With over 500 horsepower, this is one all-electric family vehicle that has three rows of seats and no waiting.
Say what one will – and many rightly do – about the spectre of driving an EV, but there’s no denying the fact they can be tweaked to make devastatingly powerful performance numbers. The latest into this hyperactive arena of all-electric SUVs with a third row and a ridiculous number of horses in the stable is this 2026 Kia EV9 GT, set to whisk you and the fam jam to 60 mph in 4.3 seconds thanks to dual electric motors belting out an estimated 501 horsepower.
Those motors are mounted fore and aft, as you’d expect, meaning all-wheel drive is part of the equation helping this thing thrown down numbers which are very fleet of foot. Up front is a 160 kW motor while a 270 kW hangs out at the rear. Their combined 501 horses are a 122 hp jump from the EV9 GT-Line’s 379 ponies. It is worth noting Kia says its internal testing is still in the hopper, so final numbers may be slightly different than this figure; given the Type A personalities at car companies, we don’t expect it will be less than the 501 hp estimate.
A so-called electronically controlled suspension is a first for Kia in three-row SUV action, adjusting shock damping and the like. Drive modes are said to alter steering and brake feel in concert with the suspension. Interestingly, the GT retains 7.8 inches of ground clearance like any other EV9 and can still tow 5,000 pounds. Kia says a ‘virtual gear shift’ plays well with its Active Sound Design system to simulate internal combustion, but it doesn’t seem to be on the level of tricks that cars like the Ioniq 5 N can turn. Similar to the EV6 GT, the EV9 GT comes standard with an electronic limited slip diff. Note well: it is going to arrive with an integrated North American Charging Standard (NACS) port.
Playing spot-the-difference in traffic should be easy, since the GT gets different lighting patterns up front, unique 21-inch wheels, and brake calipers painted that bright green first found on the EV6 GT. Inside, seats are distinct to the GT and apparently feature more aggressive bolstering to go along with their Alcantara inserts. Trim is GT specific, as are some of the graphics displayed in that jumbotron of a digital dashboard.
Pricing, availability, and the like will be announced at a later date.
[Images: Kia]
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