I've tried Rafa Nadal's new car, and these are the 10 things I like most

Kia already has a car among the biggest: the EV9. And I’m not referring to its size, although its 5 metres in length, almost 20 centimetres more than the largest model the brand had sold until now in our market, the Kia Sorento, leave no room for doubt. When I say among the biggest, I mean that with the EV9, Kia raises the bar to a level that many of us, myself included, would not have imagined a few years ago, looking sideways at the premium segment. Because although the brand insists -and I think they’re right- that this is not its league, the EV9 has everything it takes to join the game: plenty of quality, technology galore… and a price that exceeds 85,000 euros.

I don’t want to dwell too much on the price, but the question is inevitable: is the Kia EV9 worth what it costs? And the answer is a resounding yes. If we approach the question differently, it could be: would you spend more than 85,000 euros on a Kia? To answer that, it’s worth taking a look at the seven-seat electric SUVs on the market, which can be counted on one hand. For example, a Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV, a Tesla Model X or a Volvo EX90 cost more; and the Mercedes-Benz EQB SUV and the BYD Tang, which are cheaper, are smaller.

The one who didn’t have to look at all these details is Rafael Nadal, the brand’s ambassador since the tennis player took his first steps as a professional at 17, even before having a driving licence, who has just received his new EV9. I’m sure many, especially those of us going grey like me, remember those early Rafa adverts with the Kia Sportage from 2004, when SUVs were still called off-roaders. Or that magnificent slogan that defined a relationship fans didn’t quite understand when Nadal reached the elite: “An extraordinary car for extraordinarily normal people”, referring at the time to the first Kia cee’d.

Now, the player from Manacor already drives his new “company car” for this season, a dazzling Kia EV9 with GT Line trim and a spectacular matt Ocean Blue colour. And I’m not surprised he’s delighted. Although briefly, I’ve been able to drive it in a first test drive, and this is what I liked most about the Kia EV9.

1. A powerful design that catches the eye… just enough

I imagine Nadal feels the same as I do, and he won’t enjoy drawing attention when he drives; something that, in this blessed profession, happens quite often, especially when we test certain cars. But at least I value that a car has personality, that it stirs some emotion not only when driving it, but also when seeing it parked or on the road. And the EV9 has it, especially in certain body colours, like this blue or the Flare red; the grey and black tones, however, don’t appeal to me as much.

It’s true that right now it still turns many heads as it passes, but that’s also because it’s new and the timing is right: it’s starting to appear on TV, it’s a car rarely seen… and it’s Rafa Nadal’s new car, which carries a lot of street appeal. What impresses most at first is its size and its squared-off shapes, with details like the 21-inch wheels with rectangular designs, the door handles flush with the bodywork -an increasingly common solution in electric cars- and, above all, the distinctive shape of the front and rear light clusters.

But I insist, it’s not a car that looks especially overdone. We’ll see how it “ages” over time, especially considering that Kia will repeat this design in the future EV5, the compact electric SUV, or what, from what we’ve seen so far in the concept, we could define as an EV9 at scale…

2. Plenty of interior space with up to 6 or 7 seats

With these dimensions and the advantages of electric cars when it comes to making the most of interior space (you know, a platform with the battery flat under the floor, no transmission tunnel, etc.), the EV9 is the perfect car for those who often travel in the rear seats. I can imagine Nadal there, in the “relaxation” seats with fold-out footrests that Kia offers in the first and second rows when you choose the 6 individual seat configuration (2+2+2, costs 1,100 euros more than the 7-seater) after a tough training session.

Or taking the whole team along, as you can also opt for an interior with three rows of seats (a conventional bench in the second row) and seven seats. The best part in this case is that, unlike what is usual in seven-seat cars, getting in and out of the Kia is not complicated at all: the doors are huge and leave plenty of room, and the second row slides forward and folds its backrest with the push of a button. Furthermore, these seats are perfectly usable by adults, with no headroom issues and without having to keep your knees very high relative to your hips.

