.

It’s a large electric hatchback SUV with polarising styling, jam-packed with tons of useful gizmos and an excellent attitude.

6-xy proportions

If you want to make a statement, the Kia EV6 is a good way to impress. A muscular stance, wide haunches and tapered roof ensure you have sufficient presence wherever you go. Passing by other road users will bestow them with a curved light bar that dominates the rear end of the car.

What you see here is the high-end dual-motor GT Line, and there are subtle differences between it and the Standard variant. Both models have different front-end designs, and the GT Line has a more chiselled front end, which gives it a bit more muscularity.

Gone are the days with “NPC” looking Kia cars. The Korean brand has really impressed over the years, and its new lineup has cars that are refreshing and exciting to look at.

Luxury begins with a K

The interior of the Kia EV6 isn’t quite as dramatic as the exterior, but it still has tons of neat little design cues. Overall quality is excellent, and you might be overwhelmed with just how much there is to do in the cabin.

Dual 12.3-inch screens dominate the driver’s viewpoint, accompanied by nice textures and ambient lighting. The centre console is also neatly designed and gives the front of the cabin a more airy look while still maintaining practicality with multiple cubby storage holes. 

Rear passengers can kick back with plenty of legroom to boot, and the lack of a transmission provides a completely flat floor that prevents any complaints emanating from the middle occupant.

520 litres is a decent size for the boot, and the EV6 raises its tailgate along with the rear glass panel to offer ample load space for ingress and egress of cargo. 

There are actual physical dials and a haptic bar to control either your entertainment or HVAC. It might take a hot minute to work out how to use it, but overall it works an absolute treat.

Thank you Kia, for not embedding these settings in the infotainment screen, and making it much, much easier to adjust. All I want to do is turn up the temperature nicely with a dial, and not repeatedly tap my finger in frustration on a screen whilst driving.

One gripe I have about the infotainment is that it isn’t wireless, unlike other Kia models in the lineup like the Niro Hybrid. To use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, you’ll have to plug it with a regular ol’ USB cable, which can be tricky in itself to connect thanks to the USB ports located below the main centre console stack. At least there is a big cubby hole where you can dump your smartphone in once you’re all hooked up.

The EV6’s UI is a little funky too, running a cropped version of CarPlay and Auto, instead of making use of the entire screen’s real estate. I’m sure this can possibly be updated with some over-the-air updates, but for now, this is what you’ll have to live with.

Power pack

The Kia EV6’s sleek looks aren’t just for show, and the car can walk the talk any day of the week. With 239kW (321bhp) and 605Nm to propel you, this EV makes quick work of anyone else stopped at the same set of lights as you thanks to an all-wheel drive platform.

I did some enthusiastic pulls, and what I usually got in return were the bemused stares of other drivers. 100km/h comes fairly quickly at 5.2 seconds, and flat out the EV6 can cruise at a maximum of 188km/h. 

The chunky 77.4kWh battery is embedded under the floor of the EV6, and that greatly benefits the car’s centre of gravity. The result is a car that feels tight and composed around corners, even with its suspension which is predominately set up for comfort. Sport mode, accessed from the convenient button located on the steering wheel, enacts faster throttle response and a weightier steering feel, and this makes the EV6 feel more rejuvenated and committed overall.

Even with its saloon-like proportions, manoeuvring through tight spaces was never really an issue thanks to a whole array of sensors and a 360 camera to boot. Although, checking your blind spots can be slightly more tricky due to the lack of visibility from the C-pillars. Thankfully, blindspot monitoring, among other safety features, is at hand to prevent you from accidentally binning it into another driver.

Cruising is what the Kia EV6 does best, and it handles it like a champ with adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist. As long as you keep the EV6 on civilised roads, it can eat up the kilometres with the same easy nonchalance that exists in other well-designed EVs. Kia’s safety suite has seriously impressed me over the years, and the EV6 can even come to a complete stop if there is a traffic jam ahead, should you run into one.

If you don’t push the car at every available opportunity, the EV6 can achieve a range of around 500km thanks to its large battery capacity. Range anxiety was never a concern while driving, and even if it was, the EV6 has a maximum DC charging rate of 250kW, or in layman’s terms, more than whatever is commercially available in Singapore at the time of writing. This means juicing up at a fast DC charger is a quick and fuss-free affair.

The Kia EV6 has another trick up its sleeve, and that’s its vehicle-to-load (V2L) system. Basically, you can power household items, such as a kettle or microwave, or even charge another EV, directly from its charge port. Think of it like it’s your very own portable electrical generator.

It’s time to stop looking at just the badge

The Kia EV6 has a lot going for it, and it proves that the Koreans know a thing or two about how to make a car that impresses. However, this car does have one slight flaw, and it’s a flaw that is of no fault to the car at all. What I’m referring to, is the badge that it wears.

Look, I know Kia is a good company, and I wholeheartedly support them. But, with its price dangling near to other “atas” automakers (atas is used sparingly here), most people, unfortunately, would gloss past this car entirely, and instead take a peek at brands that are more “upmarket”. To me, that is a real shame.

If you’re someone who can look past a plain old badge and see the bigger picture, then I’m confident you’ll have a blast in the EV6. It’s dressed to the nines with features and has enough power to scare the living daylights out of your family. Plus, it does all of that with plenty of practicality and style. 

What more could you ask for?

Technical Specifications

Kia EV6 Electric GT-Line

Engine: Dual Electric Motors

Power: 239kW (321bhp)

Torque: 605Nm

Transmission: Single Speed (Automatic)

0-100km/h: 5.2 seconds

Top Speed: 188km/h

Battery Capacity: 77.4 kWh (GT-Line Variant)

Price: S$249,999 (Standard) / S$284,999 (GT-Line), both with COE (accurate at the time of this article)

Contact: Kia Singapore

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