2024 Kia EV9 vs 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was a significant addition to Toyota's lineup of crossovers and SUVs, positioned between the Highlander and the Sequoia. Built on the TNGA-K platform, it shared its underpinnings with the regular Highlander, RAV4, Sienna, and Camry, distinguishing itself from the body-on-frame Sequoia. The Grand Highlander was notably large, measuring 5,115 millimetres in length with a 2,950 mm wheelbase, offering a spacious interior that surpassed competitors like the Kia Telluride. Its design was more conservative and blockier, drawing inspiration from rugged vehicles, with a trapezoidal grille and narrow headlights reminiscent of the 4Runner. Available in three trims—XLE, Limited, and Platinum—the Grand Highlander featured black Softex synthetic leather on the XLE, with real leather on higher trims. It boasted a comfortable interior with adjustable seats, heated features, and ample storage, making it a well-built road-trip vehicle.

The 2024 Kia EV9 marked a bold step in Kia's EV lineup, with a design that was both distinctly Kia and cutting-edge. Its exterior featured blocky lines and a unique lighting signature, including the "Star Map" daytime running lights and the "Digital Tiger Face" grille. The top Land trim offered a Digital Pattern Lighting Grille with customizable light points. The EV9's interior was notable for its spacious third row, providing ample headroom and legroom, even surpassing models like the BMW X7. It could seat up to seven passengers, with various seating configurations available. Cargo space was competitive, with a high and flat load floor for easy access. The EV9's interior design included a "floating" centre console and thoughtful storage solutions, enhancing its practicality and comfort.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander offered three engine options. The base model featured a 2.4-litre turbo four-cylinder engine producing 265 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. For those prioritizing fuel efficiency, a 2.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid option delivered 245 combined net horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. At the top end, the Hybrid Max powertrain combined a 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder with electric motors, generating 362 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. All models in Canada came with all-wheel drive, and the Hybrid Max offered impressive acceleration with a zero-to-60 time of 6.3 seconds. The Grand Highlander was known for its solid brakes and adequate acceleration, though its steering feel was somewhat numb. It featured three drive modes—Sport, Eco, and Normal—with additional off-road modes for gas-only and Hybrid Max models.

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 EPA-estimated range of 370 kilometres. The Wind model featured a larger 99.8-kWh battery, reducing horsepower to 201 but extending the range to 489 kilometres. The top Land trim came with all-wheel drive and dual motors, delivering 379 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque, with a range of 451 kilometres for the base and Premium Package versions. The GT-Line prioritized performance, offering 435 kilometres of range. The EV9's power delivery was smooth, with good handling and adjustable regenerative braking. It featured Kia's i-Pedal one-pedal driving mode and fast charging capability, allowing it to charge from 10 to 80 percent in 25 minutes on a high-speed DC fast charger.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was larger than its primary rivals, with a length of over 5 metres and a 2,950 mm wheelbase. This translated to generous interior space, with a total cargo capacity of 2,761 litres, surpassing the Kia Telluride by over 300 litres. With the second-row seats up, it offered 1,640 litres of storage, and with all three rows up, 583 litres were available. The Grand Highlander provided ample headroom, legroom, and shoulder room in every row, making it comfortable for adults, even in the third row.

The 2024 Kia EV9 stood out with its spacious third row, offering 1,004 millimetres of headroom, surpassing models like the BMW X7. 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 various seating options available. Cargo space behind the third row measured 572 litres, expandable to 1,231 litres with the third row folded and 2,313 litres with only the front-row seats in place. The EV9 featured a high and flat load floor for easy access, and its interior design included a "floating" centre console and thoughtful storage solutions.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander came with a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, offering a visually stunning interface. An intelligent assistant was available via a connected-services subscription, responding to voice commands for tasks like adjusting the temperature. The system included dual-device Bluetooth connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an 11-speaker JBL stereo on higher trims. Streaming audio integration and Sirius XM satellite radio were also available.

The 2024 Kia EV9 featured a three-screen curved display, including a 12.3-inch driver information display, a 5-inch Climate Display, and a 12.3-inch infotainment screen. It offered wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, with a wireless charging pad as standard. Higher trims featured a 14-speaker Meridian Premium Audio sound system. The EV9's connectedness was noteworthy, with over-the-air update capability and the Kia Connect store offering additional features and upgrades. This allowed owners to customize their vehicles over time, enhancing the EV9's appeal.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander had not yet been crash-tested by the NHTSA or IIHS, but it came with Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 as standard. This suite included automatic emergency braking, lane-departure alert, lane-tracing assist, automatic high beams, road-sign recognition, and blind-spot monitoring. Adaptive cruise control with four following-distance settings was also standard.

The 2024 Kia EV9 had not been rated by the NHTSA or IIHS, but it received the highest rating from Euro NCAP. It featured a comprehensive suite of advanced driver-assistance systems, including adaptive cruise control with navigation-based capabilities, blind-spot collision avoidance, and forward collision avoidance. Some features, like the Blind-spot View Monitor, were reserved for higher trims.