2024 Kia EV9 vs 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

The 2024 Kia EV9 presented a bold evolution in Kia's electric vehicle lineup, showcasing a design that was both familiar and forward-thinking. Its exterior maintained the brand's signature style, enhanced with a modern, blockier aesthetic reminiscent of digital clock numbers. The vehicle's body lines elegantly followed the octagonal wheel arches, and the rear window angled sharply upwards, almost meeting the roof spoiler. The lighting signature was a standout feature, with the "Star Map" daytime running lights creating a sleek outline around the new "Digital Tiger Face" grille. The LED headlights varied in design depending on the trim, appearing as either dashes or dots. The top Land trim offered additional lighting options, including a Digital Pattern Lighting Grille, which added a constellation of light points visible only when the vehicle was on. Owners had the option to purchase additional lighting patterns, adding a personalized touch to their EV9.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport reinforced its position as a sportier SUV within the Range Rover family, boasting a taller stance with a shorter wheelbase and chopped top for a more athletic appearance. Large front air intakes and faux vents on the hood and fenders contributed to its sporty look, though from certain angles, it appeared a bit too tall and narrow. The SV Edition Two, the highest-performance model, featured 23-inch carbon-fibre wheels and a carbon-fibre hood with an exposed patch. Despite its subtle exterior, the interior was adorned with red leather upholstery, sport seats with light-up "SV" inserts, and illuminated steering-wheel paddle shifters. The minimalist aesthetic was consistent across all models, with a touchscreen, stubby shifter, and engine start button interrupting the smooth dashboard and centre console. The high console, dash, and door panels created a cockpit-like feel, though it made the front seats feel slightly cramped for a vehicle of its size.

The 2024 Kia EV9 offered a range of powertrain options, starting with the Light trim's single motor, rear-wheel-drive setup producing 215 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, with an EPA-estimated range of 370 kilometres. The Wind model, equipped with a larger 99.8-kWh battery, reduced horsepower to 201 but extended the range to 489 kilometres. The top Land trim featured all-wheel drive with dual motors, delivering 379 hp 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. During a test drive in Napa Valley, the EV9 GT-Line demonstrated smooth power delivery and good handling, with minimal body roll and adjustable regenerative braking. Fast charging capability allowed the EV9 to charge from 10 to 80 percent in 25 minutes on a high-speed DC fast charger.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport offered multiple powertrain options, all with an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel drive. The base Dynamic SE model featured a 3.0-litre turbocharged inline-six engine with 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. The plug-in hybrid variant increased output to 454 hp and 487 lb-ft. The Autobiography model offered a more powerful plug-in hybrid powertrain with 543 hp and 590 lb-ft. A twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8, sourced from BMW, was available for Dynamic SE and Autobiography models, producing 523 hp and 553 lb-ft. The SV Edition Two pushed the V8's output to 626 hp, making it the most powerful Range Rover model. It achieved 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds, with a top speed of 290 km/h. The sport-tuned air suspension, four-wheel steering, and brake-based torque vectoring enhanced agility, while the Terrain Response system and air suspension provided off-road capability.

The 2024 Kia EV9 stood out with its spacious third row, offering 1,004 millimetres of headroom, surpassing the Kia Telluride, BMW X7, and Rivian R1S. Third-row legroom ranged from 783 to 813 mm, depending on the middle row's configuration. The EV9 could seat up to seven passengers, with a second-row bench seat option. Cargo space measured 572 litres behind the third row, expandable to 1,231 litres with the third row folded, and 2,313 litres with only the front-row seats in place. The high and flat load floor facilitated easy luggage retrieval. Up front, the "floating" centre console offered limited flat surface space, but the angled wireless charging pad and large open compartment provided storage options. Second-row passengers in GT-Line trims enjoyed a large drawer and tray table.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport, positioned between the Velar and full-size Range Rover, offered a two-row, five-seater configuration. Front-seat occupants found headroom comparable to other midsize luxury SUVs, though the Acura MDX and Audi Q7 offered slightly more legroom. The sloping roof minimally impacted rear-seat headroom, with only the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE offering more. The Sport provided 835 litres of cargo space behind the second row, expandable to 1,860 litres with the rear seats folded. While lacking a split tailgate, power operation and an "access height" setting for the air suspension eased loading and unloading. The Sport's towing capacity reached 3,500 kilograms for turbo-six and V8 models, with plug-in hybrids rated at 3,000 kilograms.

The 2024 Kia EV9 featured a three-screen curved display, with a 12.3-inch driver information display, a 5-inch Climate Display, and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen. Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a wireless charging pad were standard. Higher trims offered a 14-speaker Meridian Premium Audio system and a head-up display. The EV9's connectedness was notable, with over-the-air updates and the Kia Connect store allowing owners to purchase additional features and upgrades. This future-proofing approach enabled customization and enhancements over time, appealing to both new and used EV9 buyers.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport shared its screen setup with the larger Range Rover, featuring a 13.7-inch digital instrument cluster and a 13.1-inch touchscreen for infotainment. Wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa integration were standard. The minimalist design, while visually appealing, limited physical controls, requiring screen widgets for climate control and drive mode selection. Steering wheel controls offered limited alternatives. The Pivi Pro infotainment system was responsive, with natural-language voice recognition. The SV Edition Two featured "Body and Soul Seats" with embedded transducers, providing a unique, albeit amusement park-like, experience.

The 2024 Kia EV9 offered a comprehensive suite of standard advanced driver-assistance systems, including adaptive cruise control with navigation-based machine learning and stop-and-go capabilities, blind-spot collision avoidance assist, and forward collision avoidance. The Blind-spot View Monitor and reverse parking collision avoidance assist were available on higher trims. The EV9 received the highest rating from Euro NCAP, though it had not yet been tested by IIHS or NHTSA.

The 2025 Land Rover Range Rover Sport included standard driver-assist features such as automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, and blind-spot monitoring. A 360-degree camera system and digital rearview mirror aided parking, though parking sensors were overly sensitive. Safety ratings from IIHS and NHTSA were not available at the time of writing.