Who needs a Kia with 502 hp and costs "from" £82,185 ?

[Hutch]

I specifically chose the Santa Fe premium, as the 5 seater had so. Much space under the rear luggage area for carrying stuff, I preferred the next level up but it only came in 7 seats, which when folded down I lost the extra luggage space.

 

[Tobes]

Why bother with a 7 seat car if you are going to fold the extra seats flat as that is carrying additional weight and not environmentally friendly due to extra fuel? Tongue firmly in cheek. LOL! 🤣

Just for the fun of folding them up and down. Tongue firmly in cheek.

I wonder how often that occasion arose and was it worth the extra expense? Obviously when carrying 7 there is no room for luggage for 7 people. Does your current car have 7 seats?

On many occasions. When from home going on day trips with extra friend for the kids. Cutting down on a second car and driver when more than 5 traveling (e.g. with parents). Allowing an extra person to drink if out for a meal. When away from home with family, allowing for point to point walks without the double car shuffle.
No - the current cars don't have 7 seats, bit the children grew up and left home.

However it was your choice and nothing wrong with that, however quite often when reading reviews weirdly one of the main criticisms of some SUV was lack of the 7 seats. To us not having 7 seats is a plus point.

Thats because you didn't need them. We did then, and even now it would be occasionally useful. However, not enough to need one every day.

However by the same token we have always had two cars so between them they can carry 10 people and not 7. LOL! 🤣

We often had the same total capacity - but with just 7 traveling (5 of us and two parents). Made for a very flexible use as we could take one car, for all 7, but still have massive luggage space for the 5 of us on the journey up and back.

 

[Tobes]

It's not easy for Hyundai/Kia to sell anything at £80k+ - it takes a long time to build a prestige brand as they're finding with Genesis - especially when the Chinese newcomers are much cheaper.

Let's be clear - it's not easy for _anyone_ to sell a car at £80K+. However, it's happening more and more frequently. Kia and Hyundai have a huge reputation for quality, reliability and value. The 7 year warranty says a lot. I would argue that with Kia, you know that the car you are getting will be well supported, cheap to run and have all the bells and whistles you would expect on a "more premium brand" at a lower price point.

If I were in the market for a 7 seat MPV/SUV crossover, the EV9 would absolutely be on my list, and in a very rarified space as there are perhaps only 2 or 3 7 seat models to choose from.