2024 Kia EV9 review: why you should buy the Air, not the too-expensive GT-Line

“What’s one of them worth, then?” my neighbour asks, his eyebrow-raised glare locked on my seven-seat Kia EV9 GT-Line.

I wince. “About $140,000 on the road.”

He curses something blasphemous, shakes his head… “For a bloody Kia?”

I remind him you’ll pay likewise for a similar-sized, fossil-fuel sucking Toyota LandCruiser. And really, for $140k, can you think of anything that’ll get as much attention as this EV9 seven-seat monster coated in Ocean Blue matte paint?

He’s not for turning. He ambles back to his turbo-diesel Ford Ranger, wondering what the flamin’ heck’s gone wrong with the world.

Must say I don’t entirely disagree with him. This range-topping Kia EV9 GT-Line’s RRP is $121,000, then adds quite ridiculous $18,000 (in Queensland) on-road charges, pushing the bill to $139,000 drive-away. For you NSW lot, it’s $140,200.

A mid-spec EV9 Earth is around $120,000 in the traffic, while the entry-level Air is a comparatively cheap $107,000.

Over two weeks I tested the wallet-bashing GT-Line, then the entry-level Air.

Spoiler alert: I came away thinking the Air the better buy, simply because you get the majority of the EV9’s clout and goodness, plus an extra $33k in your pocket. You also enjoy proper glass side mirrors rather than daft please make them go away digital ones.

The case for the $140,000 Kia EV9 GT-Line

If you’ve shed loads of money to burn, and demand specification overload, of course you should get the EV9 GT-Line.

I have a surgeon mate who was ready to buy one, but backed out when told he couldn’t de-option the digital mirrors. They made his wife sick, and he hated them. Ergo, Kia missed out on $20k as he bought the cheaper EV9 Earth instead. He’s still angry about it.

Anyway, the GT-Line has dual motors, all-wheel-drive, 283kW/700Nm and 505km range (WLTP) from its lardy 99.8kWh battery. With “Acceleration Boost” function engaged it’ll somehow crack the 100km/h sprint in only 5.3 seconds.

Thing is, much of the key specification most buyers really want is on every EV9, the Air included. What the GT-Line brings you is the show-off stuff.

This includes black 21-inch alloys (covered by aero plastic covers that didn’t quite fit correctly on our test car), dual sunroof, matrix LED headlights, Meridian audio (it’s bloody good), augmented reality head-up display, suede headliner, a digital centre mirror, Relaxation front seats (power leg rest and massage seats), heated and cooled rear seats, an exterior V2L port, and it’ll remotely smart park.

Seats are artificial leather in black and white, and while damn comfy, warming, cooling, power, massaging and memory, they don’t look prestige enough for the money. Call me old fashioned, but at this price give me a classy, single colour tan leather cabin – BMW and Lexus do this so well – or black leather with sporty red stitching a la Porsche.

Perhaps the brothel-like red ambient light (see below) didn’t help matters, but you can choose from 64 alternative colours.

There are some key benefits to going GT-Line over Air. For urban life, it (and the mid-grade Earth) get a 360-degree camera.

The EV9’s a whopper of a vehicle. It doesn’t easily fit parking spaces, and its turning circle’s barge-like. You need at least a front camera, and ideally the full surround view. The Air lacks both, making tight space negotiating in it an anxious task. No such trouble for the GT-Line.

If you’re planning on hauling, the dual motor GT-Line and Earth grades manage an impressive 2500kg tow capacity. The Air’s lumbered with a miserable 900kg – you’ll manage a small trailer of garden waste and little else.

The GT-Line’s 505km range thanks to the huge battery is a win – the Air manages only 443km. The Earth, meanwhile, trumps all with 512km range.

The case for the $107,000 Kia EV9 Air

It’s $33,000 cheaper, and still has almost all the visual clout of the GT-Line. You could buy an EV9 Air, then something like a petrol Kia Cerato hatch as a second car with the money saved.

The Air’s standard kit’s hardly wanting. There are 19-inch alloys (without the GT-Line’s not-great plastic covers), battery heat pump and pre-conditioning, auto LED lights, smart key, power driver’s seat, heated and cooled front seats, artificial leather interior, power tailgate, wireless phone charger, heated steering wheel, two 12.3-inch screens in a panoramic display, tri zone climate control, connected services and a V2L socket in the boot.

Of course the GT-Line has all the above too, but such decent inclusions in the Air (as you’d expect for $100k+) shows it’s a deeply kitted out car to live with.

That Air’s lack of surround-view camera’s my biggest gripe, but the leatherette seats with their heating and cooling, plus power for the driver, make for a quite luxurious cabin. I actually prefer the subtle single-tone grey-black colour scheme over the GT-Line’s brasher two-tone seats.

The centre console’s large and practical on all EV9s, but feels a bit plasticky at this price. That’s not just the Air, but the GT-Line too.

As a single motor it takes 8.2-seconds to hit 100km/h, but as with all EVs, the instant torque hit means the Air still feels lively and rapid enough from standstill. And here’s the thing. It weighs a solid 300kg less than the dual motor AWD GT-Line, and I reckon the overall ride benefits as a result.

The Air runs on balloon-like Nexen 255/60×19 tyres, and this grade’s been given a different local suspension tune to the GT-Line on its whopping 21-inch rims shod in skinnier 285/45×21 Continental PremiumContact rubber.

