Where has the modern world gone in its search for the latest and greatest automotive role model? They have resorted to fully reshuffling expectations regarding markets, that is! And what is wrong with that, even if America’s Ford Explorer is now also an EV (not just a PHEV) on the Old Continent while the minimalist Kia EV9 is in search of the U.S. dream?
Interestingly, the South Koreans over at Kia have recently sent shockwaves through the U.S. ranks, while the Americans over at Ford have adhered to the MEB ethos created by the Volkswagen Group, which is now their partner not just for commercial vehicles. As such, meet the Kia EV9 and Ford Explorer all-electric crossover SUVs! And they’re both high-riding affairs, so they probably warrant a comparison, even if they might never meet on the same roads.
Last week, Kia went ahead of its group partner Hyundai and unveiled the EV9 production series model, a mid-size EV crossover SUV that was first previewed by the Concept EV9 and was now revealed to keep most of the prototype’s design coordinates. It is seen as a counterpart with zero emissions for the popular Kia Telluride, and it also boasts a family-friendly arrangement with three rows of seats.
Alas, the initial presentation features a secret to make up for the lack of E-GMP-based technical details – the second row of seats has two ‘captain’s chairs’ that swivel 180 degrees to face those folks located far back, in the trunk area. Additionally, Kia doubled on its E-GMP-based approach with the Concept EV5, a smaller, more compact SUV that follows in the styling footsteps of the EV9 but is China-bound.
Just recently, the Blue Oval company has also dropped a surprise on top of its European customers – the iconic Ford Explorer, which is currently offered as a sixth-generation model across most markets – has been reinvented as an all-electric crossover SUV that has nothing to do with the facelifted Explorer that was spied ahead of its official U.S. presentation, or the PHEV model sold in Europe across certain markets.
From now on, we will be talking about a global Explorer model and an Old Continent version, which is the new all-electric Explorer that was ‘engineered and built in Europe.’ Frankly, it’s quite hilarious, if you think about it – South Koreans are flaunting EVs in America or China while the Americans are boasting about their crossover EV capabilities in Europe, all with a mid-size aroma.
Photo: Kia / Ford
From the design standpoint, all three of them look like pupils taking up guidance from the same Zen master. They are stylish, smartly designed, and do not feature more ‘brush’ strokes than needed. It seems that the future of electric SUV design is riddled with calmness, nature-inspired traits, and mostly simpler clear-cut lines and body surfaces than usually expected with their ICE counterparts.
The Kia EV9 does keep a whiff of resemblance to the ICE model that acts as its counterpart – the Kia Telluride. Meanwhile, no current Ford Explorer owner would even venture to recognize the all-electric European sibling without prior notice regarding Ford’s use of the same nameplate. As for the EV5, well, that one is like an EV9 copycat, which is very Chinese of it, to be honest.
As such, it comes down to personal taste – do you want something that reminds you of the ICE origins of everything (EV9) or a novel EV (Explorer) that has seemingly abandoned its previous lifestyle in favor of a fresh zero-emissions trip over the horizon? As for off-road aptitudes, let us be frank, no one will imagine these two EVs as their perfect overlanding companions, no matter how hard Ford tries to convince us their all-electric Explorer is primed for adventure.
More like it is ready for soccer mom and hockey dad road trips to and from school, the local mall, and kid training. Of course, no one will excuse them from the occasional weekend road trip or a longer vacation since they both boast about great fast-charge capabilities thanks to their embedded technical platforms.
Speaking of hard facts and figures, there are few of them, for now, as Kia only revealed what we already know – the EV9 is slated for production on Hyundai and Kia’s Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), albeit with a longer wheelbase than the current representatives, aka the Kia EV6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 and 6. Meanwhile, Ford is weary of bragging about the Volkswagen MEB connections but does throw a few nice figures into the initial mix. For example, the charging time from 10 to 80% allegedly takes just 25 minutes.
The trunk space, meanwhile, has 470 liters (16.59 cu. ft.), and inside the cabin, there is a new SYNC Move infotainment system with a movable 15-inch touchscreen that can “smoothly slide up and down to suit the driver and conceals a private locker storage space for valuables.” Plus, the new all-electric Explorer might be significantly cheaper than the Ford Mustang Mach-E since the initial pricing is anticipated at around or even less than €45k – that is $48,500 at the current exchange rate! Cool, right?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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