Good review thank you. Only observation would be you say not to compare the car with a Mere EQB and then go on to do exactly that talking about insurance.???? why???
Let me say at the outset that I am sure this car has all the quality materials, luxury look and feel and tech that every reviewer has said it has. I'm sure it is well made as well. I live in Australia where the top spec model will cost around $135K (AUD drive away). My questions about this car relate to the market it is aimed at. In Australia the average family is 2.59 people the figure is similar in the UK, mainland Europe, NZ, Canada and the USA in other words a large slice of the developed world where this car will be sold. I understand that Kia had expected to sell 100 of these vehicles in Australia (not a huge number). Now given the statistic about the size of the family and the cost of this vehicle my thought is those who might need a 7-seater are not in the position to afford this one and those who can afford it and are willing to pay the price do not need a 7-seater. Further at 2.5 tonnes and over 5 metres in length it is hardly the car for the urban runaround as is the best place for EVs. Taking it out on the highway will see range reduced sharply due to the lack of regen braking and should anyone want to tow something the range will be further reduced. It is not really suitable for off roading in Australia due to low ground clearance, lack of charging infrastructure in areas where off roading would be popular and again the reduced range. So my question is what were Kia thinking? A small to medium size hatch/sedan or god forbid another urban SUV cross over (Mini Countryman style) like those offered by MG, BYD or Ora might have been a better option to encourage the take up of EVs and present the Chinese makers with some real competition. Thanks for your very comprehensive review.
There is def a big market here for 7 seaters - you see so many Kia Carnivals here - but yeah an average Australian family is more likely to get the Carnival then they are to get the EV9 - EV9 is more geared towards those who want a car that's a grade above normal but still below luxury - so a very niche market. But I think this is meant to be their flagship EV - I think the EV3 which is basically a mini EV9 and is a 5 seater would be more popular in Australia. You also see plenty of EV6s on the road - saw a cop car the other day too.
To get same features, power and size you need to shop for likes of a fully loaded Volvo XC90, Landrover discovery, Range Rover, Mercedes GLE(barely comparable in size)/ GLS(Same size) BMW X7 or barely comparable X5. Every car of the competition are way more expensive and still are combustion cars. If you go look at electric rivals you see such as Model X, EQS SUV, already 2 years late Volvo EX90 which is soon landing the market, BMW iX(ALOT smaller) and a Polestar 3. This is by quite a margin the largest of these, and at the same time by a large margin the cheapest both entry price and if you go spec for spec. We're talking tens of thousands on difference. Only if you go for the smallest rivals such as a iX you get some what close. But iX is TINY in terms of interior compared to this. And you can not equal the running costs of this over long period of ownership. 7 years warranty, can not beat that.
@@Harhawink on the Australian market it’s pretty much the EQS or EV9 for those features… while the EQS is a very nice car it’s also 3x more then the EV9 so it’s kind of an obvious choice.
@@Harhawink I'm sure all the points you make are valid. My key point is that EVs make the most sense in large densely populated areas like the major urban centres on the eastern seaboard of Australia and a few patches around the south coast (Adelaide in South Australia) and west coast (Perth in Western Australia). The EV9 makes no sense as an urban runaround - it's just too big and costly for such a job. It is not going to make much of an impact on the off roaders because of charging infrastructure where they like to go and the loss of range when adding a caravan or a boat.
Agree it’s not a mass market car, but it does play in the 7 seater market quite effectively. As an EV alternative to 7 seater market it’s pretty compelling. And if you can find it at a price that allows for tax-free ownership (FBT) then cheaper than every other option of this size by a huge margin.
This Kia worths the money. Better that a lot of European types
Good review thank you. Only observation would be you say not to compare the car with a Mere EQB and then go on to do exactly that talking about insurance.???? why???
This channel do some excellent reviews but please enough of the WEF driven phoney green planet propaganda.
Let me say at the outset that I am sure this car has all the quality materials, luxury look and feel and tech that every reviewer has said it has. I'm sure it is well made as well. I live in Australia where the top spec model will cost around $135K (AUD drive away). My questions about this car relate to the market it is aimed at. In Australia the average family is 2.59 people the figure is similar in the UK, mainland Europe, NZ, Canada and the USA in other words a large slice of the developed world where this car will be sold. I understand that Kia had expected to sell 100 of these vehicles in Australia (not a huge number). Now given the statistic about the size of the family and the cost of this vehicle my thought is those who might need a 7-seater are not in the position to afford this one and those who can afford it and are willing to pay the price do not need a 7-seater. Further at 2.5 tonnes and over 5 metres in length it is hardly the car for the urban runaround as is the best place for EVs. Taking it out on the highway will see range reduced sharply due to the lack of regen braking and should anyone want to tow something the range will be further reduced. It is not really suitable for off roading in Australia due to low ground clearance, lack of charging infrastructure in areas where off roading would be popular and again the reduced range. So my question is what were Kia thinking? A small to medium size hatch/sedan or god forbid another urban SUV cross over (Mini Countryman style) like those offered by MG, BYD or Ora might have been a better option to encourage the take up of EVs and present the Chinese makers with some real competition. Thanks for your very comprehensive review.
There is def a big market here for 7 seaters - you see so many Kia Carnivals here - but yeah an average Australian family is more likely to get the Carnival then they are to get the EV9 - EV9 is more geared towards those who want a car that's a grade above normal but still below luxury - so a very niche market. But I think this is meant to be their flagship EV - I think the EV3 which is basically a mini EV9 and is a 5 seater would be more popular in Australia. You also see plenty of EV6s on the road - saw a cop car the other day too.
To get same features, power and size you need to shop for likes of a fully loaded Volvo XC90, Landrover discovery, Range Rover, Mercedes GLE(barely comparable in size)/ GLS(Same size) BMW X7 or barely comparable X5. Every car of the competition are way more expensive and still are combustion cars. If you go look at electric rivals you see such as Model X, EQS SUV, already 2 years late Volvo EX90 which is soon landing the market, BMW iX(ALOT smaller) and a Polestar 3. This is by quite a margin the largest of these, and at the same time by a large margin the cheapest both entry price and if you go spec for spec. We're talking tens of thousands on difference. Only if you go for the smallest rivals such as a iX you get some what close. But iX is TINY in terms of interior compared to this. And you can not equal the running costs of this over long period of ownership. 7 years warranty, can not beat that.
@@Harhawink on the Australian market it’s pretty much the EQS or EV9 for those features… while the EQS is a very nice car it’s also 3x more then the EV9 so it’s kind of an obvious choice.
@@Harhawink I'm sure all the points you make are valid. My key point is that EVs make the most sense in large densely populated areas like the major urban centres on the eastern seaboard of Australia and a few patches around the south coast (Adelaide in South Australia) and west coast (Perth in Western Australia). The EV9 makes no sense as an urban runaround - it's just too big and costly for such a job. It is not going to make much of an impact on the off roaders because of charging infrastructure where they like to go and the loss of range when adding a caravan or a boat.
Agree it’s not a mass market car, but it does play in the 7 seater market quite effectively. As an EV alternative to 7 seater market it’s pretty compelling. And if you can find it at a price that allows for tax-free ownership (FBT) then cheaper than every other option of this size by a huge margin.
Looks like an enormous brick. Styled by a 2 year old. Mind you Tesla got to the 2 year old first.