R1S Vs Kia EV9

[Electron]

There are things about each vehicle I like... Top trump still goes to the Rivian, as the 835hp/908tq cant be touched.. But there are certain things about the EV9 I do like better, seats being the first thing that come to mind. 2nd row captains chairs next. AA/CP next... etc.

My KIA has some things that are much better than my T. Their driver + is superior as are the window operations. The T is beyond compare otherwise.

I'm going to pull the trigger on the Kia EV9 as my secondary. Incentives and rates are too good to pass up on (13K off on incentives and 0% financing and low MF). GT-LINE, zero down, is 759 per month whereas a standard pack with 2k down (fees) is $993 for a 80,600 unit in the shop.

comparable range, but nearly $200 cheaper with assurance of available nearby service shops for the Kia.

Having test drove the EV9 and R1S, I can tell you the EV9's ride quality is superior (so much smoother, quieter, etc.) and the interior space feels much more cavernous probably due to the captain chairs. The 2nd row legroom is I think 6 inches greater too.

I've got a Large Pack custom order that appears to be taking a very long time due to the rumored delays of regular large pack batteries. I would be perfectly fine with delivery in early 2025 as rates should be lower, resulting in a smaller payment gap.

I think a Kia EV9 and R1S Gen 2 would be one heck of a pairing.

It's a great pairing indeed, especially for those needing the 2nd+ vehicle to be able to accommodate a family of 4+. There are indeed a lot of aspects of the EV that shine over the R1S. The gap isn't as wide as it seems and when you factor in the price, the R1S is definitely not 2x better by any means.

They are both fantastic 3 Row EV SUV options that delivers on their strengths. For families with rear facing car seats, the EV9 is far superior, let alone the accessibility to the 3rd row.

The ride quality in the EV9 is also better. It really is. Even the small things like having built in sun shades in the 2nd and 3rd row, wireless CarPlay/Android Auto, 1800w V2L for an additional outlet over the multiple that it has, heated&ventilated 2nd row seats, etc.. makes it shine in the areas that actually matter for most, especially with a large family.

A dealer in CO offers insane deals and some of the deals from the manufacture include a 0% for 48 months, $389 lease for 24 months, $439 lease for 36 months, $7500 cash back etc...

KIA makes a great EV, but comparing prices is ludicrous. Like comparing a Tacoma to a Corolla. It would be a good pairing though.

I agree. It's ridiculous in the sense that the Rivian is twice as much, yet it's not twice the vehicle. Another way to look at it is that you get much more for half the money with the EV9. It just really depends how you want choose to look at it, but the whole take away is that the EV9 is a great deal for those looking for a 3 row EV SUV to do the common family type of things and it does it better in a lot of ways than the R1S.

I'm seeing fairly large numbers of EV9s on the road. Mostly driven by women that I've seen. Maybe because I live close to an elementary school and see the drop offs...

The other day, at the stop light, a guy in a EV9 acted like wanted to race off the line. He kept looking over and creeping the vehicle up little by little. I'm in R1S quad. So when the light turned green, I did nothing and slowly proceeded as he raced off the line. Hope I made his day. I mean what's the point. Clearly he has no chance if I actually reacted.

So the comparison goes on. Both are 3 row EVs with very different targeted audience but vast majority of people just see eSUV so they compare....

It's not the car, it's the driver and they exist more in the ICE camp. I've had so many arrogant ICE heads in mustangs, vettes etc. at a stop light revving (loud for nothing) only for me to dust them in my fun car (Model 3 Performance). There will always be those knuckleheads.

But yes, the Gen 1 QM is a Beast and it'll dust pretty much anything out there with its true 0-60 in 3.0 secs with very few exceptions.

Wait til the new Gen 2 Quad comes out... my goodness. It'll be a major ICE head loud for nothing ego balloon popper. I can't wait to see them at the track.

Speaking of which, I spend a lot of time at the track and lately a lot of these loud for nothing cars, if lined up with an EV* will turn off their engines and refuse to run. These aren't no time cars either, it's just that they don't want to get beaten by an EV. Complete losers, but this is a real trend across the country. Some buddies in FL are reporting the same.

My theory is that a lot of these kids record the runs upload them online shaming these loud for nothing ICE cars, so they've caught on and just plain out refuse to run against EVs now. The Plaid pretty much destroys every ICE at the track with very few exceptions (highly modded drag only cars.)

A good software example is 'Pet mode'. For dog owners this is huge. I recently owned an Ioniq 5 and I couldn't road trip it in summer without it.

Also a fan of CarPlay, the recent addition of Apple Music bridges a lot of that gap but it's not all the way there yet. Not knocking the EV9 the mechanicals of it are fantastic (I test drove one), the lease deals on them right now are amazing. I'm betting Rivian will be offering better lease deals towards the end of the year.

The EV9 has Utility mode, which allows you to keep the vehicle's climate control running even when the car is parked and turned off. ie...Pet Mode.

I think Rivian will launch some deals as early as this month too being that it's the end of Q3. Then in Q4 I foresee even more incentives all around industry wide. Just might pull the trigger then for a Gen 2.

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[MasterofWilford]

It's a great pairing indeed, especially for those needing the 2nd+ vehicle to be able to accommodate a family of 4+. There are indeed a lot of aspects of the EV that shine over the R1S. The gap isn't as wide as it seems and when you factor in the price, the R1S is definitely not 2x better by any means.

They are both fantastic 3 Row EV SUV options that delivers on their strengths. For families with rear facing car seats, the EV9 is far superior, let alone the accessibility to the 3rd row.

