Video Summary
The Hyundai Ioniq 9 is a three-row electric SUV with a distinctive yacht-like shape. It gets a lot of attention and has the lowest coefficient of drag of any Hyundai vehicle at 0.27.The Ioniq 9 has an almost identical footprint to the Kia EV9, and similar height and width to Tesla's Model X, but it is slightly longer. Its shape helps give it best-in-class headroom and legroom.
This also creates a spacious third row.
Distinctive headlight and taillight designs are composed of small pixels, and the third brake light is composed of pixels that run along the back of the vehicle's roofline. The lowest trim, rear-wheel drive Ioniq 9 has a black eyebrow design over the rear wheels, while the color is matched to the car's body on the all-wheel-drive model.
The range of this particular model is around 3 miles per kilowatt-hour. It has phone key capabilities. The Keyfob has unlock and lock features. It can be used to power the vehicle forward or backward and open the rear trunk.
It's also the first Hyundai to have an embedded antenna, meaning no shark fin.
Starting price is $58,955 and it qualifies for the $7500 tax credit. With rear-wheel drive, there is 335 miles of range and the car uses a 110 kilowatt-hour battery.
With all-wheel drive, the price starts at $62,765, which drops the range to 320 miles. The performance calligraphy edition tops out at $71,250. Efficiency in the test driving reached about 3 miles per kilowatt hour.
At .0-60mph, the car takes 8.4 seconds.
The RWD models provide 3500 lbs of towing capacity. The dual motor provides 5000 lb towing.
The car comes with a native NACS charge port joining the Lucid Gravity, the Genesis GV70 and Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. It also features 800 volt architecture. This permits very fast charging on 350kW chargers and allows the vehicle to gain 200 miles in about 20 minutes. The vehicle-to-load and vehicle-to-home capabilities are a bonus.
The center console slides forward and backward providing rear passenger access to storage. Second-row passengers also get separate climate control and USB-C ports. Seating in the first two rows can be reclined for resting and extra comfort. Storage beneath the rear floor offers a little bit of space for charging cables.
The reviewer found the front aluminum foil-like dash trim a bit cheap. This has been corrected on the upper Calligraphy trim models.
With three rows of seating and a starting price of $58,000 it is at a good price point for people who want an electric SUV that can take long trips.
It drives very quietly because it includes laminated window glass and active road-noise cancellation through the car's sound system.
The Hyundai Ioniq 9’s limited Level 2 driver assist system does not perform as well as the more expensive Super Cruise or Tesla Autopilot systems. The base RWD model gets a zero to 60 time of 8.4 seconds, which is not very impressive for the price.
