Genesis GV80 vs Kia EV9

What's the difference?

The Genesis GV80 Coupe is a rare breed – it comes packed to the gills with features, has great ownership benefits and can easily accommodate a large family in comfort.

The fuel economy isn’t great but it looks and acts the part of a true luxury SUV. My husband and son were impressed and enjoyed all of the features it has.

The Kia EV9 GT-Line earns some serious family points with its practical and luxuriously appointed cabin. Each row enjoys ample amenities and space and you can’t discount the ability to fit five child seats!

That’s where similarities with its Carnival sibling end because the driving performance is too mixed for my liking. Some of its safety features don’t react well in real-world situations but if you’re looking for an electric car that will fit a big family, this ticks that box.

My son thinks the EV9 is really cool with the ambient lighting and two sun roofs. He also loves having his own climate control and sun-blinds, so he gives it a 10/10.

At first glance, there’s not a lot that separates the external styling of the Coupe and SUV, at least in the front.

The biggest difference is obviously in the rear and it's here Coupe's design shines. The SUV sibling looks nice but is a little boxy at the rear and features a dicky-looking window. The Coupe's rear is pinched but it’s rather softly done compared to some rivals.

It manages to look sleek and sexy as coupes tend to be without losing any of its large road-side presence.

The 'Storr Green Matte' paintwork on our test car highlights the high-end feel, as does the huge LED external lights and chrome accents.

Head into the cabin and you'll find design elements which accentuate the width of the car – like the long air vent strip that runs the length of the dashboard, a wide centre console and the huge 27-inch OLED technology screen that houses the media system and instrument cluster. Even the touchscreen control panel for climate and seat functions is big.

Our test model has a cream-coloured suede headliner and quilted Nappa leather seats that look plush. Contrasting stitching and the seatbelts are a bright red (or dark orange, depending on who you ask) and the panoramic sunroof adds a bright and cheery element.

The ambient lighting surrounds a lot of the features, like the cupholders and the crystal rotary dials. In fact, when you pop the car into reverse, the light changes from whatever it was to red, which is neat.

As far as luxury cars go, this totally looks the part and while design is very subjective, I love how this looks inside and out. Let us know what you think of it in the comments.

To be frank, the EV9 resembles a Lego car on steroids, but it turns heads. I’ve had more looky-loos peeking into the windows this week than any other car I’ve driven.

Once you get over the (very) square shape, there are some awesome design aspects to be had.

Like the flagship exclusive Matrix LED headlights and 'Ocean Blue Matte' paintwork that feels velvet-like under your hands. The black 21-inch alloy wheels and their aerodynamic covers look futuristic and cool.

The pronounced nose looks wide-set because of the positioning of the tall headlights separated by a strangely blank panel in the middle.

In fact, the whole exterior incorporates a slew of blank panels which reinforce the square look.

The flush auto door handles, big windows and dark roof give some cool-kid cred. The digital side mirrors are not for everyone but as a driver, you get used to them. The tech looks as though it's come straight out of sci-fi movie!

The interior is downright plush with the premium-looking upholstery and customisable 64-colour ambient lighting.

The dashboard has floating panels which create a cool 3D effect and even the badge on the steering wheel is illuminated.

There is a plethora of soft touchpoints throughout and the black headliner helps make the cavernous cabin feel almost cosy.

With all of its features offering comfort and luxury, practicality is pretty high for the GV80 Coupe.

The cabin feels almost cavernous up front for my 168cm height. As mentioned, the seats are very comfortable and there is a stretching function that briefly comes on during a longer journey to ease any fatigue in your lumbar.

The rear row is almost as large as the front and there's a limo-like quality to the legroom that taller individuals will enjoy. The headroom is good for the outboard seats but a taller adult will be hunched when sat in the middle. Keep that for a kid!

Amenities in this row are excellent with the powered outboard seats that feature heat and cooling functions, directional air-vents, climate control and retractable sun-blinds (my son's favourites). 

The individual storage is a little less than you might expect for such a large car, especially up front, as all options are on the shallow/small side.

There is a middle console (think of it as a tray), glove box, two cupholders, two drink bottle holders and a phone cubby that can be closed to keep things looking neat.

