KIA EV9 GT-Line: Boxing clever with latest flagship model

IN the market for a big seven seat electric car? Well, they don’t come much bigger than this.

Bigger than your average parking space (though having said that, what car isn’t these days?) Kia’s gargantuan EV9 evokes memories of the box-on-wheels Land Rover Discovery, and makes a compelling case for itself with its impressive list of standard kit and its high end electric vehicle technology.
The five metre long EV9 is the second vehicle in Kia’s range to be built on its Electric Global Modular Platform. All variants offer a 99.8kWh battery pack with Kia’s fourth-generation battery technology.

The rear-wheel drive EV9 Air can rack up 349 miles, while all-wheel drive GT-Line and GT-Line S can travel up to 313 miles on a single charge. And as one of only a few vehicles on sale with 800-volt charging capability, EV9 can harness high DC power to recharge the battery from 10 to 80 per cent state of charge in only 24 minutes. Just long enough for the kids to take a comfort break and grab a ‘healthy’ snack on a trip.It’s Kia’s biggest vehicle so far, and to be fair it’s probably their most impressive. No longer do large seven seater SUVs need to be petrol or diesel powered.

There’s a two wheel drive set up with 200bhp and 350Nm, or the dual motor four wheel drive layout with its 378bhp, 700 Nm and a 0-62mph time of just 5.3 seconds. Impressive for something weighing over 2600 kgs.

If it’s the four wheel drive version that floats your boat then it’s the GT-Line for you. It costs just over £73,000 and features 21 inch alloys, two tone upholstery, LED headlights, twin 12.3 inch displays, six USB-C sockets (two per row), front and rear park sensors, powered tailgate, second row window blinds, eight speaker audio system and power adjustable front seats.

The interior is exceptionally well trimmed and the cabin is dominated by switches and connections for the various devices you might need on a journey. There’s even a three pin socket in the boot!

The two seats in the rear can fold flat if you need a bigger load area, and the second row is well catered for with vents in the roof and separate heating controls, as well as the aforementioned gadget sockets. Headroom is acceptable in all three rows.

Comfort is where the Kia EV9 excels because it has a relaxing ride and there’s plenty room for all. It is a big and heavy vehicle, though, and you’ll notice that in town or on tight country roads where the body leans over quite a bit. Performance though is excellent, and the regenerative braking system works well too.

Anyone looking for the space a large SUV offers but who wants the low tax benefits on an electric vehicle should take a look.

 

Kia EV9 GT-Line AWD

Price: £73,275
Engine: 99.8kWh
Power: 378bhp
Torque: 516lb/ft
Transmission: automatic
Top speed: 124mph
0-62mph: 5.3 seconds
Economy: 313 miles
CO2 emissions: 0g/km

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