Hyundai Ioniq 9 review

The Ioniq 9 uses Hyundai’s E-GMP architecture, which we know and admire from the Kia EV9 and smaller stuff like the Ioniq 5 and EV6. It uses a compact electric power system that combines the motor, transmission and inverter into a single unit.

Despite its imposing size it’s an easy car to, erm, operate. There’s a column-mounted drive controller; push the start button on the end of that (putting it there allows the air vent closest to the driver to be bigger) and twist the selector forward for drive or back for reverse. There’s even haptic feedback for the latter.

Behind the wheel are a pair of nicely finished paddle shifters that adjust the level of regenerative braking. You can go from coasting to single-pedal driving but you’re most likely to modulate the brakes yourself as normal. In which case the Ioniq 9 stops very effectively. Well, for something the wrong side of 2.6 tonnes.

There’s obviously a lot of real estate going on here, but that’s what 360-degree cameras and parking sensors are for, right?

How does it feel on the move?

The combination of a commanding driving position, the plush ride, and a silken powertrain means the Ioniq 9 is a fine place in which to find yourself. Its step-off from traffic lights is perfectly calibrated.

Pretty much everything on this car has been optimised for comfort, but handling hasn’t gone completely out of the window. A Chassis Domain Control Unit offers torque vectoring and there’s also lateral wind stability control to keep an eye on high speed behaviour.

Should you want to venture off-road (unlikely) the terrain response works off the traction control system. But get this, there’s an Auto Terrain Mode that uses AI to track the road surface ahead and select the appropriate driving mode.

At 5.1m, the Ioniq 9 has the turning circle of a small moon. Something to bear in mind if you frequent multi-storey car parks or medieval hamlets.

Is it fast enough?

Unequivocally yes… depending on the model. The Long Range AWD gets to 62mph in 6.7 seconds, and tops out at 124mph, while the Performance AWD version will do 62mph in 4.9 seconds. That’s too quick for a car this size, isn’t it?

Mind you, the RWD entry car is barely half as fast by the same measure, needing 8.8 seconds to hit dual-carriageway speed… that’s too far in the other direction.

You also get a selection of driving modes – Normal, Eco, Sport and a My Drive one that allows you to personalise the set-up – but we’re happy just to leave it in normal mode.

As is often the case, it’s equably calibrated. There’s a welcome burst of acceleration to begin with before the power delivery tapers off progressively at higher speeds. There’s also an active sound design facility that tailors the soundtrack whoosh, but silence is golden here.

So really, comfort is the key thing. We’re getting the message.

Absolutely. Inside, triple door seals, acoustic glass, sound-absorbing tyres and the active noise control technology combine to keep the real world thoroughly at bay. There’s a fair bit of wind noise at higher speeds – which you’d expect, look at the size of that frontal area – but this is an impressively, multi-seat limo-style place to be.

It also comes with the full suite of driver assistance systems, including Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist 2, Safe Exit Warning, Rear Occupant Alert and lots more. Acronyms galore.

The dreaded Speed Limit Warning can be configured so it flashes up on the instrument display (annoying) without incessantly bonging (more annoying). The full bong is enough to drive you completely round the bend: when will the legislators realise how irritatingly counter-intuitive this stuff is?

As in other Hyundais, if you hold the volume button down on the steering wheel, the warnings can be switched off. Or you can set up a shortcut via the star button on the wheel to set your preferences – this includes which bits of the ADAS you want to chuck in the bin.