It’s KIA’s turn to give in to the trend of paid boosts.

For 900 dollars, American customers of the KIA EV9 can unlock a significant performance boost.

Thanks to Tesla for paving the way, or even knocking down psychological barriers. By launching the trend of electronic performance and range unlocks, the American automaker has created a new “free” revenue stream. Free, because the vehicles in question have already been sold and possess this available resource, essentially charging willing customers twice. The modern-day Stockholm syndrome?

Since then, Ford has jumped into the breach and now KIA is following suit. The South Korean manufacturer is thus considering the idea of increasing the performance of its large and heavy electric SUV EV9 through an electronic unlock. When trying to make a mark in the market, and with a limited fleet in circulation, one might have expected a commercial gesture, but no.

What about range?

KIA is launching a BOOST feature priced at 900 dollars in the United States, which is about 825 euros, through the Kia Connect app. This is currently limited to EV9 models equipped with all-wheel drive and an initial power of 385 horsepower. The two-wheel drive version, which would arguably benefit the most from this due to its modest 204 horsepower, is not eligible at this time.

Factually, there is no increase in power, but in torque from the two motors. The available torque increases from 600 to 700 Nm combined, representing a gain of 16.6%. This is sufficient for improved acceleration, with a 0 to 100 km/h time dropping by 0.7 seconds, settling at 5.1 seconds. A nice performance for a 2.4-ton behemoth. But it’s hard to see the EV9 as a sports model.

The interest shifts more reasonably to the figures for passing, when the big baby is already in motion.

30-71 km/h: -0.3 seconds
60-100 km/h: -0.3 seconds
80-120 km/h: -0.1 seconds

Well, it’s not so obvious that one would be convinced these 900 dollars are truly worth it, except perhaps for showing off a bit more at the BBQ among fellow dads. KIA does not communicate any impact on the increase in energy consumption, but nothing is free in terms of physics. Therefore, there will certainly be a degradation of range, even more so if your driving style focuses on achieving the best acceleration dynamics. Ultimately, the goal sought by Tesla, which aims for more range, is far more relevant in our view.

Now, should we assume that other KIA models, as well as those from the Hyundai group, will introduce this costly whim? Very likely.

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