Hyundai Ioniq 9 review

The Ioniq 9 uses Hyundai’s E-GMP architecture, which we know and admire from time spent in the Kia EV9 and other group EVs. 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.

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 that 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.

Is it fast enough?

Our Long Range AWD gets to 62mph in 6.7 seconds, and tops out at 124mph. The Performance AWD version will do 62mph in 5.2 seconds, which we reckon you’d try once and then never again. Really, why would you in a car this size? 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 some wind noise at higher speeds 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.

Our car was configured so that the dreaded Speed Limit Warning flashed up on the instrument display (annoying) without incessantly bonging (more annoying). From experience, the full bong is enough to drive you completely round the bend, although we also grew weary of the blinking warning symbol hectoring us from the sidelines on the instrument display. 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.