Hyundai Ioniq 9: Big size, big range but not big price

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Hyundai Ioniq 9: Big size, big range but not big price

Published: 13 Feb. 2025, 08:30 Updated: 20 Feb. 2025, 17:23

SARAH CHEA
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Hyundai Motor's Ioniq 9 is the largest EV ever in its history. The U.S. launch is slated for the spring. [SARAH CHEA]

[TEST DRIVE]

YANGPYEONG, Gyeonggi — The biggest body with the furthest range, super spacious legroom and countless blinking pixels: The Ioniq 9 is the result of yearslong effort by Hyundai Motor to maximize everything it can.

Nevertheless, it seems like the price tag has been minimized as much as it can be, a bold decision for Hyundai to fend off market rivals, the Kia EV9 and Volvo EX90.

Sharing the same EV platform with its brothers, the Ioniq 5 SUV and Ioniq 6 sedan, the Ioniq 9 is the largest Hyundai EV ever built, offering six and seven-seater options with the automaker's biggest battery pack that can run as far as 620 kilometers (385 miles) on a single charge.

The Ioniq 9, Hyundai Motor's largest EV ever in its history. [SARAH CHEA]

The U.S. launch is slated for spring. With the automaker aiming for sales in the U.S. market to account for 80 percent of total units sold, a sense of optimism over the yet-to-be-announced price there might not be misplaced.

The Korea JoongAng Daily got behind the wheel of a brown Ioniq 9 — that honestly looked more red bean-colored — on a 100-kilometer round-trip from Seoul to Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi.

With a design the company claims was inspired by a boat tail, the vehicle certainly boasts a bold, futuristic and rakish look with tens of parametric pixels illuminating into a seamless silhouette, flowing from the hood to the streamlined roofline, while the angular rear very much resembles the Staria minivan.

It’s huge — even bigger than the Palisade SUV, not to mention the Kia EV9 — with a length of over five meters (16.4 feet), almost two meters of width, and a wheelbase measuring 3.1 meters.

The interior of the Ioniq 9 [SARAH CHEA]

Cameras replace standard side mirrors. [SARAH CHEA]

Hyundai made a few fresh but dramatic attempts in the interior, including a dual-direction armrest that can be opened both from the front and rear, allowing people in the second row to access the storage compartment. The console also has a lower drawer.

Again, cameras replaced the side mirrors, which were personally very uncomfortable and unfamiliar. It’s hard to estimate the distance between cars, which might be a bit dangerous for inexperienced drivers, though it can be adapted to eventually. Honestly, it’s personally very doubtful anyone really prefers the camera feature instead of physical mirrors.

“The digital mirrors reduce air resistance and improve power consumption by 4 percent,” said Kim Tae-hyun, leader of the Ioniq 9 development team, during a media event. “A total of 10 air bags are installed for maximum safety.”

The Ioniq 9 comes with a dual-direction armrest that can be opened both from the front and rear, allowing passengers in the second row to access the storage compartment. [SARAH CHEA]

Hyundai Motor sticks with physical buttons in the center fascia, in contrast to most of today’s fancy cars that replace them all with touch displays. [SARAH CHEA]

"New and trendy" is not always the best — and Hyundai seems to know that well. Physical buttons in the center fascia were convenient, in contrast to most of today’s fancy cars that replaced all of them with touch displays.

The family-friendly car offers second-row swiveling seats, allowing passengers to face third-row occupants — which could be a plus point for parents with young children. A massage feature is also available — and in all fairness, the intensity was the most satisfying this reporter has used so far.

Driving was unexpectedly rough, but not offensive. EVs are mostly softer and smoother than internal combustion engine-powered cars, and the Ioniq 9 seems a bit considerate for the target consumer: mostly fathers who enjoy dynamic driving.

The silence was surely guaranteed, as Hyundai “topped it with laminated glass to ease the road and wind noise,” said Ji Seung-wook, senior manager at the test team spearheading Ioniq 9 development.

The Ioniq 9 offers a second-row swiveling seat option, allowing passengers to face third-row occupants, [SARAH CHEA]

The trunk capacity expands to 2,462 liters when the second- and third-row seats are folded down completely. [SARAH CHEA]

Above all, the long driving range will be the most charming factor for the electric SUV. Powered by 110.3-kilowatt-hour nickel manganese cobalt lithium-ion batteries, the largest battery pack ever for any Hyundai car, Korea’s Ministry of Environment has rated it for a range of 523 kilometers on a single charge.

Based on Europe’s WLTP standard, the car can run up to 620 kilometers per charge when fitted with 19-inch wheels.

Although this reporter suddenly pressed the accelerator a few times and purposely drove hard during the two-hour test drive, the car only lost some 108 kilometers in range, which proves it is an efficient option.

The Ioniq 9 [SARAH CHEA]

Ioniq 9 could also be an appealing bet for camping maniacs and those who have to carry multiple pieces of luggage in a car. Its truck capacity stands at 606 liters (21 cubic feet), and expands to 908 liters when folding down the third-row seats, which can fit four golf bags plus four Boston bags.

When the second row is also folded down completely, it can accommodate up to 2,462 liters.

When this five-feet, four-inch reporter tried to lie in the trunk with all the seats folded down, the space was more than enough to sleep for one night of camping. It seems to be enough for two adults and a young child.

When everything is said and done, the Ioniq 9 can be purchased at a sticker price of 67.2 million won ($46,200), defying all speculation that the price would start at around 80 million won. That’s even 6 million won cheaper than the Kia EV9.

The EV can be bought in the low-60 million won range by applying all the subsidies from the government. Hyundai aims to sell 6,500 Ioniq 9s in Korea this year.

The U.S. price will be soon announced ahead of its launch in spring. In good news for U.S. customers, the Ioniq 9 could qualify for the full $7,500 in federal tax credits when deliveries begin in the second quarter of 2025, though U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to repeal the subsidies remains a variable.