In the 1980s, the German automobile industry decried that Japan was moving to export its cars to Europe. A decade later, South Korean companies like Hyundai and Kia were seen as the new threat. With their emphatically simple and affordable cars, the new manufacturers catered to customer groups that the German carmakers could no longer reach. However, the reputation of South Korean cars was not good at first: to put it kindly, they were not considered to be of particularly high quality and only partially reliable, but they were cheap. Almost 30 years later, the development could hardly be more dramatic. In front of us is a test car for well over 82,000 euros – with the Kia logo on the bonnet. As a rear-wheel drive model, the EV9 is “already” available from 72,490 euros, but for the test, Kia sent the all-wheel drive model in GT Line equipment. The brand has developed enormously since its European launch and, thanks to its affiliation with the Hyundai Group and access to its platforms, has brought ever-better cars onto the market. Kia has used the shift towards electric mobility to expand its own range upwards. The result, which is being tested here, is the EV9 – a 5.01 metre-long electric SUV that is actually aimed at the Asian and American markets. However, as Kia sees the potential to sell a few vehicles in Europe as well, the EV9 is also offered in Germany. And with data that is quite impressive. The battery holds 99.8 kWh, can be charged to 80 per cent in less than 25 minutes thanks to the 800-volt system and the electric all-wheel drive with two motors, it delivers 283 kW. Not just the data that impresses However, our experience after over 1,000 kilometres in the EV9 also shows that it is not just the figures on paper that are convincing, but also the things that cannot be easily squeezed into a table of technical data – driving behaviour and software, to name just two examples. However, nothing is perfect and there is room for improvement in the EV9. Take fuel consumption, for example. A car as large and angular as the EV9 is, of course, no miracle when it comes to consumption, but even at temperatures in the double-digit range, the EV9 could only be brought below 20 kWh/100 km on routes that were driven very efficiently. With the driving style in our test, the average was 25.4 kWh/100km, which gives a calculated range of 391 kilometres. The onboard computer of the test car was last reset 3,334 kilometres ago and shows an average of 27.5 kWh/100km for this route, although we cannot make any statement about the driving style of other users. With this consumption, 361 kilometres would still be possible with a full battery charge – and if you calculate the usual long-distance range of ten to 80 per cent charge level, this results in only 262 kilometres between two charging stops. Image: Sebastian Schaal Image: Sebastian Schaal Image: Sebastian Schaal Image: Sebastian Schaal Image: Sebastian Schaal Image: Sebastian Schaal Image: Sebastian Schaal Image: Sebastian Schaal Image: Sebastian Schaal Image: Sebastian Schaal For large parts of our test, we were travelling in very good conditions. On a section of the motorway, we were able to see that consumption can be noticeably higher in poorer conditions. It had cooled down to just four degrees overnight, the embankment was lightly covered in snow, the road was damp – and the interior temperature was set at 21 degrees. And the fuel consumption in the 120-130 kph speed range rose towards the 30 mark. That brings the calculated real-world range closer to 300 kilometres and the 70 per cent value in the order of 215 to 230 kilometres. For a car with a 99.4 kWh battery. Considering the aerodynamics with the high, massive front and the steeply sloping rear, which leaves a large hole in the air, this is almost an expected result. Every extra kilometre per hour on the motorway has a noticeable effect on fuel consumption. On the test average with country roads and some city traffic, however, the range is fine again. In addition to range, a good long-distance electric car also needs good charging behaviour. And this is where the EV9 can play to its strengths. However, the charging curve differs significantly from other models on the E-GMP platform, which the EV9 also uses. The 77.4 kWh battery, familiar from the EV6 or Hyundai Ioniq 5, charges at up to 240 kW at its peak, but reduces somewhat at higher charge levels. Not so in the EV9: here we didn’t see more than 205 kW on the display. On the other hand, an output of around 200 kW is constantly available up to just over 60 per cent charge level. And even then, the power is initially only reduced to 175 kW before dropping to 104 kW at 80 per cent. A constant 200 kW over this wide range is nevertheless remarkable. Such a constant charging curve is almost reminiscent of the BMW i3 – only by a factor of 4 higher. While there is little to criticise about the fast charging itself, the charging planning is still not quite ideal: the Kia always planned the charging stops on the way to the destination up to 100 per cent, which is unrealistically long, however, this can be altered in the vehicle’s settings. The sat nav’s initial prediction of when you will arrive at your destination is therefore not useful. A detail criticism that you might be able to get over in another price category. However, the fact that an 80,000-euro car does not have a function that numerous free smartphone apps offer could be improved. The selection of charging stations that the sat nav should take into account, on the other hand, can be filtered well – for example by provider or charging capacity. If a fast charging stop is automatically scheduled, the car automatically…
