Comparison Kia EV9 and Land Rover Defender 130: Meeting of the Iconic Edges

If you have a parking garage full of cars and need to find a stylish three-row multi-seater due to family expansion, that is definitely a luxury problem. A very big one in the truest sense of the word. And since you can't take all the kids or friends with you in sports cars, hypercars, or luxury sedans, you need something practical. But please, no boring city vans in long versions or transporters – practicality should also have style.

Cult: Boxy Off-roaders instead of Round Edged Vans

So better an SUV or off-roader. Of which there have recently been exciting variations. A site visit to a parking garage deep in the south of Munich, where two of these practical seven-seaters are available, with different characters but both in a strikingly boxy design. First, the Kia EV9, which boasts 283 kW (or 385 PS) and stands 1.78 meters tall, whispers into the garage: It has no problem with the height limit covered from two to 1.9 meters, but it does with the occasional tightness of the garage, where it needs to be carefully maneuvered into its "box," where the wallbox awaits it. With 22 kW, it would be charged in five hours; at 11 kW, one should rather have eleven hours, but this can always be done overnight at home (provided its charging port and communication don’t act up) and thanks to 800 volts, it also charges quickly on the go: Ideally, up to 249 kilometers can be added in 15 minutes and you can continue the journey.

The Defender is 14 centimeters taller and eight centimeters longer than the Kia

Now it gets loud: Because behind it, the 1.92-meter tall Defender 130, with a 183 kW (249 PS) strong Ingenium inline-six-cylinder, drums down the ramp and we grab for safety again on the roof: Yes, it fits, there’s still some space, it runs! Without the spare tire, it measures 5.09 meters long (with it 5.36 meters) and is thus even longer than the EV9, but thanks to a shorter wheelbase (though still a generous 3.02 meters) it is a bit easier to maneuver through the garage into its box without a wallbox, as the diesel needs to be fed every 500 to 700 kilometers depending on driving style. What is somewhat bothersome here is that frequent drivers must also keep an eye on the AdBlue level since the additionally injected urea helps to clean the exhaust gases to Euro-6 standards.

All the kids – in this case, an actual soccer team with a coach – have been dropped off back home. Time to pack for the ski weekend. Also with fourteen people? Only if you take roof boxes along because the interiors of the two giants are not fully flexible. Starting with the Kia, whose rearmost seatbacks can always be folded down or set up electrically. The row in front can only be folded 60:40 by a spring, and the seatbacks must then be manually adjusted to the side. It becomes clear that those sitting in the back must make themselves narrow when transporting skis since rows three and two must partially be folded down. Therefore, the ski trip is maxed out at five people, as Kia left the last bit of flexibility out here. At least, the middle row can be shifted and the backs reclined, which is necessary if not just dwarfs want to ride in the very back. In liters, the Kia achieves a loading volume of 333 to 2,318 liters, the Defender 290 to 2,291 liters. To be fair, Land Rover doesn't only state the rather very optimistic DIN and VDA values here.

The Defender is basically designed as an eight-seater

It’s similar with the Landy, to which 34 cm has been added at the rear for row three, ruining its departure angle off-road. It is basically designed as an eight-seater and offers a side-opening door instead of the tailgate and straps if you want to fold row three from the rear. Row two is also shiftable here (otherwise it also gets tight in the back) and folds down sideways. Skiing would work well for six people by flattening the middle seatbacks.

Once that's done, we can set off, and as mentioned – despite more length, the British vehicle assembled in Slovak Nitra is easier to maneuver out of the garage, thanks to the shorter wheelbase. Due to its 3.10 meter wheelbase, the Kia always needs to be steered a bit like a bus straight first and then around the corner so as not to catch the rear wheel or the rear door somewhere. But unlike the Landy, it leaves the garage whisper-quiet, although the British also bring enough punch and sovereignty to diesel thought quietly from the depths. The ZF eight-speed automatic transmission always finds the right connections, and only a subtle diesel hum comes from the engine room.

On the road, both feel very different

Overland, they both pick up speed quickly, although the driving behavior is completely different, and the perceived size suddenly reverses: Although the Defender is fundamentally much closer to the EV9 in terms of comfort than its predecessor, it remains significantly softer than the stiff Kia. Due to its firm tuning, the latter now feels much more compact and has a harder time with small bumps and uneven surfaces than the Defender, which glides over them more easily but with much more lax handling and now feels much larger than the EV9.

Energy consumption rises dramatically in both above 120 km/h

Power and performance are, of course, always on-demand from the E-machines, while the British Ingenium six-cylinder first has to build up boost pressure and thus torque, which you only notice in a direct comparison since the six-cylinder is always strong otherwise. You can pull the Kia up to 200 km/h on the highway if needed, and the Landy can reach 188 km/h, but you move both pleasantly quietly, sovereignly, and with fairly moderate energy consumption at 120 to 130 km/h.

Both have off-road programs, but…

In the ski area, the hut for the Kia should not be too unreachable high: Although it has all-wheel drive and various sub-programs to increase wheel power and better cope with different surfaces like sand or mud. And its approach angles are not so bad thanks to the short overhangs. But when it comes to the ramp angle between the axles, ground clearance, and the ability to lock differentials, the Landy is superior: He has also simplified his off-road competence into driving programs, but "Gravel" or "Mud" are interpreted, locked, and implemented here much more elaborately than with the Kia. So in an emergency, you can climb wild forest paths or fords uphill or downhill, which you better avoid with the Kia. Moreover, the Defender, offering 21 cm of ground clearance in standard setting (which can be raised by 8 cm off-road), also does not shy away from water crossings up to 90 cm deep, where the EV9 would already get wet inside. So it also depends on how far the team transporter should go. Otherwise, an electric Peugeot e-5008 would probably be a much more sensible and not so unstylish solution, but it doesn't come close to the cult status of our two character heads. Do you want to tow something too? Okay, the Defender can tow up to 3,000 kg braked, the Kia a strong 2,500 kg for electric cars.