Kia EV9 Revealed With Level 3 Autonomy for GT-Line, More Than 336 Miles of Range

Of course, since it is one of the few representatives of the mass-market establishment, alongside Rivian’s R1S, the Asian automaker is not afraid of calling this SUV a veritable “breakthrough” in the development of sustainable alternatives to ICE vehicles. They do seem to have the preliminary specifications to back up the claims, after the initial presentation from earlier this month when they flaunted the novel minimalist design that follows closely in the footsteps of the initial Concept EV9 prototype.

The company’s first-ever three-row electric SUV is dubbed as a ‘flagship’ and is based on the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) to achieve some pretty nifty figures. For now, all we have are the initial World harmonized Light vehicle Testing Procedure (WLTP) figures, which cite an all-electric range of more than 541 km (336 miles) on a single charge, and ultra-quick-charge 800-volt capabilities to replenish 239 km (148.5 miles) of range in as little as 15 minutes.

Alas, folks will have to wait a while before snatching this EV9 that “reshapes the SUV experience with enhanced space and comfort for all occupants, sustainable and biomaterials, (plus) conditional Level 3 autonomy” because pre-orders for the home market of Korea only start during the second quarter of the year and then only select global markets will receive the first examples during the second part of the year. Anyway, the Level 3 conditional autonomy is tied to the now-ubiquitous GT-Line version and is dubbed the Highway Driving Pilot (HDP).

Other major highlights that we need to talk about are the dimensions: 5,010 mm in length, 1,980 mm in length, and 1,755 mm in height, complete with a massive 3,100-mm wheelbase. That would be over 200, 78, 69, and 122 inches, respectively. Of course, big alloy wheels are the norm now, with 19 through 21-inch options on the list. Inside, the choice is even wider, with six or seven-seat configurations, plus a second row that has never been seen among global EVs, with up to four seat options including “3-seater bench seats, basic-type, relaxation-type, and swivel-type two-seater independent seats.”

Thanks to E-GMP, the Kia EV9 will have access to all the latest EV advancements, including the group’s fourth-generation battery technology. The base option for the mid-size SUV is a 76.1-kWh battery pack solely mixed with RWD in the ‘Standard’ model while the RWD and AWD ‘Long Range’ variants gain a 99.8-kWh battery. All three of them are mated to a different set of electric motors, though.

The Standard RWD EV9 packs 160 kW (215 hp) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) for acceleration capabilities from zero to 62 mph (100 kph) in 8.2 seconds. Awkwardly, the RWD Long Range model has a lesser 150 kW (202 hp) electric motor, and the sprint naturally takes a hit, surging to 9.4 seconds, even if the torque rating stays the same. Moving on to the top goodies, the AWD model is motivated by two electric motors for a combined output of 283 kW/380 hp and 600 Nm/443 lb-ft (700 Nm or 516 lb-ft with the Boost feature), enabling an acceleration time to 100 kph (62 mph) in a mere six seconds.