Hyundai takes on Range Rover and the posh electrical SUV phase with the Ioniq 9 EV providing 365 miles of vary

Hyundai has joined the luxury electric SUV club with its new Ioniq 9.  

And it could steal some of the upcoming electric Range Rover’s thunder.

The ginormous seven-seat EV is touted to come with 385 miles of range and adjustable six or seven-seat options.

Following the success of the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6, South Korea’s Hyundai is now throwing its increased weight around by bringing to market the largest car it’s ever built.

Similar in size to its Kia EV9 cousin, the Ioniq 9 is expected to cost around the same, meaning it will liekly start from around £65,000.

The Ioniq 9’s arrival date in the UK is also unknown but it will go on sale in Korea and the US in the first half of 2025.

Hyundai has joined the luxury large electric SUV club with its new Ioniq 9. And it’s likely to steal some of the upcoming electric Range Rover’s thunder. The ginormous seven-seater EV is touted to come with 385 miles of range and adjustable six or seven-seat seating options

The main draw of this new large luxury EV is the spaciousness: there’s three rows to accommodate seven people but because of the flat floor you can also spec a six-seat option with two ‘Swivel Seats’ in the second row that turn to face the third row ‘to allow enhanced interaction and communication among passengers’ when the vehicle is stationary.

The first and second rows have ‘Relaxation Seats’ that fully recline, leg rests for optimal comfort and a ‘Dynamic Body Care system’ which includes a ‘Dynamic Touch Massage function’ for ‘reducing fatigue on long drives’.

Sitting within 1,899 mm of headroom and 2,050mm of legroom – thanks to the Ioniq 9’s 5.06m length, 1.98m width and 1.79m height – there’s loads of space and a light, bright, natural feel thanks to the panoramic roof.

As well as a sliding ‘Universal Island 2.0’ centre console, which allows easy access to the second row and offers a total of 18.2-litres of storage space, there’s 620 litres of boot space with all seats up, and 1,323 litres with the third row folded down flat.

There’s also a handy 88-litre ‘frunk’ (front trunk under the bonnet).

There’s three rows to accommodate seven people but because of the flat floor you can also spec a six-seat option with two ‘Swivel Seats’ in the second row that turn to face the third row ‘to allow enhanced interaction and communication among passengers’ when the vehicle is stationary

Infotainment-wise the dash has the same two side-by-side 12-inch screens along with wireless charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and AI voice assist

The RWD does 0-62mph in 9.4 seconds, the dual motor in 6.7 seconds and the AWD in 5.2 seconds

As well as a sliding ‘Universal Island 2.0’ centre console, which allows easy access to the second row and offers a total of 18.2-litres of storage space, there’s 620-litres of boot space with all seats up, and 1,323 litres with the third row folded down flat 

Infotainment-wise, the dash has two side-by-side 12-inch screens along with wireless charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and AI voice assist.

The family-friendly EV will be launched with three powertrains: A 215bhp, RWD Long-Range version offering 385 miles on a full charge; a 308bhp dual-motor variant with 320 miles; and the range-topping AWD Performance, with 429bhp and 311 miles.

The RWD does 0-62mph in 9.4 seconds, the dual motor in 6.7 seconds and the AWD in 5.2 seconds.

You also get 230V vehicle to load to power appliances off the car.

It will be launched with three power trains: A 215bhp, RWD Long-Range version with the 385-mile maximum range figure, a 308bhp dual-motor variant with 320 miles and the range-topping AWD Performance model, with 429bhp which manages 311 miles on a single charge

As well as being a contender for top luxury seven-seater the 110.3kWh battery puts the Ioniq 9 ahead of the Mercedes EQS and Rolls-Royce Spectre as the EV with the largest battery in the UK 

As well as being a new contender for top luxury seven-seater, the 110.3kWh battery puts the Ioniq 9 ahead of the Mercedes EQS and Rolls-Royce Spectre as the EV with the largest battery in an EV sold in the UK.

The big head-to-head though will be with the forthcoming Range Rover Electric, which is due to be unveiled in the UK later this year. 

The Range Rover is promised to come with ‘comparable performance’ to the existing V8 model, which should mean it comes with around 520bhp, as well as being the smoothest, quietest Range Rover yet.

The first all-electric Range Rover will have a 800V charging architecture, which will put it on par with the Hyundai Ioniq5 and Ioniq6 as well as the Porsche’s Taycan, Kia’s EV6 and EV9 SUV.

But with the Range Rover EV set to start from anything from over £100,000 (the starting price of the current Range Rover) to easily £150,000, the Ioniq 9 will very likely undercut this significantly.

While we’ve already mentioned there’s not set pricing yet, you can expect to pay from around £65k to over £80k for the range topping model – a nice chunk off the price of the Range Rover.