2024 Kia EV9 ANYAUTO Alan Zurvas Review

Kia’s long-gone cheap-n-cheerful moniker bred an expectation of value, despite the mocking of an unkind press. Tongues were silenced as the Hyundai Group products continued to improve, rocketing up the charts in the process. In EV9, technology surpassed the valued-for-money proposition,
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and the looks became those of a handsome European. The latter is a prize most valued in car-land, but unlike the Euros, Kia EV9 comes with a long warranty backed by sturdy construction.
What then of the current electric range?
While the Kia stable is still awash with ICE pretenders, the electrification of the range is accelerating, despite the accompanying cost. The top shelf EV9 has taken the tiara and halo, and is now the company queen.
While some markets chose “Land,” and “Wind”, Kia Australia selected Air and Earth as the names emblazoned across the spine of the 2024 brochures. It seems incongruous then, that the EV9 range-topper is a “GT-Line.” That silly name sticks out like a sore thumb in the congaline of delightfully naturesque nomenclatures. Perhaps that accounts for the naff “sounds of nature” that frequently emanate uncommanded from the dashboard’s inner sanctum.
EV5 will soon come, is equally handsome, and shares EV9’s coherence and immense totality.
Meanwhile, the EV9 was described by a Kia boss as a bit of a unicorn. That’s most apt. EV9 does what no other full-size SUV do. While many other SUVs promised “clean-sheet” design and “blue-sky thinking,” what we got was a 20th century that never ended. For example: Toyota’s Land Cruiser would easily slip into a 1990’s ad campaign, ditto Nissan pathfinder. The utes like Ram and Silverado feel equally rooted in log-cabin mentality where bogans do tailgate parties at weekends. I’d rather chew off a leg.