First drives Hyundai Ioniq 9
Larger even than sister car the Kia EV9, we drive Hyundai’s biggest, most expensive, all-electric SUV.
Guy Bird
The Ioniq 9 is the Kia EV9’s brother – Hyundai’s take on the large family electric SUV typology. It arrives in UK showrooms in late summer.
The first thing to say is that the Ioniq 9 is bigger even than the EV9. At 5,060mm long it’s 45mm more than the regular EV9, the exact same width (1,980mm), 10mm taller (1,790mm) and with a 20mm longer wheelbase (3,130mm). Or to take a wider com- parison, 30mm longer than a Volvo EX90 and 12mm shorter than an Audi Q7.
Despite its size, and the Ioniq 9’s fairly busy exterior design, the vehicle remains smart and somewhat sporty- looking in silhouette, helped in part by its heavily raked-back wind-screen and truncated tail. That helps it to a commendable 0.259 Cd aero figure with (likely optional) digital side mirrors fitted. They worked pretty well on our test in relaying visuals from behind the car into the cabin via two angled screens at each edge of the dashboard. Those significant exterior dimensions allied with an EV-only platform and long wheelbase unlock huge interior packaging potential. The Ioniq 9’s cabin has a flat floor and generous seating for
Positive Now well-established
Ioniq name, design and tech. Negative
Large size for UK roads either six or seven.
The second row is where the difference lies, where customers can have two freestanding captain’s chairs or a more conventional three-seat bench. In six- seat mode (an option only for the top equipment grade), second-row space is particularly abundant and flexible and passengers there can easily nudge forward their own seats for the benefit of third-row passengers without personal penalty. When the car is stationary, the two middle-row chairs can also swivel 180 degrees rearward to facilitate more convivial face-to-face interactions with passengers a row deeper.
Hyundai Ioniq 9 AWD
Performance 6st P11D £78,000 (est.) On sale Late summer 2025 Residual value TBC Depreciation TBC Fuel TBC Service, maintenance and repair TBC Cost per mile TBC Range 290 miles (est.) CO2 (BIK Band) 0g/km (3%) BIK 20/40% a month £39/£78 Luggage capacity 620 litres Battery size/power 110.3kWh/435hp
As per other recent Hyundai EVs, the centre console can slide back and forth to be closer to front- or second-row passengers as desired and is another genuinely useful feature.
Despite the emphasis on passengers, storage possibilities have not been neglected. Even with all three rows upright, the Ioniq 9 still offers 620 litres of boot space, rising to 1,323 litres with the third-row seats folded flat. In addition, there’s a frunk with 88 litres of space on RWD models and 52 litres on AWD versions.
Back up front, things remain smart and practical with a 12.3in driver display and 12.3in central screen combined within one horizontally aligned curved frame, which is quite user-friendly and can mirror Apple or Android devices. Driving the top-end all-wheel drive Performance pack model with steering wheel column auto gear-shifter is easy and delivers more than enough power from its 435hp twin motor. 0-60mph can be dispatched in a rapid 4.9 seconds, but frankly a regular Long Range AWD model or indeed Long Range RWD model with smaller wheels, perhaps suits the main purpose of this car better – as a comfortable transporter of people – and certainly benefits from the best range figure of the line-up (385 miles WLTP). By comparison, the Long Range AWD model’s electric range dips to 310 miles, and the Performance AWD model’s estimated 290 mile
Standard equipment: Front and rear parking sensors, rear-view camera, smart cruise control, climate control, combined curved 12.3in digital instrument cluster and 12.3in central touchscreen, Bluetooth, wireless Apple and Android mirror screening, keyless entry, 21in alloys, eight-speaker stereo.
Engines: Electric: 218hp, 313hp, 435hp
Equipment grades: Ultimate, Calligraphy
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
figure, on larger 21in wheels is lower still. All models use the same (big) 110.3kWh battery.
Driving more sedately, the Ioniq 9’s cabin is a quiet and calming space, with handling and comfort in line with its passenger-first remit.
Like other Hyundai EVs, when charging using its 800-volt battery system, the 9’s front ‘Relaxation Seats’ can also recline towards horizontal to allow users a nap while the car re-energises.
Exact pricing and specifications are yet to be confirmed, but it’s likely there will only be two equipment grades – Ultimate (mid) and Calligraphy (top) – so prices should start at just under £70,000, rising to circa £78,000 for the Performance AWD six-seater (one fewer seats, slightly counter-intuitively costing £1000 extra).
38 | May/June 2025 |
www.businesscar.co.uk
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