The ride quality in the EV9 is also better. It really is. Even the small things like having built in sun shades in the 2nd and 3rd row, wireless CarPlay/Android Auto, 1800w V2L for an additional outlet over the multiple that it has, heated&ventilated 2nd row seats, etc.. makes it shine in the areas that actually matter for most, especially with a large family.

A dealer in CO offers insane deals and some of the deals from the manufacture include a 0% for 48 months, $389 lease for 24 months, $439 lease for 36 months, $7500 cash back etc...



I agree. It's ridiculous in the sense that the Rivian is twice as much, yet it's not twice the vehicle. Another way to look at it is that you get much more for half the money with the EV9. It just really depends how you want choose to look at it, but the whole take away is that the EV9 is a great deal for those looking for a 3 row EV SUV to do the common family type of things and it does it better in a lot of ways than the R1S.



It's not the car, it's the driver and they exist more in the ICE camp. I've had so many arrogant ICE heads in mustangs, vettes etc. at a stop light revving (loud for nothing) only for me to dust them in my fun car (Model 3 Performance). There will always be those knuckleheads.

But yes, the Gen 1 QM is a Beast and it'll dust pretty much anything out there with its true 0-60 in 3.0 secs with very few exceptions.

Wait til the new Gen 2 Quad comes out... my goodness. It'll be a major ICE head loud for nothing ego balloon popper. I can't wait to see them at the track.

Speaking of which, I spend a lot of time at the track and lately a lot of these loud for nothing cars, if lined up with an EV* will turn off their engines and refuse to run. These aren't no time cars either, it's just that they don't want to get beaten by an EV. Complete losers, but this is a real trend across the country. Some buddies in FL are reporting the same.

My theory is that a lot of these kids record the runs upload them online shaming these loud for nothing ICE cars, so they've caught on and just plain out refuse to run against EVs now. The Plaid pretty much destroys every ICE at the track with very few exceptions (highly modded drag only cars.)




The EV9 has Utility mode, which allows you to keep the vehicle's climate control running even when the car is parked and turned off. ie...Pet Mode.

I think Rivian will launch some deals as early as this month too being that it's the end of Q3. Then in Q4 I foresee even more incentives all around industry wide. Just might pull the trigger then for a Gen 2.

I'm in total agreement, but ultimately could not pull the trigger. End of summer incentives are now gone and the price difference isn't as stark. Even with those incentives, I think I'd regret spending 60-65K on a KIA, and I can't live with the design elements of the EV9. The Rivian is so much cooler looking.

 

[jjswan33]

The EV9 has Utility mode, which allows you to keep the vehicle's climate control running even when the car is parked and turned off. ie...Pet Mode.

Have you used Utility mode on an EV9? The Ioniq 5 had that feature and it was not the same thing as pet mode, basically it was for keeping the car 'on' while camping/etc. For example I don't think you can lock your car and walk away.

The one thing you could do is remotely turn on HVAC from the app and it would cool/heat the car to temp but not keep the temp after it got there.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

I still dislike the exterior of the EV9, but there are some nice things on it. Room like a van, but looks like an SUV. There are certain things I was unwilling to compromise on. Range is extremely limited if you opt for the AWD at under 290 miles. IMO, if you are paying over 60k for an EV and you can't even advertise a 300 mile EPA estimate, then it's just a hard pass. It's why we gave up on the VW ID Buzz.

lol, so no rivian for you

Also, very few EV9s sell for over $60k.

 

[Electron]

Have you used Utility mode on an EV9? The Ioniq 5 had that feature and it was not the same thing as pet mode, basically it was for keeping the car 'on' while camping/etc. For example I don't think you can lock your car and walk away.

The one thing you could do is remotely turn on HVAC from the app and it would cool/heat the car to temp but not keep the temp after it got there.

I have, but it was a while ago on the older software. This is one of the features that's pretty important to me so it's one of the first things that I had tested. There are a few EV9 owners here so they may be able to chime in.

In order to use utility mode like pet mode in the EV9 you have to activate it and before leaving the car roll your window all the way down. Once the door is shut, you have to press the button to lock the car then press the button to roll up your window. Utility mode will remain active.

I have a feeling that if they haven't fixed this with a recent update that it'll be in one in the very near future.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

I have, but it was a while ago on the older software. This is one of the features that's pretty important to me so it's one of the first things that I had tested. There are a few EV9 owners here so they may be able to chime in.

In order to use utility mode like pet mode in the EV9 you have to activate it and before leaving the car roll your window all the way down. Once the door is shut, you have to press the button to lock the car then press the button to roll up your window. Utility mode will remain active.

I have a feeling that if they haven't fixed this with a recent update that it'll be in one in the very near future.

This is correct. Supposedly there will be software updates.

Also, on price, no one is paying MSRP. You can get $12k off MSRP without trying. I’ve seen fully loaded top of the line EV9s going for close to $60k. If you want a 300mi range mid tier one you are down to $48-$52k.

 

[SRO]

This is correct. Supposedly there will be software updates.

Also, on price, no one is paying MSRP. You can get $12k off MSRP without trying. I’ve seen fully loaded top of the line EV9s going for close to $60k. If you want a 300mi range mid tier one you are down to $48-$52k.

You can’t compare price. They are in different worlds.

 

[Hereforthesnacks]

You can’t compare price. They are in different worlds.

I’m not comparing. But others are. And if they are, it should be the right numbers.

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