Compare the2024 Kia EV9VS 2024 BMW iX

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Kia EV9 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW iX doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Kia EV9 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW iX doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the EV9 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The iX doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The EV9 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The iX doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the EV9 and the iX have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The EV9 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The iX’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the EV9 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than BMW covers the iX. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the iX ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Kia dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the EV9’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 22 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 42 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 15th.

On the EPA test cycle the EV9 gets better mileage than the iX:

The EV9 can travel longer on a full charge than the iX on a full charge:

For better stopping power the EV9’s brake rotors are larger than those on the iX:

The EV9 stops shorter than the iX:

For better traction, the EV9 has larger standard tires than the iX (255/60R19 vs. 235/60R20). The EV9 GT-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the iX (285/45R21 vs. 275/40R22).

The EV9’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The iX doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the EV9’s wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than on the iX (122 inches vs. 118.1 inches).

The EV9 GT-Line AWD handles at .86 G’s, while the iX xDrive50 pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Kia EV9 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 550 pounds less than the BMW iX.

The EV9 offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the iX can only carry 5.

The EV9 has 1.2 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 3.9 inches more rear legroom and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the iX.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the EV9’s middle and third row seats recline. The iX’s rear seats don’t recline.

The EV9’s cargo area provides more volume than the iX.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the EV9 uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The iX doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the EV9 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the iX only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the EV9 has standard extendable sun visors. The iX doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the EV9 to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The iX doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The EV9 has standard front air conditioned seats and the EV9 Land/GT-Line also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The iX doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The EV9 has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The iX doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The EV9 is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The iX doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The EV9 was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2024. The iX has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the EV9 as the 2024 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The iX has never been chosen.