2024 Kia EV9: Most expensive Kia ever priced for Australia

As expected, the 2024 Kia EV9 will be the most expensive vehicle the Korean brand has ever sold in the Australian market, with prices ranging from $97,000 to $121,000 before on-road costs.

That aligns the new EV9 pretty well with the Volvo XC90 – though that vehicle is mild-hybrid (MHEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) only – which ranges from $100,990 to $128,990 before on-road costs for its also three-strong trim line-up.

Currently, the most expensive vehicle Kia available in Australia is the high-performance EV6 GT, which lists for $99,590 plus on-roads.

A trio of model variants will be offered from launch, comprising the entry-level Air, mid-spec Earth and top-tier GT-Line.

The base Air will be single-motor rear-wheel drive, while the Earth and GT-Line will be dual-motor all-wheel drive. At this stage, exact specifications for Australian-market models i.e. outputs and range are still to be confirmed.

Kia Australia has previously confirmed it will be offered locally in either single-motor RWD guise with a 76.1kWh battery or dual-motor AWD with a 99.8kWh battery.

According to global specifications, the rear-wheel drive model has a 150kW/350Nm electric motor and a claimed 0-100km/h time of 8.2 seconds, along with claimed range of 418km under the stricter WLTP test cycle.

The dual-motor setup brings outputs of 283kW and 600Nm – upgradeable to 700Nm through the Kia Connect store – with a 0-100km/h time of 5.3 seconds with the uprated tune. It also offers 497km of WLTP range – CarExpert will publish full drivetrain specifications when they become available next week.

Being based on the Hyundai Motor Group's E-GMP dedicated electric 800V vehicle architecture, the Kia EV9 is capable of DC fast-charger rates of up to 350kW, and there's available vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability that allows owners to plug household appliances into a 3.6kW three-pin socket.

Using other E-GMP models as a guide, the Kia EV9 should be able to be fast-charged from 10 to 80 per cent at its maximum charge capacity within around 25-30 minutes.

As with other models in the Kia stable, the EV9 will get an Australian ride and handling tune as a result of an extensive 44-month program, with testing conducted at Kia's global R&D centre in Namyang, South Korea, as well as more recently on local roads. Engineers from Namyang made the trip Down Under to assist with the process.

While full specifications are yet to be finalised for the Australian market, Kia's local division has previously confirmed the EV9 will debut Highway Driving Assist 2.0 (HDA 2.0) in Australia, a Level 2 autonomous driving feature that combines adaptive cruise control with stop/go, Lane Following Assist, and a Lane Change Assist function.

The latter automatically steers the vehicle to the next lane after you turn on the indicator. A Hands-on Detection sensor will also detect if you don't have your hands on the wheel while using HDA 2, and will alert you and then deactivate the system if necessary.

Australian-spec EV9s will, however, miss out on the new Highway Driving Pilot Level 3 autonomous driving feature, which allows for hands-free driving on certain roads. Local regulations are to blame, as is the case in many markets around the globe.

The EV9 will debut Kia's new infotainment and telematics system, developed in-house and called the Connected Car Navigation Cockpit (ccNC). This supports over-the-air updates as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

While unconfirmed, the EV9 could be the first Kia model in Australia to get Digital Side Mirrors, a feature that has already been release on select Hyundai and Genesis models – including the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6 and GV60.

The 2024 Kia EV9 measures 5010mm long, 1755mm tall, 1980mm wide and ride a 3100mm wheelbase. Kia consequently calls it an Upper Large SUV, given its dimensions are so close to those of a Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series.

Stay tuned to CarExpert for all the latest Kia EV9 coverage, including an Australian launch drive review on Thursday, 9 November at 17:00 AEDT.

Prices exclude on-road costs

MORE: 2024 Kia EV9 review MORE: Everything Kia EV9

Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au