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By Jonathan Crouch

Hyundai's flagship IONIQ 9 luxury SUV aims to re-set segment standards for what a car of this kind can be. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 65

Hyundai pushes further up-market than it ever has before with this model, the IONIQ 9. Subtle, stylish, spacious and very luxurious, this huge all-electric luxury SUV can take on premium products from the established European brands and is difficult to beat in terms of charging speed - and value. Should you have promised yourself a big, luxury electric family SUV, you'd have to consider it.

Backgroundword count: 159

In the last decade, Hyundai has progressed from budget brand to advanced mainstream manufacturer status. But surely that final step to premium nameplate luxury maker recognition must be beyond it? The Korean marque thinks not - and for proof brings us this car, the IONIQ 9. Based on the 'Seven Concept' car of 2021, this model was originally slated to be called the 'IONIQ 7', before the need for a wider range of Hyundai EVs shifted the number up a couple of notches. Which brings naming parity with the close cousin design whose EV engineering it mostly shares, the Kia EV9. That car was a bit of a step into the unknown for its brand and with this one, that's even more the case. This 9 is a luxury seven-seat SUV aimed directly at premium models like the Volvo EX90 - and even perhaps the all-electric Range Rover. A step too far for Hyundai? We're going to find out.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 347

Think the Range Rover Electric comparisons here are ambitious? A drive in IONIQ 9 might make you reconsider. No this Hyundai couldn't match that JLR product off piste, but as a comfy cruiser (and luxurious tower), you might well conclude that somehow it's in the same ballpark. Which is impressive given that the E-GMP platform-based underpinnings of this luxury EV are basically the same as its close cousin, the far less aspirational Kia EV9. Also shared with that Kia is basically the same huge battery pack, though here it's larger still, standardised at 110.3kWh in size across the line-up. Which kicks off with a Long Range RWD model using a single rear-mounted 215bhp motor which propels the car to 62mph in 9.4s en route to the 124mph top speed that all IONIQ 9s share. This is the variant to choose for ultimate range - 385 miles. That figure falls to around 350 miles with the version most customers will choose, the Long Range AWD model. Here two motors (one on each axle) contribute to a total output of 309bhp, reducing the 0-62mph sprint time considerably - to 6.7s. We can't really see why you'd want to go faster than that in IONIQ 9, but should you feel the need to, there's also a Performance AWD flagship variant that uses the same AWD set-up but tunes the motors up to 429bhp, which reduces the 0-62mph time to just 5.2s. Claimed range is around 320 miles. As you'd expect, there are various drive modes to control all that power. And the drivetrain offers multiple levels of brake regen, controllable via steering wheel paddles. You might expect a 2.6-tonne luxury cruiser of this kind to have air suspension. The IONIQ 9 doesn't, but needs this if it's to really justify those Range Rover comparisons. According to early reports, it probably also needs more feelsome steering. But to manage this car's weight, Hyundai has provided a carefully tuned self-levelling damper system and a chassis control set-up featuring dynamic torque vectoring and wind stability control. Braked towing capacity is up to 2,500kg.

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