When thinking of an angle for this review, there was one song that kept coming to mind, the classic “anything you can do (I can do better)”. A song that was composed by Irving Berlin for the 1946 Broadway Musical – Annie Get Your Gun.
If you have never heard of it, you can click here to watch it and that should set the tone for the rest of this article.
Over the years, there have been many iterations of the song, and it was popularised in car culture nearly two decades ago in a Mercedes-Benz video advertisement. The video featuring Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and Mika Hakkinen showcased the three Formula One legends duelling against each other in a series of challenges.
Fast forward to today and the song once again comes to mind to describe the current automotive scenario, particularly the electric vehicle (EV) segment.
Trump himself would not deny that the segment is dominated by Chinese marques. And while the world argues over how the Americans, Japanese and Europeans are going to keep up, the South Koreans have been silently churning out cars that not only impress with their technology but also offer stunning designs.
The KIA EV9 you see sprawled on this page is one such stunner from South Korea. It may not look like it when seen in photos, but it is a massive car, about the size of the latest generation Range Rover. And it is quite imposing as well, with a neck cramming presence everywhere it goes since not many have seen one on our roads.
We love it, sort of.
In terms of design, it will not look out of place in a Star Wars movie. In fact, while Chinese cars and Tesla’s have started to look the same with their front and rear lightbars and gigantic infotainment systems inside, there is nothing else quite like the KIA EV9.
But you have to wonder why it has not become an instant sensation among the wealthy.
Yes, the wealthy. Because the EV9 is priced at RM370,000 for the seven-seater variant and RM375,000 for the six-seater. So, you can’t expect regular folks to be flocking to it.
It’s price is one of the few thorns on its side because when it comes to spending over a quarter million Ringgit, most Malaysians would still pick a European brand over a Korean. You know, to make a statement at the next family gathering that you have “arrived in life”, and nothing makes a statement better than a European marque.
So, this means then that the KIA EV9 sits in a very peculiar spot. It is way too expensive for the regular joe, and for those who can afford it, well they either do not want to spend that much on a KIA or would rather spend it on a luxury marque. Except for a few oddballs to whom I am grateful to for if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be having such cars in Malaysia.
So, what is it about the EV9 that we love?
Apologies for getting distracted, but the EV9 is a stylish machine and that’s the first thing we like about it. In fact it makes you go wow the first time you see it. It makes the cooks in a Chinese restaurant come out just to look at it. I can personally testify to that.
There’s a saying that goes, “if you don’t look back at your car after you have parked it, you bought the wrong car,” and I just could not stop staring at it though I am far from buying one.
How KIA has made seemingly straight lines and vast empty spaces look this good may be beyond most of us non-designers, but we can collectively breathe a sigh of relief that the automotive world can still churn out such good-looking cars.
Then there is the interior. KIA has again shown that they are not followers of the herd. There are no gargantuan infotainment screens inside, just one that measures in at a regular 12.3-inch and another of equal proportions for the instrument cluster.
And thankfully there are still physical controls for everything from the air-conditioning to the radio. You can even adjust the air-conditioner blowers manually, just as you always could before some brands started over engineering them.
The rear passengers get their own set of air-conditioning controls but not only that they also get their own sunroof as well.
The interior space and seats deserve their own special mention
Considering the size of the car, it should come as no surprise that interior living space is vast.
It is also comfortable for the kids and shorter adults in the third row, which positions the EV9 as a capable option for large families.
The seats themselves could put more expensive cars to shame in terms of comfort. They are so good that there’s an entire section dedicated to the seats in the EV9’s specification sheet.
The driver’s side seat gets a massage function which turns on after an hour of driving while the seat itself is adjustable in multiple ways. Both driver and passenger seat also have a feature called Premium Relaxation, this is where the seat can recline in such a way that it almost feels like you’re in a hammock.
So, what are the other thorns you may ask?
After raving about the seats, I must say that the mesh headrests for the front two seats are unbecoming for a car of this price range, like they were taken from the office chairs of KIA’s design centre.
The other thing that I am particularly concerned about are the digital side view monitors. Instead of using regular mirrors, KIA has chosen to use cameras instead. They protrude out awkwardly and look weird.
On top of that, monitoring the sides of the car can take some getting used to as well because you can never gauge the distance. It is already difficult to tell the distance with a mirror, what more a monitor. And what more, we have thousands of motorcyclists to share the road with daily and the occasional swipe with a handlebar does happen. One must wonder how much it costs to replace the camera.
But what about the powertrain?
That responsibility falls on dual motors, one for each axle, which effectively makes the EV9 an all-wheel-drive SUV.
Providing juice to the motors is a 99.8kWh battery pack and that gives the car 380hp, 700Nm of torque as well as a WLTP range of 505km. But after spending a couple of days with the EV9, we returned the car with an average energy usage of 21.4kWh, and that gave the car a real-world range of 466km.
Energy usage gets higher on the highway and that drops the range like an anchor, which is typical of EV’s. So, to sustain a decent range, driving between 90-100km/h was the only way, which is a shame.
As for charging, the EV9 supports an 800V electrical architecture which allows for ultra-fast charging. To recharge, the car can take 350kW of DC charging which lets the car hit 80% state of charge from 10% in just 24 minutes.
While that may be impressive, the EV9 is only capable of 11kW of AC charging, and that is the real stick in an otherwise great show because it will need 10 hours and 30 minutes to hit 100% from near zero.
So why do we like it so much?
While the car may not be able to go very far and in all honesty would have greatly benefited from 22kW AC charging, it is still a great car to drive.
Refinement levels are arguably at near Rolls-Royce levels at regular speeds. The car does not come with adaptive suspension which is available in some other markets, but the MacPherson struts and Multi-Links do a fantastic job nonetheless.
The fact that it does not come with the more expensive adaptive suspensions means that long term ownership may be easier on the pocket, so that may just be a good thing.
We also like its versatility as a family car, offering space and comfort for all three rows. And ensuring the car remains safe in all situations are multiple levels of technologies ranging from everything to Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist systems to Smart Cruise Control.
But the real star is of course the one thing that we have been harping about all along, its design which particularly stands out in the colour you see here, Ocean Blue.
Is it worth it?
Well, that would depend on which side of the divide you stand on. If you like nice cars and don’t mind the badge they come with then for sure the EV9 is worth it. But if you are the type that is concerned about making a statement, just keep in mind that the KIA badge has come a long way from its Spectra days.
Specifications
Motor: Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor
Power: 380hp
Torque: 700Nm
Battery: 99.8kWh Lithium-Ion
Price (As tested): RM369,668 (7-seater)
We like: Design, Refinement, Features
We don’t like: No 22kW AC charging
