Kia EV9 review - Interior & comfort

The EV9 is certainly a striking car that’s not lacking in road presence. Its gloss black wheelarches and lower body trim, chiselled bodywork and vertically stacked LED exterior lighting ensure it looks every inch the contemporary SUV. Features such as its flush nose and door handles also hint at the lack of a combustion engine under its bonnet. The traditional grille is replaced by bodywork which can also feature customisable light patterns that are hidden until they illuminate.

Step inside and you’re greeted with Kia’s most high-end interior yet, with a widescreen front display, minimalist layout and a combination of sustainable fabric and wood trim for a soft and warm aesthetic. That said, it’s still not as premium-feeling as a BMW X7 or Range Rover, despite sitting in that price range. Kia has also thoughtfully included separate fan and heater controls, along with a metallic volume knob that’s a pleasure to interact with. 

Many of the car’s other interior materials are sustainably sourced, with a dashboard made from bioplastic (which comes from vegetable oils, corn extract, sawdust and sugar cane), and the door trims are made from recycled plastics, so it’s clear lots of thought has gone into ensuring the EV9 has environmentally-friendly credentials if you dig deeper into its design.

There are attractive circular air vents in the ceiling with separate controls for passengers, and cabin quality even holds up in the back, but it’s a shame there’s no full-length panoramic sunroof. Instead, there’s a small opening sunroof over the front seats, with a fixed panel farther back.

Is the Kia EV9’s infotainment and navigation system easy to use?

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Infotainment is taken care of by three screens – one nestled behind the steering wheel for driving information, a touchscreen that spans across the dashboard for media and navigation information.

Kia has also thoughtfully included separate fan and heater controls, along with a metallic volume knob that’s a pleasure to interact with. The haptic buttons for the infotainment system aren’t quite as convincing, however, with a slight hesitation between prodding them and the desired response – we’d prefer traditional buttons instead.

Is the Kia EV9 well equipped?

The Kia EV9 comes in three different trim levels: Air, GT-Line and GT-Line S. We were thoroughly impressed in our time with the entry-level Air model because it felt loaded with plenty of tech as standard. It boasts 19-inch alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display and 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. With so much tech thrown in, including keyless entry, a 360-degree parking camera, plus heated and ventilated seats in the first two rows and plentiful driver assistance and safety tech, it’s hard to fathom why you’d feel the need to opt for a higher spec.

If you do decide to step up a level, though, GT-Line brings larger 21-inch alloys, while the overall styling also gets a sportier look. This trim also gains two-tone upholstery, LED headlamps with an adaptive beam, different roof rails, an electrically adjustable steering column, electrically adjustable front seats with a memory and massage function, plus a remote parking feature.

Top-spec GT-Line S brings 21-inch alloys, a front and rear sunroof – the front one gets a tilt and slide function, while the rear one slides only – a head-up display and a premium Meridian 14-speaker sound system. This model can actually be specified with a six-seat layout which replaces the middle row bench seat with two ‘captain’s chairs’ for increased comfort – these also swivel to face the doors for increased ease when getting in and out, or to make it easier to put children into a car seat. Keep turning them and they can face the rear-most passengers.