2024 Kia EV9 vs 2024 Buick Envista

The 2024 Kia EV9 presented a bold evolution in Kia's electric vehicle lineup, maintaining the brand's signature style while pushing the envelope with a modern, angular design. Its exterior featured a blocky aesthetic reminiscent of digital clock numbers, with octagonal wheel arches and a sharply angled rear window. The lighting design was particularly innovative, with the "Star Map" daytime running lights and the "Digital Tiger Face" grille, offering a futuristic touch. The top Land trim's Digital Pattern Lighting Grille added an extra layer of sophistication, with customizable lighting patterns available for purchase, enhancing the vehicle's modern appeal.

In contrast, the 2024 Buick Envista took a different approach, drawing inspiration from the Buick Wildcat EV concept. Its coupe-like profile, with a sloping roofline, gave it a sleek, modern look, reminiscent of luxury crossovers like the BMW X2. The split lighting design, with daytime running lights positioned above the real headlights, added a unique touch to its front-end styling. The Envista's design was more refined than its predecessors, with black exterior trim on the ST grade and bright trim on the Avenir, enhancing its premium feel. The interior, while similar to the Trax, featured smoother surfaces and softer materials, though some elements felt less premium due to the price point.

The 2024 Kia EV9 offered a range of powertrains, starting with the Light trim's single motor, rear-wheel-drive setup producing 215 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, with an electric range of 370 kilometres. The Wind model, with a larger 99.8-kWh battery, provided a slightly reduced 201 horsepower but extended the range to 489 kilometres. The top Land trim featured all-wheel drive with dual motors, delivering 379 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, with a range of 451 kilometres for the base and Premium Package versions, and 435 kilometres for the GT-Line. The EV9's performance was smooth and refined, with adjustable regenerative braking and fast charging capabilities, promising a 10 to 80 percent charge in 25 minutes on a high-speed DC fast charger.

The 2024 Buick Envista, on the other hand, was powered by a 1.2-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine, producing 137 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. While lacking an all-wheel-drive option, the Envista's powertrain was smooth and refined, offering a more premium feel compared to its predecessor, the Buick Encore. The suspension setup, with a Buick-exclusive Watts Link rear suspension on models with 19-inch wheels, provided improved ride quality, though the rear end felt unsettled on less-than-perfect pavement. Despite its small engine, the Envista accelerated with urgency, offering a quieter and more comfortable ride than the Trax.

The Kia EV9 stood out with its spacious third row, offering 1,004 millimetres of headroom, surpassing competitors like the Kia Telluride and BMW X7. The third-row legroom ranged from 783 to 813 millimetres, depending on the middle row's configuration. With a maximum seating capacity of seven, the EV9 provided ample cargo space, with 572 litres behind the third row, expandable to 2,313 litres with the rear seats folded. The interior featured a floating centre console, though storage space was limited, with a large open compartment on the floor and a shallow top-closing cubby.

The Buick Envista, with its longer wheelbase, offered increased rear-seat legroom and shoulder room compared to the outgoing Encore. However, the coupe-like roofline resulted in reduced headroom, particularly in the second row. The seats were comfortable, and a power moonroof was available on higher trims. Cargo space was limited, with 586 litres behind the rear seats and 1,189 litres with the seats folded, less than the old Encore and the Trax. The Envista's car-like design provided good outward visibility, making it easy to manoeuvre in tight spaces.

The Kia EV9 featured a cutting-edge infotainment system with three screens in a single curved display, including a 12.3-inch driver information display, a 5-inch Climate Display, and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen. Standard features included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless charging pad, and an eight-speaker sound system, with a 14-speaker Meridian Premium Audio system available on higher trims. The EV9's connectedness was a highlight, with over-the-air updates and the Kia Connect store offering additional features and upgrades, providing a future-proofing aspect to the vehicle.

The Buick Envista came standard with an 11-inch touchscreen and an 8-inch digital instrument cluster, offering wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless phone charging, and Wi-Fi connectivity. The user interface was similar to the Trax, with easy-to-use controls and retained buttons and knobs for climate and audio volume. However, the centre stack's tilt towards the driver made controls a bit of a reach for passengers. While lacking some advanced tech features like a head-up display, the Envista offered a decent amount of technology for its price range.

The Kia EV9 came with a comprehensive suite of advanced driver-assistance systems, including adaptive cruise control with navigation-based machine learning, blind-spot collision avoidance assist, and forward collision avoidance. However, some features like the Blind-spot View Monitor and reverse parking collision avoidance assist were reserved for higher trims. The EV9 had not yet been rated by North American safety organizations but received the highest rating from Euro NCAP.

The Buick Envista's standard safety features included automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane-keep assist, and lane-departure warning. In Canada, additional features like adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitoring were standard. Crash-test ratings from IIHS and NHTSA were not available at the time of publication.