The Ascent has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The EV9 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Ascent. But it costs extra on the EV9.
The Subaru Ascent’s rear backup camera has a standard washer for maintaining a clear view under various conditions. In contrast, the Kia EV9 does not offer a rear camera washer, meaning its effectiveness relies on manual cleaning by the user when necessary.
Both the Ascent and the EV9 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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, available around view monitors and driver alert monitors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Ascent is safer than the Kia EV9:
|
Ascent |
EV9 |
OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
190 |
265 |
Neck Injury Risk |
21% |
31.9% |
Neck Compression |
8 lbs. |
13 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
159/292 lbs. |
273/407 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
210 |
267 |
Chest Compression |
.7 inches |
.8 inches |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
35/30 lbs. |
462/471 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Subaru Ascent is safer than the Kia EV9:
|
Ascent |
EV9 |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Chest Movement |
.5 inches |
.5 inches |
Abdominal Force |
73 lbs. |
87 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
149 |
183 |
Hip Force |
637 lbs. |
728 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.