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By Jonathan Crouch

The EV9 GT aims to set fresh standards for Kia. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 38

Kia's most ambitious model and its fastest-ever SUV is this car, the EV9 GT. This flagship EV has more power than a seven-seater in this segment could ever need, plus an exclusive feel - and an exclusive price.

Backgroundword count: 108

What exactly might be the price ceiling for any sort of Kia? The brand is continually pushing the boundaries of that question and here it does so again with this car, the EV9 GT. With over 500bhp, this flagship version of the brand's all-electric EV9 luxury seven-seat SUV aims to set a fresh standard for just how fast you can go in an electric car with three rows of seats. But obviously there's a high price to pay for that. Still, in return you get a very exclusive-feeling EV9 indeed. Whether you could really use all of that performance with all three rows occupied is quite another question.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 218

Let's leave aside for the moment why anyone would want a seven-seat electric luxury SUV with 515bhp. And instead take a closer look at just what's on offer here. Namely the most powerful SUV that Kia has ever made, courtesy of a 215bhp motor on the front axle and a 362bhp motor at the rear. The total output is 124bhp more than the fastest standard EV9 model can produce. And catapults this 2.7-tonne family SUV to 62mph in just 4.6s, making it one of the fastest seven-seaters ever made. The power is delivered to the potent accompaniment of the same simulated gearbox and 'engine' sound system used by a close cousin model that shares much the same engineering, Hyundai's IONIQ 5N. This set-up can be controlled by using paddles on the steering wheel. To handle all that power, there's electronic suspension which adjusts its firmness based on drive mode. There's also an electronic limited-slip differential that distributes power to the wheel with most traction. Like other EV9s, this one can tow 2,500kgs and has Level 3 autonomous drive technology. There's the same 99.8kWh battery as used by lesser EV9s, but its range takes a dive with this GT - to 280 miles, down from 349 miles with a base EV9. Stopping power is boosted by bigger front brakes.

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