Kia EV9 Is A Spacious And Feature Packed SUV But Overpriced

EV9 is a massive SUV at more than 5 metre in length and the design is different too with an interesting pattern of lighting plus a blanked off grille

At Rs 1.3 crore, EV9 will rub shoulders with EVs from German carmakers.

Source : Somnath Chatterjee

We had predicted that the EV9 would be priced around a crore but even we were surprised at the price that Kia has launched the car in our market. At Rs 1.3 crore, it will rub shoulders with EVs from German carmakers like the recently launched EQS from Mercedes-Benz which has more range while also competing with the likes of the BMW ix, Audi Q8 e-tron and others.

Infact the EVs from luxury carmakers are more affordable than the Kia! This kind of pricing can be explained by the fact that the EV9 is imported to India which means it carries hefty taxes. This is why Mercedes-Benz avoided this by locally assembling the EQS. As a car, the EV9 is spacious and well built no doubt with a lot of features but the pricing lets it down.

It is a massive SUV at more than 5 metre in length and the design is different too with an interesting pattern of lighting plus a blanked off grille. Inside, there is an illuminated steering wheel emblem and twin 12.3 inch screens. The quality is impressive no doubt and there is plenty of space since it is a born EV with loads of legroom.

There are massage seats on the second row and an 8-way power adjust too with the captain seats. Both front and rear have cooled/heated seats, a digital key, an 18-way Driver Power Seat with Memory Function, 3-zone climate control, ADAS, 64 color ambient lighting, 360 degree camera, 12-speaker Bose sound system etc. So yes, in terms of features the EV9 matches with its rivals and the seats themselves are pretty comfortable- perhaps amongst the highest comfort levels in its class.

The range is 561 km legs behind rivals while power is courtesy dual motors at 384 hp and 700 Nm. We feel the EV9 is a compelling product and the major highlight is the rear seat comfort/space but at this price, it faces tough competition from German carmakers.