3. A boot that offers plenty of versatility

Will it be for tennis rackets? Or for whatever you need. Even with all seven seats in use, the EV9 offers more capacity than the best in its class, with up to 333 litres. And the gap widens considerably when talking about cargo volume with five seats and the third row folded: up to 880 litres. An Volvo EX90, for example, offers 655 litres. Folding down the second row as well, the EV9 almost becomes a van with which you could even do a house move, reaching 2,400 litres of capacity.

From a button panel in the boot you can automatically fold the second and third row seats. And there are no shortage of hooks to secure the load, power sockets (one 12-volt and one standard plug socket), a recess so the parcel shelf doesn’t get in the way when loading above the level of the seat backs, or an additional storage space of more than 50 litres under the front bonnet, ideal for carrying charging cables. Of course, the tailgate is powered and has hands-free operation.

4. Triple panoramic display of up to 30 inches

I’m one of those who think the arrival of digital screens is taking away from the design of dashboards as we knew them until now. But if I have to have more than one screen, I’d rather have them all together, not one for the instrument cluster on one side, another for a separate multimedia system that forces me to turn my head, and a third, usually placed lower down, for the climate control. And in this respect, the EV9 debuts a triple-screen configuration that I quite like, and which we will surely see in future models from the Korean brand.

They are really independent screens, but they’re placed side by side, all under a common frame, so they look like one. Behind the steering wheel is the instrument cluster, at 12.3 inches, configurable and changing colour depending on the chosen driving mode: red for sport mode, green for ECO and, in this case, orange for normal mode. Next comes a smaller 5.3-inch screen to handle all the climate control settings, followed by the touchscreen of the multimedia system itself, in the same 12.3-inch format. Additionally, it can also be fitted with a head-up display projecting information onto the windscreen.

The good thing about this “triple screen” is that it also offers high-quality graphics, the touch operation works very well, and the operating system is on a par with the car: the fluidity and structure of the menus make it clear this is an advanced system, as is the voice control.

5. Performance, comfort and range: a long-distance SUV

For a car as big as the EV9, which exceeds 2.6 tonnes in weight, the 385 hp produced by the two electric motors -one on each axle- may seem modest; especially considering how easy it is to offer “cheap horsepower” thanks to electric propulsion. Take the MG 4 X-Power, for instance, a compact that costs half as much as the EV9 and boasts GTI-level performance with its 435 hp. But once you set off, the EV9 surprises with its acceleration -from 0 to 100 km/h in just over 5 seconds- and also its in-gear response: flooring it, it goes from 80 to 120 km/h in under 4 seconds. Merging onto a fast lane or overtaking is very easy.

Driving not just moderately fast, but simply driving on narrow roads or in town is not so easy, for several reasons: the EV9 takes up a lot of road and doesn’t turn very sharply. The ride comfort, however, is excellent, thanks to how the suspension works and how well it is acoustically insulated.

In theory, the homologated range of 505 km under the WLTP cycle is enough to travel without problems. In practice this holds true, but it confirms what usually happens with all electric cars: it’s impossible to get close to the official figure except by using “tricks” that are not advisable in open traffic. Driving smoothly, you can plan journeys of up to 400 km before stopping to recharge, leaving a good margin. And if you’re in a hurry… well, think twice, because the real-world range will drop by almost half and you’ll have to stop more often.

6. Ultra-fast charging…

This is probably a feature that owners of a car like the Kia EV9 will end up using less than they might imagine at first. But I’m sure they’ll all feel what I feel: knowing my electric car is compatible with 800-volt ultra-fast charging is reassuring. What does this mean? That the EV9 can be charged at up to 240 kW, recovering more than 220 km in just 15 minutes, and reaching 80% battery capacity in under half an hour.

The intelligent route planner automatically recommends a charging point based on your route and conditions the battery so charging is as efficient as possible. Just as a curiosity, consider this: recharging the 99.8 kWh battery from a domestic socket would take… almost two days, complete with nights.With alternating current at an 11 kW charger, a full recharge takes around 9.5 hours.