The rear row sees two map pockets, two cupholders and a storage cubby in the fold-down armrest, as well as some shallow bin storage.

Technology looks stellar, is easy to use and found throughout.

You're spoiled for choice when it comes to charging as there are four USB-C ports, three 12-volt sockets and a wireless charging pad to choose from. 

And new for 2025 is the UV-C feature, which sterilises whatever you place inside the middle console. Handy for anyone who wants to disinfect small items, like a phone, keys or wallet.

The multimedia system takes a while to get used to as the tech has been updated but once you do, it’s an easy system. You can access the media system via the touchscreen or the rotary dial. Climate control and seat functions are accessed via the large control panel that sits underneath, which is handy for when you're on the go. 

The GV80 Coupe has built-in sat nav, wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as, a 12-inch colour head-up display.

Because of the sleek rear shape, the boot space sits at 644L when all seats are in use. It’s large enough for my gear and weekly errands and I like the powered tailgate's proximity feature. As long as you have the key fob, it will open when you stand at the rear. Great for when you have your hands full.

The loading space is level and the rear seat has a 40/20/40 split, which opens up storage options. But underneath the floor, there are heaps of cubbies for extra storage of smaller items and it’s here the tyre mobility and roadside assistance kits are housed.

It’s large and you have ample space throughout the car. Even third rowers don’t miss out.

It feels quite van-like with the high seat positioning and extending centre console but you get a great view out of the massive windows.

The electrically-adjustable front seats are very comfortable but the mesh ergonomic headrests are a little too comfy!

The boxy steering wheel is nice to use but cut into my vision of the climate control screen from my driving position. I felt like I was looking around it a lot.

Individual storage is fantastic in all three rows. Up front you get a little pocket in the armrest and a huge shelf underneath the centre console.

The glove box is large, but curiously, has a small aperture. There are retractable cupholders in the centre console utility tray and drink bottle holders in each door.

The middle row has two drink bottle holders, four cupholders, two map pockets and a deep but narrow storage cubby at the back of the centre console.

Third rowers are not forgotten, either, with four cupholders and directional air vents to enjoy.

Amenities are great throughout the car and my son loves having the retractable sun-blinds and his own climate control in the middle row. It’s also an easy car to get in and out of, which we both enjoy!

The middle row's 60/40 split is a practical touch and they can be shifted manually or electrically with a one-touch button for access to the third row.

Speaking of which, there is an okay amount of room for my 168cm (5'6") height in the third row (if you push the middle row forward a smidge). And it doesn’t feel claustrophobic thanks to the wide windows.

If you have a pile of kids to shove in this car, you’ll be happy that this row also features two ISOFIX child seat mounts and two top tethers.

I wouldn’t want to be climbing into the third row to buckle in a kid, so reserve these seats for older kids.

The technology looks good but is simple to use which is always a good combination. There are plenty of charging options to choose from with each row getting two USB-C ports, while the front also enjoys a 12-volt socket and a wireless charging pad.

The touchscreen multimedia system is responsive and easy enough to use but the controls on this panel can be difficult to see and use. They’re not always responsive.

I like the satellite navigation and the way the head-up display pulls through the directions. There’s wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, too.

The digital instrument cluster is mildly customisable and easy to read. There is a little control panel on the driver’s door which houses the buttons for most of the added seat functions. But it’s hard to read as all the buttons are almost identical.

The boot is a good size when all seats are in use at 333L, which is plenty for my day-to-day errands, but pop the third row down and that jumps up to 828L.

Not as big as you might expect in a car of this size but that’s the compromise of going electric. The batteries have to go somewhere.

You do get a 52L frunk at the front, for cable storage. The loading space is level and you only get a tyre repair kit rather than a physical spare but it’s handy having the powered tailgate.

There are three variants for the EV9 and our test vehicle is the flagship GT-Line model that will cost you $121,000, before on road costs. That makes it the most expensive Kia to date, with the top-spec Carnival Platinum diesel only costing $67,580 (MSRP).

However, it’s nearest rival, the Mercedes EQS450 SUV, sits at $194,900 making the EV9 look downright cheap with the $73,900 price difference.

