Kia EV9. What many R1S buyers would be very happy with...

[DuoRivians]

Happy that the EV9 exists for people who really just need an EV minivan.

Hard pass for me though. Much prefer the R1S.

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[Donald Stanfield]

Not my style. The new EV Macan or the EQG are two contenders although I think Mercedes might have ruined the G with the retro futuristic garbage in the cheaper cars in their line. It remains to be seen though.

 

[lefkonj]

Kia/Hyundai have been killing it. The EV9 is a really nice vehicle but at 72k to make it like an R1S just too expensive. I love the EV6 though and the Ionics are great.

 

[TollKeeper]

Simple solution - get some running boards. I’ve done the same and it makes getting in/out so much easier without switching around the suspension. My 2 year old can climb in easily at standard height.

Tried that on another vehicle, didn't work. My back is basically locked up. I need something I can just sit down in. My GMC Envoy is perfect on this. I can survive on the R1S. It's not perfect, but out of every vehicle I tried, the closest was the Kia EV9, Telluride, Hyundai Palisade, Genesis, and the Nissan Ariya. Next is the Rivian. Nothing worked perfectly thou. I think I realized it was the roof line that is the problem. My Envoy is my swept back towards the inside is the cab. Everything is is more is a squared profile.

 

[emoore]

More EVs the better.

 

[TigerWuxia]

EV9 is just under powered versus R1S. Good for folks looking for an electric minivan and family hauler.

 

[835Horses]

Personally prefer my R1S look way over this one

 

[BigSkies]

I saw my first one on the road the other day. It looked a lot better in person than in the pictures. It’s a compelling vehicl

I’d still personally pick Rivian any day of the week, but there will be a lot of people that cross-shop both.

I think the EV race will be won by those that are fastest to scale. I think Hyandai group, Rivian, VW, and Ford are in the category that can make it work. GM could be in that category if they can actually start making what their PR department thinks they’re making. I’m not optimistic about the long term survival odds of the rest.

 

[Kunzene]

We purchased an EV9 about 3 weeks ago. As others have said, it’s a $60k electric minivan/kid hauler. Price and interior layout were selling points for us over an R1S, and the DC charging speed is great. It is a much quieter ride with no wind noise compared to my R1T. It’s a comfortable ride.
But the Kia app and UI drive me crazy. I just found out that wireless CarPlay cannot be activated if the vehicle hotspot is turned on. Nowhere in the Kia app is charging speed or time to completion displayed. The Nav system is not great. There are 5(!!!) different stalks/paddles on the steering column. One pedal driving must be re-enabled EVERY TIME you drive it. Driver profiles won’t stay programmed. I could go on. Mostly things my wife doesn’t notice or mind that much, but also makes me realize things I take for granted that rivian just gets right.

 

[MidnightRivian]

Looking at both options between Kia or Rivian, I would say the best bet for most people is just pick up the standard pack R1S dual motor for $78,000 - $3,750 tax credit = $74,250 and skip the Kia which is $73,900.

You get a faster vehicle that is more capable and can be charged to 100% daily to extract the full range of 260 miles which is very close to the 270 mile range for Kia.

The only option I would add personally is the ocean coast interior which brings your total to $80,00 while still being eligible for the tax credit. No need to add the large battery pack which should only be charged to 80% daily yielding 281 miles. You won't have any issues with range once you get access to the Tesla network which should go live by the time standard pack dual motors start shipping.

Instead save the large battery pack money and put it towards your next EV which will probably get 400 miles of range and 800v charging.

https://rivian.com/support/article/...e-federal-tax-rebate-after-the-new-battery-re

 

[BeanEW]

EV9, to me, is like a minivan with a SUV shell. I had my time with minivans years ago.

 

[itselectric]

Got a chance to sit inside of the EV9 last summer. Overall it's a very nice vehicle at a competitive price.

I really like that it offers both 800v architecture and a heat pump.

The deal breaker for me is range. You can't get 300 miles and AWD.

 

[gokcabaga]

We're a family of 6 that just finished our BEV transition having replaced our minivan with the R1S, which for us was the only realistic option. We looked really hard at the EV9 but it just didn't have enough storage behind the 3rd row and in their tiny frunk. For our clan, even the R1S storage is a bit lacking and is making us rework e.g. how we pack for the ride to/from the airport, but it's at last doable.

 

[SoCalTravels]

https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/cars/...-thats-not-just-for-elon-unbelievers-97347a59


I really want to buy a Kia EV9. There, I said it. Sure, it won't bounce across construction sites like my R1S, and it certainly won't hit it off the line, but it looks awesome kind of like the Telluride. I sure hope Rivian hits a similar gut feeling with the R2S. Maybe that will replace my 2020 Model Y in 2026 or so. No, I'm not selling my R1S, but I gotta give props when deserved.

Our local dealer has 6 of the EV9’s sitting on the lot. They aren’t selling as well off the bat as Kia was expecting. Should see some good deals on them this year. Test drove a top of the line GT trim ~$77k. The fit and finish is better than our R1S. Has much better in cabin tech than the R1S. Much more comfortable second row than the R1S. But severely lacks trunk and frunk storage space. It obviously wasn’t as quick as the R1S, but was much more comfortable in a straight line over city road imperfections and handled well. All in all I was impressed and would consider one in the future.

 

[Yossarian]

Kia seems to get a lot things right with their vehicles, from fit and finish to the small details that are often overlooked (e. g., ease of replacing the cabin air filter). My Telluride has very few weak spots and compares quite well with much more expensive SUV's. I'd expect the same to be largely true with the EV9, but I won't consider purchasing it - or frankly any Kia - for one big reason: the Kia dealer network

Indifferent, shoddy service and a rapacious ADM are a bad combination.

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