All EV9s have a fairly firm ride on city streets and over poor surfaces, but the Air certainly feels the plusher. Throw the big seven-seater into corners and there’s respectable balance and road-holding. The GT-Line doesn’t exhibit as much body roll as the Air, but you do feel its extra weight when quickly changing direction.

The GT-Line trumps the Air for wet-weather handling. Neither disgraces itself, but the Air’s more eco-focused rubber and rear-drive nature mean the tail will slide when pushed. Thankfully, the stability control mops things up rather well, but it gets your attention.

Living with the Kia EV9

The EV9 is a pretty special family EV no matter the grade.

After two weeks of living with them, their ability, practicality and serene comfort were standout. Which led me to my conclusion the Air makes a better buy.

It’s such a standout vehicle no matter the grade, you only really need upgrade from the Air if there’s a non-negotiable on the others’ spec list, if you definitely must have an extra 50km range, or if you plan to regularly tow something over a tonne.

Space is vast in all EV9s. Second row seats offer incredible head and leg room, and the third row will happily house adults. Headroom is ample back here, but the middle row must slide forward on runners (loads of space to do so) to give tolerable leg room.

The rear two seats rise and fold with a simple strap pull – unfussy and perfectly easy – as is the handle or electric button to move forward the middle seats to grant access.

With chairs folded it’s almost van-like. Dropping both rows down we moved a pair of single beds (plus mattresses) with little drama, and then managed to get three bikes in there sitting upright (rather than laying down) due to the high ceiling.

Up front seat comfort’s superb, especially thanks to Merc S-Class-like cushiony head rests. The dash feels ultra-modern with its panoramic panel containing the brace of screens. Again, the fact this is standard on the Air keeps its value proposition high.

Having the climate control as physical button’s a boon, but check out the picture above. There’s that little menu panel between the climate and infotainment screen. They need a solid prod to operate, and are fiddly on the move. They’re a regression from just normal damn buttons which would have worked just fine here.

While grumbling, the GT-Line’s digital mirrors may be the best examples I’ve yet used – door-mount screens are large and well-placed – but after a week living with them, they failed to convince they’re better than glass.

It’s harder to trust what’s seen through a screen, plus on the highway especially, there’s these damn monitors forever flashing away in your peripheral vision. It’s far from relaxing.

Then on a wet day, water drops stubbornly stayed on the camera, and the vision on the interior screens fogged up. The sooner this tech gets sidelined the better. Kia must offer a delete for these on the GT-Line or it risks losing more sales.

In another win for the Air, all EV9s share 800V architecture, allowing quick charging. Find an ultra-rapid charger and you’re from 10 to 80 percent in only 20 minutes.

They have the choice of five different regeneration levels – switched through paddle shifters – including an iPedal Max, which allows one-pedal driving in town. The deceleration’s quite strong, and it lets you come to a complete stop.

An annoying flaw – and common across most modern Kias and Hyundais – is a way too nannying safety suite.

While the inclusions are welcome, you end up turning half of them off as they’re simply too distracting and strict. If a safety system compels the driver to shut it down, it’s failed as a safety system.

It reads speed limit signs, but occasionally incorrectly. Stray a few km/h over and you’re greeted by flashing and then bongs. And those bongs don’t stop. It’s intolerable.

It’s such a massive car than keeping between the lanes isn’t always easy. The lane keep assist works overtime as a result, meaning there are constant little tugs on the steering wheel, you get buzzed at and it all feels overly jittery. There’s no relaxing here.

Navigating menus to turn these features off brings the next problem. You’re being driver monitored, so with eyes off the road, you’ve awakened another choir of bongs.

Once turned off, the drive is damn serene. You whisper along in near silence around town, and it’s only on the highway where tyre noise is marked. That applies to both the Air and GT-Line.

One last grumble. While the EV9 GT-Line’s matte blue colour looks groovy, I worry (a lot) about any damage on it. Can’t be an easy thing to repair. As it happened, this hard-working media vehicle had the blue scratched slightly on two door handles – not a great look.

The pop-out door handles are too plastic-feeling for a car at this price. BMW or Benz wouldn’t let one of its large SUVs get near the market without far higher quality-feeling hand-grabbers.

As for energy use, both EV9s – despite their weight and battery size differences (and the Air being single and GT-Line dual motor), our energy use on test proved remarkably similar.

The GT-Line realised 18kWh per 100km in town, and 19.5kWh/100km overall – quite a bit under the official 22.8kWh/100km figure.

The Air did a dash higher in town – 18.2kWh/100km – but 19.3kWh/100km overall. Its official number is 19.5kWh.

Considering the size and mass of these things, all economy figures were impressive. Range, we found, could be well trusted.

Conclusion

For me, the best bits of the EV9 are range-wide. Its Blade Runner-type looks, vast and practical cabin space, seven seats, 800v architecture, and silky, quiet ride. Spend $107,000 or $140,000, those goodies remain.

Sure, the GT-Line spoils you, and if you must have proper towing capacity, it or the mid-grade Earth must be picked over the Air.

It’s an upper large SUV meant for families, so I don’t really see the point of hot hatch-beating acceleration, as the GT-Line offers. When are you going to use it? The Air’s more sedate pace better suits a car like this.

A win for the Air is not having to endure digital side mirrors, but if I could choose to improve its specification, it really needs a 360-degree camera due to its size. The option of the longer range battery in the base level, and memory power seats, would be appreciated too.

It’s hard to see any buyer being disappointed with EV9 ownership. Just makes sure you really need to spend an extra five figure sum to move up from the better value entry-level Air.