Yes, you could argue the badges would always offer a little price difference but Kia has made a true flagship model in the GT-Line because it is stupidly well-specified. It’s almost a case of what doesn’t it come with!

In terms of luxury appointments, occupants enjoy two sunroofs and two-toned synthetic leather upholstery. The electric front seats feature heat and ventilation functions, adjustable lumbar support and the driver gets a massage function.

The front seats have a relaxation mode, which I liken to the reclining seats in business class (someone send me on a trip to confirm!).

If you recline, add the sounds of nature feature and pop on the massage function, it’s like you’re in a day spa. Delightful.

The middle row outboard seats are also heated and ventilated which adds a lot of comfort and there’s a heated steering wheel, too.

Other standard equipment includes 21-inch alloy wheels, flush door handles, digital side mirrors, privacy tinted rear glass, pixel matrix LED headlights, 14-speaker Meridian premium sound and remote parking assist.

Practical features include a powered tailgate, extendable sun visors, retractable sun-blinds and three-zone climate control.

The technology is upmarket with dual 12.3-inch digital screens covering instrumentation and multimedia. There's also a 5.0-inch ‘quick-look’ climate control panel. A full tech run-down will come later.

The GV80 model facelift sees all variants enjoy a powerful 3.5L twin-turbo petrol V6 engine that produces 279kW of power and 530Nm of torque.

The Coupe is an AWD, features an eight-speed auto transmission and can do a 0-100km/h sprint in just 5.7 seconds.

It also has different terrain modes and a braked trailer towing capacity of 2722kg. Whether you’d use this car for that sort of stuff is another matter.

The EV9 GT-Line is a pure-electric AWD with dual motors, one located at each end of the car, producing a maximum power output of 283kW and 700Nm of torque. It has a lithium-ion battery with a big capacity of 99.8kWh.

Overall, the EV9 GT-Line is powerful and capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in just 5.3 seconds. That’s impressive for such a heavy car with a 2500kg (braked) towing capacity.

Aye, here's the rub, as the hefty power comes with a thirsty gullet.

The official combined fuel-cycle consumption figure is a hefty 11.7L/100km and my real-world usage came out at 11.4L/100km after doing a lot of open-road trips this week.

I haven’t held back using the power but it's thirsty compared to its rivals which mostly sport mild-hybrid powertrains.

Based on the large 80L fuel tank and official combined fuel cycle consumption figure this car's theoretical driving range is 684km.

It's a hulk of a thing to have to move around and the motors perform brilliantly, but my energy cycle figure surprisingly came out at only 21.4kWh, after mostly open-road driving.

The official combined energy cycle is 22.8kWh, so that's a solid result.

The driving range is up to 505km, which takes the sting out of any range anxiety.

The EV9 features a Type 2 CCS port as well as an 11kW AC charger and you can get from 10 to 100 per cent in just over nine hours.

On a 50kW DC charger, you’d see that time drop to just 83 minutes to get from 10 to 80 per cent and it will shrink to 24-minutes on a 350kW charger.

A cool feature is the vehicle-to-load capability, so you can charge and/or power larger appliances on the go. Hello camping!

The GV80 Coupe has a deep well of power to dip into and fantastic pick up. The power delivery feels effortless and it’s easy for urban and open-road driving.

The GV80 isn't as dynamic on the road as some of its rivals when it comes to the ‘sporty’ factor and you notice that the most when you hit high winds or tackle a tight turn, as there is some roll, but on the whole it’s a smooth ride. Think of it as more ‘stately’ than sporty.

The cabin is mostly quiet but wind noise can creep in at higher speeds.

The wide windows and high ride mean the visibility is very good and so is the sound quality from the 18-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system. Every school run is a concert!

The GV80 Coupe is large car and will fill out a parking space but it’s not hard to park because the 360-degree view camera system is so good and the projected parking guidelines add assurance in a tight spot. 

There is a remote parking assist feature, where you can move the car remotely from your key fob, which is great for those times someone parks a bit too close and there’s not enough door clearance to get in.

