2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 First Look: Retro-Futuristic 3-Row EV SUV

MotorTrend

Alhough it's built on the same basic platform as the Kia EV9

Transcript

00:00Following the Kia EV9 comes Hyundai's version of the three-row EV SUV.

00:13Meet the IONIQ 9, which joins the IONIQ 5 and 6 as part of Hyundai's battery electric fleet.

00:19Join us today on this first look, deep dive, which takes you inside and out of this all-new vehicle.

00:24No driving, though. You'll have to wait a little longer for that.

00:27But there's so much to unpack here, so strap in.

00:30Whereas the EV9 is all about right angles and rectangles, the IONIQ 9 is rounded and curvy.

00:37It also uses that retro-futuristic pixel motif that debuted on the IONIQ 5.

00:42And you can see that in full force right here on the front.

00:45So obviously it is a closed-off grille because EV.

00:47But if you look even a little closer, it's not just blank space here, right?

00:51Behind this clear plastic, there's all these squares that make up a very interesting design.

00:56All that comprises a very interesting three-dimensional texture.

00:59Also, these flaps down here are dual-action aero flaps, so they help with the car's air resistance.

01:05It's kind of like a Pagani Huayra's active aero, which I never thought was something I would compare ever, a Pagani Huayra and a Hyundai.

01:12But I guess that is where we are right now.

01:14Finally, there's also a front trunk, which I think most EVs, all EVs, should have front trunks.

01:20It's not huge, but it is there for smaller quick-use items like a charge cable or something like that.

01:26The IONIQ 9 has the longest wheelbase of any Hyundai vehicle to date.

01:31Its wheels come in 19 and 20 and 21-inch variations.

01:36And this piece of black trim right here that goes from nose to tail,

01:40it does a pretty good job at breaking up all of the sheet metal this car has in profile.

01:46Similarly, this piece of Brightline trim here, it's very nice, it's very subtle, sweeps up past this window back here.

01:53And the entire back quarter section kind of cuts in like a boattail would.

01:58Very visually interesting.

01:59Finally, notice the wheel arch here.

02:01On other trims of this car, this would be black, but this eyebrow right here, that stays body color.

02:07So it kind of creates a squared-off visual that totally matches up with the rest of this car's pixel motif.

02:14The back of this car arguably is the most visually interesting because not only do you have all of these pixels here

02:19and the taillights kind of give Volvo XC90 looks, which is not a bad thing.

02:23It's one of the best-looking SUVs of the modern era.

02:25But just look at the way the name is spelled.

02:27Not only is the font cool, but you think about other cars, the badging is just kind of stuck onto the sheet metal.

02:33This is actually stuck in.

02:35They carved it into the trunk.

02:38So that's awesome to see.

02:40And the fact that this Hyundai logo is kind of faded out is a very classy touch.

02:43Also, if you'll notice, there is no roof antenna.

02:47Finally, as another last fun fact, this is the first Hyundai that uses aluminum quarter panels and fenders to save on weight.

02:55Okay, now it's time to check out the inside of the IONIQ 9.

03:00Behold, this is the driver's seat of the new Hyundai three-row EV.

03:06And check out these seats, despite the leather being perforated already.

03:11There's also this nice little design right here.

03:14You know, there is a large curved screen.

03:19Let's check it out.

03:20It is clear, easy to read.

03:23But most importantly, physical volume knob.

03:28I'm going to really pay some attention to this because apparently this is an endangered species.

03:35But it is still here.

03:38As well as physical buttons for all of your radio functions.

03:43Love to see it.

03:44And below that, you have your climate panel.

03:47And below that, here is a handily positioned port for your electronics.

03:53And it is rubber lined so they don't go anywhere.

03:56And you get three ports for charging.

03:59Very handy.

04:00Here is your steering wheel.

04:03It is modern and minimalist with perfect amount of space that you can see through.

04:07You can see your driver information cluster and all the information that you would need from that.

04:11And here's your volume and adaptive cruise controls.

04:14This cubby over here, again, these nice little design touches here that didn't need to happen, but they're here anyway.

04:21This is a charging pad.

04:23And here's your cubby here.

04:26And this is your drive selector mode.

04:28And again, there's more detailing here.

04:30They really didn't need to do this, but they did it anyway.

04:33And you've got two good sized cup holders here.

04:35And this entire console actually slides backwards if you need it.

04:40And it leaves this big space down here for purses, bags, whatever you need to keep handy.

04:45As with other Hyundai models, your driver lever is right here.

