Spacious, seven-seat electric SUVs are like buses – you wait an eternity for one to come along and then three arrive almost at once.
Hyundai’s sister company, Kia, was arguably the first with its boxy and purposeful EV9 , while Volvo beat Range Rover to it with the massive and palatial EX90 – even if some of the interesting safety tech wasn’t quite ready.
Now it is the turn of Hyundai’s Ioniq 9, the third installment in the marque’s globally appreciated Ioniq range of vehicles that spans the game-changing Ioniq 5 N performance hatchback to the avant-garde and divisive (in looks, not performance) Ioniq 6 saloon.
The Ioniq 9 is similarly eyebrow-raising in its design approach, borrowing styling elements from the worlds of luxury SUVs, station wagons (or shooting brakes) and, erm , palatial sailing yachts.
Standing almost 1.8 meters tall and measuring over five meters in length, the Ioniq 9 cuts an imposing figure on the road. But it has also allowed its designers to create a sense of interior roominess that is difficult to find anywhere outside of a Volkswagen ID Buzz and other such van-based vehicles.
Of course, the van similarities end there, because Hyundai has imbued the Ioniq 9 with a level of luxury and premium build quality that has yet to be seen from the Korean marque outside of its domestic market.
Factor in the colossal amount of tech, driver assistance features and general handy interior kit, and it makes for an impressive overall package.
Smooth operator
(Image credit: Hyundai)
It’s worth doing a quick tour of the Ioniq 9’s specs first, so here goes. An absolutely monstrous 110.3kWh battery pack (that’s Rolls-Royce Spectre size) sends power to a 160kW (214bhp) motor at the rear axle in the Long Range RWD version, or to a motor on each axle in the Long Range AWD variant.
Total power output for that model is 230kW (or 308bhp), but there’s also a range-topping Performance AWD model that swaps out the measly 70kW motor at the front for twin 160kW units. Expect almost 430bhp from that.
Naturally, it is the quickest to accelerate from rest to 60mph, taking just 4.9 seconds (not bad for something that weighs over two tonnes), while maximum battery range in the slightly more reserved Long Range RWD is pegged at 335 miles.
Seeing as the Ioniq 9 is based on the Hyundai Motor Group’s E-GMP platform, it packs 800V electrical architecture, meaning it can charge 10-80% in just 24 minutes from a 350kW charger.
(Image credit: Hyundai)
Those figures make for impressive reading, especially when you consider the Ioniq 9 is designed to transport up to seven people, or five people, four golf bags and five duffle bags when the rearmost seats are folded flat.
To do this, the large SUV employs a number of clever tactics to increase overall efficiency, including the option of digital side mirrors that reduce drag, an ultra-efficient heat pump system for warming the cabin and clever Active Air Flap that only opens when the cooling system for the battery and motors requires it, ensuring the Ioniq 9 is as slippery as possible.
On that note, SangYup Lee’s swooping design, complete with ‘boat tail’ rear deck, is actually one of the most aerodynamic shapes Hyundai has produced to date, beating the Ioniq 5, despite the clear mismatch in size.
Room with a view
(Image credit: Hyundai)
Depending on the market, the Ioniq 9 can be configured in multiple ways, with either six or seven-seat options on the table. In some cases, the second row of seats in the six-seat model can swivel 180-degrees when parked, so they can face the rearmost row for a game of Uno or an arm wrestle.
Both the front and second row seats electrically recline to the point that they lay almost completely flat, complete with leg rests that pop up, while massaging options deliver lumber and gluteal pommeling for front passengers and a sort of aggressive vibration for those seated in the second row.
There are USB-C power outlets pretty much everywhere (six in total) that can deliver up to 100W of power through a special Hyundai cable when a high-power output mode is selected. These draw power directly from the vehicle’s monster battery pack and will happily charge laptops without the need for a 110-volt adaptor.
(Image credit: Hyundai)
Aside from the carefully curved twin 12.3-inch digital displays that make up the infotainment system and driver display (we will get onto that later), the piece de la resistance in the cabin is a new Universal Island 2.0 that offers masses of stowage space between driver and front passenger, but can also be slid forwards or backwards if anyone needs to climb through the cabin.
The sumptuous seats, thick carpets and general sense of airiness found inside the Ioniq 9 is the closest I’ve felt to traveling inside a moving living room.
A lot of automakers are banding around the notion of a ‘lounge-like’ interior, but the sumptuous seats, thick carpets and general sense of airiness found inside Ioniq 9 is the closest I’ve felt to traveling inside a moving living room.
The Korean domestic market model I experienced even featured high-definition seat-back screens for second row passengers, which allowed for Bluetooth headphones and gaming peripherals to be connected for video or music streaming, as well as gaming on the move.
The sound of clacking Xbox controllers and mild bickering over what YouTube channel to watch certainly reminds me of my living room, anyway.
