Kia EV9 Malaysia: Best fully electric SUV under RM400,000? (VIDEO)

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KUALA LUMPUR, May 6 — The Kia EV9 has officially landed in Malaysia with a lower-than-expected price tag. Bookings for this fully electric three-row SUV started last month with an expected pricing of over RM400,000. For our local market, Kia Malaysia has introduced two range-topping GT-Line options and both are priced lower than Thailand.

Kia EV9 Malaysia pricing

The Kia EV9 GT-Line comes in either 6-seater and 7-seater options in Malaysia and here’s the official pricing (on the road, without insurance) for Peninsular Malaysia:

• • Kia EV9 GT-Line 7 Seater – RM369,668
• • Kia EV9 GT-Line 6 Seater – RM374,668

The Kia EV9 is offered in 5 colours in Malaysia – Snow White Pearl, Aurora Black Pearl, Pebble Gray, Ocean Blue and Iceberg Green.

Similar to the Kia EV6, the new EV9 is a fully imported electric SUV from South Korea. The vehicle comes with a 5-year or 150,000km manufacturer warranty and an 8-year or 160,000km battery warranty.

Kia EV9 Malaysia key features and specs

With a retail price tag below RM400,000, the Kia EV9 is a compelling EV if you’re looking for a three-row SUV with a huge boot. The Mercedes-Benz EQB at RM333,888 is a cheaper 7-seater electric SUV option but it has a tighter third row and a smaller 130L boot with all seven seats up. The only other fully electric large SUV with 7 seats is the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV which costs a hefty RM699,888.

For Malaysia, we are getting the GT-Line which offers the most powerful motors and the largest battery option for the lineup. The Kia EV9 GT-Line gets a dual-motor set up pushing 380hp and 700Nm of torque. It can propel this boxy 2.6-tonne EV from 0-100km/h in 5.3 seconds and has a top speed of 200km/h.

The Kia EV9 GT-Line rides on 21″ alloy wheels and it features a sportier bumper design than the standard model offered in other markets. What makes the EV9 unique is its vertical array of LEDs for its headlights surrounded by “star map” daytime running lights. The rear also gets a vertical LED light array which appears inspired by the Volvo XC90 and V60.

On the inside, you get not two but a three-display array on the dashboard which consists of two 12.3″ displays for infotainment and instrument cluster, and an extra middle 5″ panel for climate control. It supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the EV9 is equipped with a 14-speaker Meridian Sound system.

Other interesting tech features include a digital rearview mirror and digital side view mirrors which relies on external cameras. Unlike the EV6, the EV9 now uses a twisty stalk for its gear selector which is mounted on the right side of the steering wheel. Interestingly, the power button is mounted on this stalk.

If you hate touch screens, you’ll appreciate the EV9 for having physical controls for most of its vital car controls. There are physical switches and buttons on the dashboard to adjust the audio and aircon, and it is also packed with ample storage options. The front row not only gets heated and ventilated seats but there’s also an ergo-motion seat function that can provide a “whole body” massage.

It has dual-zone climate control and the aircon vents for the rear are mounted on the ceiling, similar to the Carnival MPV. From our own experience, there’s sufficient room for an adult to sit in the third row for short trips.

In terms of safety, the EV9 is equipped with seven airbags and it is also loaded with advanced driver assist system features including adaptive cruise control with lane-keeping assist, rear cross-traffic alert and avoidance and front collision-avoidance assist.

The EV9 gets a huge 99.8kWh battery with a WLTP-claimed range of 505km on a single charge. It has an 11kW on-board charger for AC charging which takes over 10 hours to fully charge.

If you need to charge quickly, the EV9 can charge from 10-80% in just 24 minutes when plugged into a 350kW DC Charger. Typical of Hyundai and Kia, they don’t advertise the real-world max charging rate. Typically their 800V-based EVs built on the eGMP platform max out at about 230-235kW for DC charging. Charging this electric SUV during R&R stops would be significantly quicker than other large electric SUVs in the market which are still based on a 400V architecture.

Kia EV9: 7-seater or 6-seater?

The only difference between the 7-seater and the 6-seater is the second-row seats. The cheaper 7-seater gets a three-seater bench in the second row with 60-40 split-folding and a one-touch sliding feature to provide easy access to the third row.

Meanwhile, the 6-seater configuration which costs RM5,000 more, provides two individual powered relaxation seats in the second row. It is more comfortable to sit in as it features a powered ottoman-style lower leg support as shown in the picture above. With two individual seats, an aisle in between allows somewhat easier access to the third row.

However, if you need to expand the EV9’s boot capacity from 333 litres to 828 litres by folding the third-row seats down, the 6-seater SUV will become just a 4-seater. At least with the 7-seater option, you still get a more practical 5-seater arrangement with a huge boot if you don’t plan on using the third row for passengers. — SoyaCincau