A Peek Into The Mind Of GM's North American President

Back in December 2023 my wife mentioned to me that she was getting a little tired after 15 years of the Voom Voom Voom of her SS. The sound of the Borla factory exhaust was not what she wanted to hear in a daily driver. I had originally bought this in 2008 for her when after our kids had finished college, she wanted to fulfill her life dream of getting an advanced education. She started her college career driving our Escalade ESV to the University of Washington campus and finding that a full-size SUV was hard to park in the garages of compact parking spaces with minimal regular parking spaces. Let's put this all-in perspective, the Escalade ESV has 345hp, 380 lb.-ft of torque with V8, 14 mpg average, curb weight of 5,911lbs, 10 inches of ground clearance, 79.5 inches wide, 75 inches tall, 221.4 inches long and a wheelbase of 130 inches. A comfy road quiet auto that is just big but makes driving very comfortable. 0 to 60 mph of 6.2 seconds. I replaced it with a Trailblazer SS, Corvette inspired powertrain that makes 390hp, 400 lb.-ft of torque with V8, 12 mpg average, curb weight of 4,496lbs, 7.8-inch ground clearance, 74.7 inches wide, 67.8 inches tall, 191.8 inches long and a wheelbase of 113 inches. An auto designed for performance with a Borla exhaust that lets folks know you are here. 0 to 60 of 5.9 seconds. Kia EV9 Land AWD Long Range edition with relaxation package has 379hp, 516 lb.-ft of torque electric, 80 MPGe average, curb weight 5,886lbs, 7.8 inches of ground clearance, 77.9 inches wide, 70.1 inches tall, 197.1 inches long and a wheelbase of 122 inches. 0 to 60 of 4.4 seconds. Relaxation package adds heated and cooled seats to the second row along with calf leg support on both the first and second row seats allowing for lazy boy reclining comfort. The differences of the EV over the SS are as follows: 11hp less, 116 lb.-ft of torque more, 1,400 lbs. heavier, 3.2 inches wider, 2.3 inches taller, 5.6 inches longer, wheelbase is 9 inches longer along with 1.5 seconds faster. The EV comes with the following driving modes, eco, normal, sport, snow and custom. You can clearly tell that the suspension tightens up in Sport mode, much tighter than the SS ever was even though both had 20-inch rims with identical size tires. The longer wheelbase here allows the EV to still have a very comfortable ride while being spirited in driving, back in Normal mode, it rides on par with my Escalade that has magna ride. What does that give me, a more comfortable ride, roomy interior with space for 6 adults compared to a tight fit of 5 adults. The relaxation package which I did not realize it had till I was being taken over the auto after the deal closed is nice as it goes from just having the heat and cooling of the front seats to the middle row of seats having heat and cooling plus all 4 captain chairs have the lazy-boy approach of cafe support that comes up, chair will straighten out and give you a very comfy sleep capable setup. The wireless android auto is great, while the system has a high encryption security system, when you get in based on your fob you would have to punch in a pin to actually get the EV started, if you have Kia Connect on your smartphone and place it on the wireless charging pad, it will allow you to start the auto without having to enter your pin. I am pleasantly surprised on just how much bigger the interior is of the EV9 over Kia's Telluride which is very nice for an ICE auto as my son traded in his Jeep Grand Cherokee on one. They are pretty much the same width, length, height and ground clearance and yet the interior space is so much more on the EV9 especially behind the 3rd seat for storage. Yes, the EV9 has a Frunk and while some might consider it not useful, it is bigger than many out there but not as big as a Mach e. It can hold 44lbs @ 1.8 cubic feet of space. I am looking at what Kia recommends the ChargePoint+ 80amp hardwired Level 2 charger for my garage. This gives a 10% to 80% charge in 3hrs and 45 min. I will be trying at the end of the week the 110 Volt charger that came with the EV9. While I still have plenty to learn on this EV, I will say that I love the lighting of the auto inside, the layout of the dash is great. Turn signals have a circle that pops up on the dash showing you the side of your auto so you can make sure not to hit anything on the side. The 360-surround camera system is outstanding and clear, even in heavy rain, have ended up leaving it set to have the rear-view mirror run in camera mode all the time as it is better than a traditional mirror. Ask any and all questions, happy to answer them. For all pictures check out my gallery. DFELT First EV - 2024 Kia EV9 - Vehicles - Cheers & Gears (cheersandgears.com) View full article

These are attractive little vehicles *for their class*. I'm slowly seeing more and more of them.  Then again, I have no clue if I'm seeing the new Trax or Trailblazers...hahaha. 

MECHANICAL PHOTOS The engine bay is neatly arranged as it typically is in GM products, with dipsticks, reservoirs, and an easy to reach battery ... someone would have had to help me find the turbocharger One can see 3 exhaust manifold passages below the engine shroud The engine placard says 1.3 liters and long running OBD II diagnostics - - - - - END OF PHOTOS

INTERIOR PHOTOS This is what the driver sees upon entering and the light switches are in their own small panel (set to auto) This is the view from the passenger's door and this provides a good view of the outlets above and buttons below the cubby space at the front of the console The dashboard is very sensibly arranged, easy to learn, and easy on the eyes ... note several push buttons for drive mode, traction, etc. right ahead of the shift lever and various plugs right below the climate control panel.  The touch screen is engaged and the vents above the center stack provide excellent air circulation. This shows typical Chevrolet gauge graphics, a fuel gauge with graphic bars, and an always useful coolant temperature gauge.  Key lights for driving modes (traction, following distance, etc.) are above the graphic display box between the 2 round gauges. This is the typical graphic box in various Chevrolets and, once it has been learned, toggling between trip, vehicle, and eco. becomes easy.  Trip has the most options while eco. rarely needs to be used.  To the left of the odometer is the graphic which shows AWD or 2WD. Cubby hole for phone, outlets for plugs, and push button controls (partial, at the right) sensibly arranged as well as honeycomb hatch to look like it could have been fabric Rear seat legroom appears to be respectable.  The two-tone effect on the fabric is fairly nice and there are map pockets behind both front seats. This shows the rearward view from the driver's seat which would make lane change and parking assists helpful The rear seats follow a "60-40" (long running car jargon) split back, a courtesy lamp, and a groove for the rear cover (which was not present in the vehicle) This gives an idea of the cargo space with the rear seats in their upright position as well as 2 usable storage wells at each side of the rear cargo area

EXTERIOR PHOTOS The side view shows the more compact shape and the sheet metal accents, attractive alloy wheels, and a roof rack  The angled rear view shows taillamps which look fairly true-to-form for Chevrolet, but the liftgate is slightly heavy to pull up and push back down ... a person also has to make sure it's fully shut The angled front view shows attractive (LED) lighting