While there are no shortage of options in the crossover EV world, the larger three-row SUV EV market could use a little more love for people with larger families. The Kia EV9 will soon enter the fray as the South Korean automaker’s flagship vehicle. While the EV9 won’t be fully unveiled until late March, Kia recently gave us a first look at what the large electric SUV looks like.
Embrace The Box
With range still being a make-or-break figure for any new EV, aerodynamic shapes have been more important than ever. It’s for this reason that many new electric cars share a familiar teardrop shape and avoids hard angles. The Kia EV9 forgoes curvy lines and has opted for the boxy and bold look that is featured on Kia’s Telluride large SUV. To say that the EV9 is bold and imposing may be an understatement. It does manage to avoid overlooking the look like you might see on the Bollinger B1 or Hummer EV, which live and breath ruggedness.
Its frequent use of geometric shapes and beyond-cool snaking headlights balance out the ruggedness with a sense of modernity that softens the rough edges of the EV9. In the front sits Kia’s “Digital Tiger Face Grille,” which is a design aspect that it is expanding towards all its new models. Along the side, the EV9 features subtle triangular shapes, particularly on the wheel fenders.
Strong and smooth, the Kia EV9 strikes a great balance between a futuristic and bold look. The press release states it best, saying:
The result is a vehicle that effortlessly combines an undoubted aura of rugged capability for all conditions, with the serene calmness of a sophisticated EV that paves new paths for future electric SUV design.
They Swivel??
The interior ignores any unneeded boldness and instead aims to have a lounge experience. As previously mentioned, the EV9 features three rows of seats. with either a six- or seven-seat configuration. The first and second-row seats can be reclined if anyone wants to rest while the vehicle charges. While, unfortunately, the production version gets rid of the suicide doors that were present in the concept, it still features a very cool feature. The second-row seats can swivel 180 degrees to face the third row.
The front of the interior is spacious and features minimal buttons, with most of the car’s information and controls found on the two 12.3-inch screens that work in tandem.
Kia EV9 Thoughts
We of course can’t make a final judgment call until the Kia EV9 is fully revealed at the end of the month. We anticipate a range of around 300 miles (with the press images showing at least 270 miles of range) with a starting price around the $60,000 to $70,000 range. As I mentioned in the beginning, the third-row SUV EV marketplace is limited, with only the Tesla Model X, Mercedes Benz EQS SUV, and Rivian R1S fulfilling the role, and at much higher prices.
Kia and Hyundai have been hitting it out of the park with their electric vehicle offerings and I can’t wait to see the full reveal of the EV9.
What do you guys think?
Source: Kia
