Range Rover vs Kia EV9

What's the difference?

The Range Rover Autobiography long wheelbase is an outstanding SUV that is not just beautiful to drive but makes family practicality a priority, too, 

The price is reasonable relative to the competition, the features list is long and complementary servicing offers peace of mind.

If you don’t need the third row, I’d consider the standard wheelbase Autobiography even if it does reduce legroom, there’s still plenty of space.

My son stopped short of giving the Range Rover Autobiography full marks "because there are no massaging seats in the second row".     

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.

This fifth-generation Range Rover debuted in 2021 and despite its smooth, modern styling this SUV retains the familiar traditional Range Rover look with the short squared bonnet, flat roofline and tall windows.  

Let’s talk about the wheelbase, because it has a huge impact on passenger space.

We had the long wheelbase which is 3197mm between the front and rear wheels - that’s 200mm more than the standard wheelbase. 

Just look at those stretched rear doors in the photos - this is a go-anywhere limousine, or go-anywhere daycare centre in my case.

The overall length of the long wheelbase Range Rover is 5252mm. That’s big, but the design of this SUV doesn’t make it appear enormous.

What I don't like are the retractable door handles. They take a while to pop out and they look and feel cheap. Land Rover has used these on its other SUVs and if I had time I’d pen a letter asking the company to please stop. I’m sincerely hoping this review will do the same thing. I await your response JLR.

I think the tail-lights are pure genius. The pencil thin design is such a brave move away from the norm where brands are going over the top with LED lighting, and the simplicity is refreshing.

Inside, a traditional-looking Range Rover cabin awaits you with the flat dashboard, the low window sills contrasted by super modern touches like the displays and fully digital dials.

It’s sumptuous, luxurious, but not over the top. Again some people are looking for bling and gimmicks, but you won’t find them here - and I like that. This interior feels solid and substantial, but plush. 

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.

Range Rovers have been a family favourite for decades and they’ve been doing school runs and trips away long before other brands even thought about producing SUVs for families.

So what you’re buying is Land Rover’s decades of knowing how to make a family SUV and you can tell by little things such as, how wide the doors open, how easy it is to get in and out of (even for little kids), the flat floor, the good visibility (thanks to low window sills), and then there’s the space and cabin storage. Stuff other brands seem to be still working out.

The second row seats in the Autobiography have electric sun shades, dual-zone climate control and the window seats are power adjustable and heated.

My eight-year old couldn’t resist playing with his electric sunshade and the seat adjustment, but fortunately the driver has an override switch which let me turn off his 'seat privileges’ as he called it. 

Being the long wheelbase means the rear doors are long and heavy. So while the eight-year old could open them, he had trouble closing them. 

The long wheelbase offers unrivalled legroom in the back and that meant my wife and I could put our own seats back further for our own comfort -even with a baby seat behind us.

Enormous door pockets, a giant centre console storage area, cupholders in all three rows, USB ports, wireless phone charging and in our case an optional domestic power outlet ($130) made this a comfortable, roomy, well equipped cabin.

Sure, the third row isn’t exactly spacious, but I’ve never met one that is. 

The intelligent seat folding system is remarkable. From the boot or side doors you can electronically adjust the second and third rows - either to raise them or lower them so they are flat for storage.

With all seats in place there is 229 litres of cargo space still left in the boot, but with those back seats folded flat you have 713 litres of capacity - and that’s just up to the cargo cover. 

The Range Rover Autobiography has air suspension and this means the SUV can lower itself to an 'Access' height to make it even easier to get in and out.

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 4.4-litre twin-turbo petrol V8 is a perfect match for the Range Rover Autobiography.

There’s enormous power at 390kW and a colossal 750Nm of torque, but it’s delivered so smoothly and without sounding like Armageddon is beginning.

You might here the engine referred to as the P530. That signifies it’s petrol and makes about 530 horsepower. 

All that grunt means that despite weighing more than 2.7 tonnes, this SUV can hurl itself from a stand still to 100km/h in 4.8 seconds. 

An eight-speed automatic sends the drive to all four wheels. And making this SUV incredibly capable off-road is an excellent four-wheel drive system with a low range gear, plus a maximum ground clearance (thanks to the adjustable air suspension) of 283mm and a wading depth of up to 900mm.

There is a six-cylinder diesel, but if you decide on that instead of the V8 then it's all over between you and me. That’s how good this V8 is.

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.

Now, you’re going to use a lot of fuel. But that’s okay because this will probably be your last petrol car and the next one will be electric so let’s go out with a bang - last drinks at the petrol bar! Land Rover says you’ll use 11.8L/100km.

After a week of punishing my Range Rover with school drop offs, shopping centre car parks, hilly suburbs, motorways and rural roads the petrol pump told me we’d used 19.8L/100km.

I’m not shocked by that consumption. This is a 2.7 tonne all-wheel drive twin-turbo V8 SUV that was almost always ferrying around four people with a pram, garden supplies and shopping in bumper to bumper traffic. A real world fuel test. 

There is that six-cylinder diesel and a hybrid version of the Range Rover, but this V8 engine suits the character of the SUV perfectly - anything else and it’s like eating reduced fat ice cream.

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!

Driving the V8-powered, long-wheelbase, 2.7-tonne, Range Rover Autobiography is a lot easier than it sounds. Really, it’s the Range Rover’s height above sea level which will strike you first.

You’ll lord it over other cars. The length doesn’t come into it - even for parking because the visibility is so good, the steering is so light and the engine is civilised and smooth.  

This is truly an easy and enjoyable SUV to drive, with power and performance whenever you need it. 

There are several drive modes from a 'Dynamic' sporty one, which makes the engine more responsive and suspension firmer, to off-road settings.

Most of the time I left the Range Rover in 'Comfort' mode for the softest ride, but with 530 horsepower lurking in the background ready to jump out and eat up hills and overtaking.

The front seats are wide, comfortable and supportive even after hours of driving. 

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 warranty is good with five-years and unlimited kilometre coverage.

There’s also five years roadside assistance and a complimentary five-year/130,000km service plan.

Yep, that's complimentary, as in free servicing for five years. I didn’t believe it myself and called Land Rover to check and was told that it does indeed mean free-of-charge.

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.