04:49It's a column mounted situation.

04:51So you don't have anything else here to take up that space.

04:54Well, Kristen, what would you do with that space, you ask?

04:57Oh, I'm so glad.

05:00To show you, you can scoot over in case you need to make a quick exit.

05:06You don't want to head out your door.

05:08Just kind of swing through here and up here.

05:12And we're off to go check out the second row.

05:16So the Ioniq 9 can seat either six or seven passengers depending on seat configuration.

05:22Obviously, this is the six passenger version, as you can tell by the two captain's chairs here in the middle.

05:28And the first and second rows actually do have that recline function that you saw in the EV9.

05:35These seats are extremely comfortable.

05:37And here's this cubby that we slid back earlier.

05:40But this actually opens both ways.

05:43It's dual hinged, so people up there and people over here can make use of it.

05:48So you've got your own climate back here.

05:50And just check out these seats.

05:52They look very plush, opulent and comfortable.

05:56And just look at all of that roof glass.

06:01Wow.

06:02And geez, from back here, you can see how steeply raked that front windshield is.

06:08You don't notice it's sitting right up in the driver's seat.

06:10But from back here, you're like, wow.

06:12Oh, look.

06:135Z screen. Nice.

06:15Let's go check out that third row.

06:17So back here, we have two cup holders.

06:21Oh, man, two cup holders again for back here.

06:23This car likes people being hydrated.

06:25And this is the amount of legroom that you're working with right here like that.

06:31You know, so it's not terrible.

06:34As you all know, I am not tall.

06:38But I think for short distances, it's fine.

06:41And also because this flat floor here, it makes it a lot more comfortable.

06:49Other port over here.

06:50These are your seat controls.

06:52So nobody is stuffed back here.

06:54This window isn't giant.

06:56I kind of wish more of this was window.

07:00However, if you look at how much window the rest of the car affords you,

07:07I don't think anybody back here would complain.

07:09You know, they were really going for spaciousness and openness when designing this car,

07:14kind of making it a living room on wheels.

07:17I know that's a term that gets thrown around a lot in car design.

07:21But I think they actually did pull it off here.

07:25Immediate first impressions of the Ioniq 9.

07:28You know, with these three-row SUVs,

07:30the trunk space is almost always sacrificed in favor of third-row occupancy.

07:35And that is a wrong that has been righted here.

07:39This is a reasonably good trunk without the seats folded down.

07:42Obviously, you know, you hit these, you can fold down the second row,

07:45you fold down the third row, and you get maximum trunk space.

07:48What's under here?

07:49Oh, there's a little underfloor storage, which is not bad, actually.

07:55You could probably fit, you know, a couple bottles of wine if you wanted to,

08:00without them rolling around.

08:01Oh, and finally, this car has vehicle-to-load capabilities.

08:05It means you can plug in electronic accessories like a cooler or an air compressor.

08:10You know, really whatever your adventurous heart desires.

08:13And the car will be able to run it.

08:15At launch, the Ioniq 9 will have a 110.3-kilowatt-hour battery,

08:19and it'll be offered in three different setups.

08:22The first is a long-range rear-wheel-drive model that'll make 215 horsepower.

08:27Hyundai estimates the EPA driving range to be 335 miles.

08:32On the standard 19-inch wheels, 0 to 60 happens in 8.4 seconds.

08:37Then there's the long-range all-wheel drive that makes 94 horsepower

08:42and 215 with the rear motor.

08:44Combined, the system output comes to 303 horsepower.

08:48On the standard 19-inch wheels, it'll hit 60 in 6.2 seconds.

08:52Finally, there's the performance all-wheel drive,

08:55which makes 215 horsepower from both front and rear motors.

08:59Here, the combined system output is 422 horsepower.

09:02On the 21-inch wheels, it'll hit 60 miles an hour in 4.9 seconds.

09:07From a 350-kilowatt fast charger,

09:10the Ioniq 9 will be able to charge from 10% to 80% battery in just 24 minutes.

09:15Finally, the North American version will have up to a 5,000-pound towing capacity.

09:20Production of the Ioniq 9 will start early next year,

09:23and no official pricing has been announced at this time.

09:26But if we were to do some educated back-of-the-napkin math,

09:30we would estimate prices to start from $61,500

09:34and go all the way up to $75,500, depending on trim.

09:38Again, we'll see how right we are in a few months' time.

09:41For more information on the Ioniq 9, about EVs, or just Hyundai in general,

09:45head over to MotorTrend.com, get read up, and thank you so much for watching.

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