7. …and ready for bidirectional charging V2L, V2G and V2B/V2H

The EV9 is not the first Kia prepared for bidirectional charging V2L, debuted on the EV6. Here it comes as standard, and allows you to power devices that draw electricity at 220 V using the car’s battery, which supplies 3.7 kW. You can, for example, charge an e-scooter or an electric bike; or connect a fridge, a laptop, a lighting system…

But in the EV9, bidirectional charging also includes V2G and V2B/V2H functions. The first allows the vehicle to supply electricity to the grid, which makes it possible to store cheap electricity during off-peak hours and feed it back to the grid when electricity is more expensive or during peak demand. The V2B and V2H functions allow the vehicle to supply electricity to the home. These functions are still little known, but they are gradually starting to be implemented across Europe.

8. A sustainable approach, even if it’s partly for show

I confess I hesitated until the last moment about whether to include this section among the 10 selected. But in the end, here it is. And let it be said that I see it more as a marketing exercise than anything else, but in these times it’s “cool” to boast about sustainability. And Kia does so again and again whenever it refers to the EV9’s interior.

I don’t know where so many recovered fishing nets for making floor mats come from, but the EV9 couldn’t stay out of this trend. Although in the Korean SUV the commitment to continuously integrating new bio-based materials into the vehicle’s interior goes much further. Eliminating animal-origin leather is one of them, and leather made from bio-polyurethane, partly derived from corn, has a magnificent feel and excellent appearance. There is also -of course- material from recycled PET bottles in the dashboard, the doors and the pillars. And bio-based paints are used for the trim and interior mouldings. All the threads used in the upholstery seams, as well as the felt throughout the vehicle, come from 100% recycled PET.

9. Assisted parking and 360-degree camera

This is not, in fact, any novelty; we have already seen and tested it on many other cars, including some in lower segments and price ranges. But it remains a very interesting feature, especially in a car like this, to be able to park automatically and remotely, whether perpendicular, diagonal or even inside car parks. As easy as manoeuvring from the key itself, I can confirm.

The 360-degree camera is also interesting, because it shows an overhead image and a changing 360-degree view not only when parking but also while driving, and it is even possible to stream the image to a smartphone.

10. Other interesting features

In addition to everything mentioned, I’d keep a whole series of details that I would also have included, but I had to cut somewhere. For example, the “Car Wash” function, which closes all doors and windows and folds the mirrors with a single button press before entering a car wash tunnel. Or the ability to lock and unlock the car via mobile phone and to connect two mobile phones to the car simultaneously via Bluetooth, as well as the fingerprint sensor located in the huge central armrest, which identifies the driver and allows the car to start, as well as activating their stored settings for the seats and multimedia system.

A car like this also gains prestige from a audio system such as the Meridian Premium, with 14 speakers and surround sound. And if we continue with gadgets or technological features, the list becomes endless: the first intelligent cruise control based on Artificial Intelligence that learns your driving style (sorry, I haven’t been able to test that yet), radar and lidar sensor equipment to enable -when possible in Spain, for now it’s only available in Germany- Level 3 automated driving, the possibility of expanding equipment functions wirelessly after purchase…

And what I like least about the Kia EV9 is…

So, is the Kia EV9 so good that there’s nothing I dislike? Well, yes, it is that good. But it does have its quirks, although you’d have to be very nitpicky to put them in the debit column.

For example, I’d highlight how difficult it is to drive on narrow roads, navigate the city and find spaces large enough to park it easily. It’s so big and so wide that it only parks easily in Costco car parks. And it doesn’t turn very sharply, which doesn’t help; a rear-wheel steering system, like many cars of this size already have, would greatly improve this aspect.

And while we’re asking for things, although I reserve my final verdict until I can drive it more thoroughly off motorways and on very smooth tarmac, in a car at this level and price it wouldn’t have hurt to offer the option of an air suspension or at least adaptive damping, even though the conventional springs and dampers work wonderfully.

Kia EV9 – Image gallery

Technical specifications of this car

Off-RoadKIA EV92 versions · from 85,185 €