Strangely for a large SUV, this car feels most at home in an urban environment. It’s in the city where it feels nimble and easy to manoeuvre. Zippy even, and you don’t notice it’s size.

But it’s a different story on the open road. 

At higher speeds there is a lot of movement in the body and thanks to its floaty suspension the amount of roll in corners starts to make it feel cumbersome.

It has the power to handle mountain driving or overtaking, but remains a bit unsure of itself in these situations.

The steering is responsive and concise, which makes for a nice driving experience in the city and navigating a car park.

The cabin gets very little noise thanks in part to sound-absorbing acoustic glass and foam in the tyres. It makes for a fairly pleasant journey overall.

As a passenger, though, I began to suffer motion sickness thanks to the digital side mirrors! Not an issue when I’m driving, but even my husband, who has an iron stomach, commented on how distracting they are.

It’s nice having a column shifter, as it helps open up the storage in the centre console but it can make pressing the push-start button a bit awkward.

The EV9 has a decent 12.4m turning circle and is relatively easy to park. The 360-degree view camera system is clear and I love having the front and rear parking sensors on this big boy.

But to access the front camera, you have to be in Drive. You can’t select it on the touchscreen, which is a pain when you’re manoeuvring into a tight space.

If you’re not confident, the EV9 also features an updated park itself feature which means you can park it remotely from your key fob. 

The EV9 has an extensive safety list and the blind-spot view monitor, which pops a video feed of your blind spot onto your dash, is a stand-out feature.

Standard safety items include blind-spot monitoring, lane departure alert, daytime running lights, forward collision warning, side collision warning, rear-cross collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, intelligent seatbelt reminders, a 360-degree view camera system, as well as front and rear parking sensors.

There are other items but I need to call out their sensitivity issues.  

The driver attention monitor doesn’t always activate when you have sunglasses on and alerts you via multiple warning sounds and alerts on the instrument cluster.

The lane keeping aid is rather aggressive, which makes for a jerky on-road experience, and the adaptive cruise control with stop/go functionality isn’t nice to use.

Even on the shorter distance setting, it slows down way too fast when approaching a car in front.

Also, annoyingly, this model features all the warning chimes and alerts that are linked to the traffic sign recognition tech.

Go over the speed limit by one kay, chime. Enter a school zone, several chimes. If the speed sign changes, chime. If the traffic sign changes, you guessed it, CHIME.

Suffice it to say I don’t like this feature.

There's an option in the car set-up menu that turns off the warning sounds but keeps the important sign information. However, it's not permanent and has to be selected every time you turn on the car.

In better news, the Kia EV9 has just been awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating and features nine airbags which includes curtain airbags covering all three rows and side chest airbags for the second row.

Usually, you only see side chest airbags on the front row, so this is great! It also sports a front centre airbag to protect the front row from head clash injuries.

The EV9 has autonomous emergency braking with car, pedestrian and cyclist detection as well as junction turning assist.

It's operational from 10 to 80km/h but surprisingly, the car-to-car avoidance is only operational from 10 to 60km/h.

That upper speed figure usually sits closer to 160km/h. Unless there is a typo on ANCAPs website…

Families will rejoice that there is a total of four ISOFIX child seat mounts (two in the middle row and two in the third row) plus a total of five top-tether anchor points.

The car is large enough to accommodate five child seats and there’s plenty of room for front passengers when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed on the middle row.  It’s pretty much a people mover at this point!

The GV80 Coupe comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty and complimentary servicing for five-years or 50,000km, whichever occurs first.

There is also complimentary roadside assistance through Assist Australia for five years.

Since this is a turbo, the servicing intervals are a little annoying at every 12 months or 10,000km but it’s rare for a car brand, let alone a luxury one, to offer anything for free. What Genesis offers is a real plus.

The EV9 comes with a seven-year/unlimited km warranty, while its battery is covered for seven years, 160,000km. It’s normal to see an eight-year battery warranty term for EVs, though.

You can pre-purchase a three-, five-, or seven-year servicing plan, priced at $706, $1351 and $1997, respectively.

The seven-year schedule costs an average of $285 per service, which is good, but servicing intervals are more in line with a fuel-based car at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.