Silence is golden
(Image credit: Hyundai)
The often traffic-choked Korean highways aren’t exactly the best place to test a vehicle’s dynamics, but it is a great way to get a good feel for how a vehicle the size of the Ioniq 9 behaves in dense traffic.
At first, it feels a little intimidating, with the sheer length proving a little tricky to thread through underground car parks and tight spaces. But, thanks to an extremely simple driving experience (there’s just a gear selector stalk, a brake and a throttle pedal), it soon becomes second nature.
Even the digital wing mirrors, which I’m not usually a huge fan of, give an accurate depiction of surroundings and handily super impose red lines that indicate where the rear of the car is.
Plus, there’s the full suite of park assist functionality, including fully autonomous parking systems and emergency braking, to make life easier. That said, all-wheel-steering, like that found in the most recent Porsche Macan EV , would help to disguise the size further.
(Image credit: Hyundai)
Out on the open road, the first thing that hit me was just how quiet and sealed from the outside world the cabin felt. Hyundai has employed acoustic glass, noise-reducing tires and active noice-cancelling technology, which banishes certain external frequencies and sounds via the 14-speaker Bose sound system.
Couple this with the near-silent powertrain and the overall effect is fantastically hushed – the Ioniq 9 positively wafts along at highway speeds, allowing occupants to enjoy massive sound from the Bose system… or catch some zees.
Push the big SUV harder and there is some mild body roll, but it is nothing to write home about. Plus, this isn’t the vehicle for those sort of shenanigans. The steering is geared for easy twirling in the city, not masses of sports car feedback.
(Image credit: Hyundai)
Various driving modes alter the car’s personality slightly, with Sport sharpening throttle response and adding weight to steering. But again, it’s only worth it for the additional straight-line performance poke.
There are even a number of all-terrain profiles, such as mud, sand and snow, which adjust the traction control and torque vectoring in all-wheel drive models to help them tackle a spot of tricky terrain. Although this really isn’t billed as an off-roader in any way.
If you don’t fancy driving, there are a number of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems that will keep up with traffic, brake autonomously and switch lanes with a flick of the indicator stalk. It’s no eyes-off/hands-off contender, but it takes the stress out of longer drives.
Technically gifted
(Image credit: Hyundai)
Hyundai’s flagship electric vehicle doesn’t usher in some fancy new infotainment system, but rather builds on the existing 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and touchscreen infotainment system found in other Ioniq products.
The navigation system recognized an average speed camera section, so calculated my average speed throughout to ensure I wasn’t at risk of receiving a fine through the mail.
There are plenty of physical buttons for controlling key functionality, but equally a “Hey Hyundai” voice command does a good job of dealing with simple tasks, like heating or cooling the cabin.
The constantly connected nature of the system means that, depending on the market, customers will also be able to download “Features on Demand” from the online store, including customizable lighting patterns and themes for the displays.
There’s also the option to download apps, such as YouTube, Spotify, SoundCloud, Amazon Music and many more, which can then be enjoyed either on the large central display or the seat-back screens in the second row if specified.
(Image credit: Hyundai)
It’s not the the most impressive infotainment system I’ve ever used, but it looks slick and is equally intuitive to use. The mapping is particularly impressive taking into account remaining range and factoring in nearby charging stops if needs be.
During one section of Korean highway, the navigation system recognized an average speed camera section, so calculated my average speed throughout to ensure I wasn’t at risk of receiving a fine through the mail.
It also automatically paid for toll roads, complete with notifications about my remaining balance, while the HVAC system informed me that it was blocking exterior air from entering the cabin as we approached a long tunnel system, to ensure the most comfortable experience inside for all.
Best of the big EV bunch
(Image credit: Hyundai)
Only the official price for Korean models has been announced, where the Ioniq 9 will cost 67 million Korean wan, or around $46,000 (around £36,000 / AU$74,000). However, that’s a basic conversion and the price is likely to increase in the US thanks to various tariffs.
In the UK and Europe, it is predicted to start at around £65,000 – essentially the same amount as Kia’s EV9, with one insider telling me it could even come in cheaper once final specification has been signed off.
Granted, there’s not an abundant amount of choice in the three-row, seven seat electric SUV market right now, but Hyundai’s hugely accomplished Ioniq 9 could end up being one of the sweetest to live with and represent the best value of the bunch.
(Image credit: Hyundai)
Customers will have to turn towards the Volkswagen ID Buzz to get a similarly spacious experience for the money, but that model is blighted by a limited electric range (just 291 miles in the Long Wheelbase model), relatively slow charging speeds and, during real-world test driving, poor efficiencies – even if it does look the business.
The Ioniq 9 could have quite easily been a rebadged Kia EV9, but it feels like an entirely different proposition. It cuts a very different figure on the road and somehow feels even larger inside, while clever storage solutions make it slightly more practical for the everyday.
It’s an enticing package and proof that the Korean marque is clearly confident mixing it with the luxury brands, offering its own take on opulent motoring that, while not quite offering Range Rover levels of desirability, is certainly inching ever closer.
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