There are plenty of electric compact and midsize SUVs, several trucks, and a bevy of sedans, but once you start hunting for one with a third row of seats, the numbers start to dwindle. And forget about finding one that’s actually affordable. The Kia EV9 gets us part of the way there: with a starting price of $54,900, over 300 miles of range, and a legitimate third row, not some bench seat that leaves you sitting with your knees under your chin. The three-row electric family hauler has finally arrived.
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TechTranscript
00:00 So one of the most popular type of vehicle on the road today is the three-row SUV. But weirdly
00:04 enough, it's been super difficult to find one that's all-electric and affordable. The Rivian
00:09 R1S and the Tesla Model X both sell for over $80,000. That's not affordable. And the Tesla
00:15 Model Y has an optional third row, but it's super tiny. So where are all the decently-sized,
00:20 decently-priced, all-electric, three-row family haulers? Well, here's one, the Kia EV9.
00:27 Starting price, $54,900. It's big, it's boxy, it's blue. The electric three-row SUV has arrived.
00:37 Let's get into it.
00:39 So the first thing you notice about the EV9 is its hugeness. This is a big boy. The Kia logo
00:54 is gigantic. The lights are double stacked. The entire face of the vehicle is just broad. It's
01:00 roughly the same dimensions as the Kia Telluride, which is its most popular model. But in fact,
01:05 it's actually a couple inches longer. It's 197 inches long, 70 inches tall, 77 inches wide. It's
01:12 one of the biggest electric vehicles to come out so far. But the EV9's secret weapon is the wheel
01:17 base. Because there's no engine, the wheels are actually farther apart than usual, which creates
01:22 a much roomier interior. With 42 inches of rear legroom, the EV9 tops the Cadillac Escalade,
01:28 Range Rover P400, and Mercedes EQS. And there's more shoulder room and legroom than the Tesla
01:34 Model X. I have never driven an electric vehicle this big before. And if you know me, you know I
01:39 have a problem with big SUVs. Statistically, they're more dangerous than smaller cars,
01:44 they cost too much money, and they're less efficient than smaller vehicles. They also carry
01:48 around a lot of extra battery weight. The EV9's battery alone weighs over a thousand pounds.
01:54 I'm not trying to nitpick, just something to consider if you're thinking about an EV.
01:58 But the fact that no one has gone after the full-size SUV with an EV before is just so
02:03 strange to me. The Toyota Highlander, the Honda Pilot, the Chevy Tahoe, these are very popular
02:09 vehicles. That makes the EV9 the first mainstream three-row electric SUV to hit the market. And
02:16 that's a big deal. Let's talk pricing. The base model starts at around $55,000, which is not cheap,
02:22 but it's not luxury either. It's certainly less expensive than some other EVs, but way more
02:28 expensive than gas equivalents like the Kia's own Telluride. This model is the top of the line,
02:34 dual motor, all-wheel drive GT line, which starts at $73,000. But most EV9s will probably fall
02:42 somewhere in the middle $60,000 range. The EV9 is not eligible for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit,
02:49 but it is available for lessees. Kia has said that it's moving EV9 production to the US,
02:54 so it could qualify at some point in the future. But the price could be an obstacle. As I'm sure
02:59 you've noticed, EV demand is in a weird place right now. The early adopters have adopted,
03:04 and we're in this more price-conscious phase where people are just sort of shopping around for the
03:08 right deal. The EV9 could help a lot of families convert from gas to electric, but the price could
03:13 actually convince a lot of others to just wait it out. But you know what? Forget all that. Let's
03:17 drive. So the EV9 has about 300 miles of range or around 440 kilometers, and that's thanks to the
03:28 99 kilowatt hour battery pack that's in the floor of the vehicle. This one gets about 379 horsepower
03:34 and about 515 pound feet of torque. And of course it's quick. It's got that instant electric
03:39 acceleration that you would expect. So it drives great. You know, it's big, but it doesn't feel
03:44 big when you're driving it. And I think that's thanks to the short overhangs, which give you
03:48 better visibility of the road. You know, you're up high, but you're not up too high. I don't feel
03:52 like I'm howling over the road like I do in some SUVs. The start button is on the gear stock,
03:58 which also has a twisty end for your gear selector, and then parking is at the end.
04:02 There's one long piece of glass for all of your touchscreens. There's a five inch instrument
04:06 cluster, small section here for HVAC, and then you got your 12.3 inch central display. It's got
04:12 wireless car play and Android auto. The rear seats are spacious and comfortable. I'm six foot one. I
04:17 feel like I fit in here pretty nicely. The seats all have power folding. There's a cool fold out
04:22 center tray. There's USB-C ports all over the place. Everything feels very premium and nice
04:28 and not cheap or plasticky. Then there's this line of buttons in the center dash. I'm not the
04:32 biggest fan of haptic feedback. I think it looks better than it actually feels. And even then you
04:37 have to take your eyes away from the road to see where your finger is jabbing. The two-tone leather
04:42 seats are heated and ventilated. There's a built in massage function for those long trips, but
04:46 that's only available on the top of the line model. The rear seats fold down for extra storage.
04:54 You've got extra storage under the trunk for storing various equipment.
04:58 The handles are retractable. They'll come out when you unlock the vehicle,
05:04 or if you have the fob in your pocket, they'll just come out automatically.
05:07 It's got a frunk. It's not huge, but it's big enough for a backpack.
05:13 The efficiency is pretty good for a vehicle of this size. I'm getting about 2.1 kilowatt hours
05:24 per mile. And thanks to the 800 volt system, charging is going to be a breeze. When you're
05:29 hooked up to a DC fast charger, you can go from 10 to 80% in about 24 minutes. So there's a lot of
05:35 weird design elements on this SUV, like these running lights that are kind of in these weird
05:42 L shapes. And the headlights and the taillights both make these kind of like bizarre zigzag
05:48 shapes. I've never really seen anything like that before. And the wheels are these four-spoke wheels,
05:53 which is really just unusual. I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before either.
05:57 Now, I don't have a crystal ball, but the EV9 seems like it's going to be a real winner for Kia.
06:02 I mean, just anecdotally from talking to the parents in my town, they've been waiting for a
06:07 car like this to come around to help them make the switch from gas to electric. And Kia could
06:12 really use a winner. The brand's reputation has taken a major hit after a bunch of car thieves
06:17 have been stealing a lot of older models thanks to a design flaw. Would I get an EV9? Definitely not.
06:24 It's too big and too expensive for my family. But if I had a few extra kids and a little bit
06:29 more money, I could see this big boxy SUV working for me.
06:33 It works.
06:43 (wind howling)