Kia has opened the order books in its home country of South Korea for its renewed absolute top sedan: the K9. The K9 does not change generation, although the facelift that Kia carries out on the model is quite drastic. We can now also show you the interior of Kia’s beast.
We do not know Kia’s K9 in Europe. Although the car has been called K9 in South Korea for years, the car previously went through life in the United States as K900 and elsewhere in the world as Quoris. The K9 is Kia’s answer to top sedans like the Lexus LS and has been around for a while. The first generation saw the light of day in 2012, the current second generation was launched in 2018. The second generation K9 is now a few years old and that means that the time is ripe for a facelift.
Kia K9
That facelift is quite drastic. Kia previously showed photos of the exterior of the renewed K9, which showed that the 5.12 meter long sedan will not only get a completely new front, but also a new rear. The relatively round headlights and the rounded grille of the original presented in 2018 have been replaced by flat, sleek binoculars and a larger, more angular grille. The hood is also completely new. Kia mounts new taillights on the back, although the shape of the base units is still reminiscent of the original ones. However, those units are also new. They have a new LED layout and are connected by an LED strip that runs the entire width of the butt. The license plate is moved down one floor and is no longer in the tailgate, but in the rear bumper. In the center of its buttocks, the K9 proudly bears the new Kia logo.
Kia K9
The changes that Kia makes to the interior are less drastic. The 12.3-inch large infotainment screen gives way to a unit with a thick 14-inch diameter. The K9 is introduced to a fingerprint scanner, a system with which the top sedan immediately knows who is taking a seat in the car and, based on that knowledge, sets such things as the position of the seats, the position of the mirrors and the climate control. The K9 will now receive over-the-air updates and the interior is finished with nicer materials, according to Kia. In addition, the sound insulation would also have been improved.
Kia K9
The K9 will soon be available in South Korea with a blown 3.3 liter V6 petrol engine, but is also available with a naturally aspirated 3.8 V6. The starting price of the K9 is converted to a modest € 47,000. For comparison: the Mercedes-Benz S-class costs over €99,000.