2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9: Buy This 3-row SUV For Its Look and Feel, Not Just Because It’s An EV
It has a nice long range, great power and lots of great tech. But its lounge-like interior may be its best feature.
After spending the morning in the throes of food poisoning, I steeled myself for a day of driving through coastal Georgia in the Hyundai Ioniq 9, the company’s new electric 3-row SUV priced from $59K to about $76K. Now, normally, after feeling like a truck just ran through my gut, I’d want to curl up in bed and binge the Real Housewives. Their problems seem petty to the pain in my belly. Cruising the coastline? Not so much. And did I mention it was pouring rain?
But I rallied to not disappoint my drive partner, Sue, and my daughter Cameron, who tagged along for the day. And I knew the feeling in my gut wouldn’t last (I wasn’t so sure about the rain). So we headed off from our hotel for a day behind the wheel, me hoping I wouldn’t get car sick.
This story is 100% human-researched and written based on actual first-person knowledge, extensive experience, and expertise on the subject of cars and trucks. Also, I was a guest of Hyundai, but all impressions and opinions are my own.
Learning By Accident Just How Comfy The Rear Seat Is
A few hours into the drive, it was my turn to take the wheel, and as luck would have it, that was also just as the nausea meds wore off. After driving for a bit, I had to admit to my companions: I was not up to the task. So, Cameron took over for me, and I climbed into the center row.
And that’s when I learned the Hyundai Ioniq 9’s superpower: It’s a happy space on wheels. The easy, flowing drive comforted me, and the cloud of a headrest allowed me to put my head back, close my eyes, and feel the magic carpet ride: the soft acoustics, cushy leatherette seats, and an interior just bright enough to be calming but not so bright that it kept me awake (I could have closed the sunroof screen if the sun was too bright).
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Hyundai’s Furniture-like Interior Was the Design Goal. Mission, Accomplished
The overall effect of the interior is a sense of calm: muted colors, ambient lighting, and the use of curved corners to create a feeling that nothing is sharp or jarring. Yet you’re completely embraced, as you should be in an intimate cabin.
Curved lines and rounded edges are everywhere; the headrests and seats are just the start. The idea continues with softly rounded edges on the center console, the dashboard, and even the door handles.
We drove the Calligraphy Design edition, notable for a light gray leatherette interior that offers a refined feel, and offers heated and vented seats, and for the driver, a light massage. Both front and center row seats are relaxation seats that recline and have an extendable footrest for those moments when soccer practice, incredibly, dulls your senses and you need a nap.
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This Center Console Makes It Worth the Price of Admission
Our test model (standard on Calligraphy and Calligraphy Design models) also included a sliding center console with a dual-opening top; push a button on the underside of the console and it can slide back toward the rear seats; the top can open for front seat passengers or rear seat passengers. The bottom of the console has a drawer that allows back seat passengers to stow things in the console, even if a front seat passenger put it there.
Push the center console back a bit, and it makes room for a handbag or a small backpack. Push it back all the way, and even my large tote bag fits. I was really surprised by this.
One word of caution, though: only bags that won’t tumble into the driver’s footwell should rest there; the space isn’t protected from this. My bag has a flat bottom and won’t turn over (which is what I love about it), so it’s a good fit, but ensure that any bag that sits in the space won’t roll or spill while you drive.
Read: Lucid Gravity May be the Ultimate 3-Row SUV: Electric, Luxury, Minivan-Style Space
The Architectural Charm of Ambient Lighting
I once asked a designer why they love ambient lighting. “It’s architectural,” he said. It highlights all the things they love in a car’s design: the foil-inflected dashboard trim in the Hyundai Ioniq 9, the center console, the cup holders, the phone cubby, the footwells. Together, light on the details and on the people in the car gives an even greater sense of intimacy.
We had the chance to see this at work after dinner one night when we were shuttled back to ur hotel in the Hyundai Ioniq 9; the lighting and captain’s chairs give this electric SUV an entirely different character at night.
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“Hey Hyundai,” and Wireless Apple CarPlay Are Now A Thing
If you’ve driven a high-end Hyundai over the last few years, you might have noticed that Apple CarPlay required a power cord connection. That is no longer the case; Hyundai upgraded the operating system in its cars and SUVs, so now not only do they work faster, but they also offer wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
They also have a voice-activated assistant: just say “Hey Hyundai” and it’s at your service to change the cabin temperature, tune the radio station, or find the closest charging station.
All these functions are found on the curved screen that spans the dashboard, a standard feature across the Ioniq 9 lineup.
The Numbers: Great Range and Power No Matter the Trim
As much as I liked the look and feel of the Hyundai Ioniq 9—and the fact that it provided a calming environment for my still sensitive equilibrium, I also really like what it delivers for the price: up to 320 miles of range in AWD models (335 in the rear wheel drive model) and plenty of power: AWD models deliver either 303 HP or 422, depending on the model.
And, all but the base model S trim are AWD; the S is RWD only, and while it has a nice long range of 335 miles, it has a lower HP rating of 215 HP.
Here’s what else you need to know about the Hyundai Ioniq 9’s charge infrastructure:
- It has plug and charge; once your credit card is set up, just plug it in and it will connect and charge without you having to tap a card or struggle with payments
- It comes equipped with a Tesla-style NACS outlet and an adapter for the old standard, the J1772 charge outlet
- The Hyundai app looks pretty good based on what Hyundai told us; it is a map-based system helps you find charging, and you can monitor your charging and payments
- It has reverse Vehicle-2-grid capability so you can use it as a mobile battery to power your house, campsite or sell power back to the grid
- It has a quick charging power infrastructure for fast top-offs at public DC fast chargers, up to 80 % charge in under 20 minutes
Trims and Pricing: There’s Lots of Good Stuff Standard
Hyundai wants everyone to find the Ioniq 9 that fits their life, so there are lots of trim options. Here’s how they break out:
- S comes with a rear wheel drive single motor setup, generating 215 HP and a range of 335 miles; it’s equipped with the curved center display, cloth seating, and a center row bench seat that accommodates 7 passengers; it starts at $58,955
- SE adds all wheel drive and lowers range to 320 but increases HP to 303; it starts at $62,765
- SEL adds 20” wheels, leatherette seating, surround view camera, blind spot video monitor, and ambient lighting, and starts at $66,320
- Limited adds performance dynamics, 21” wheels, 2nd row captains chairs, a power 3rd row, and digital key, and is priced from $71,250
- Calligraphy adds unique exterior details, a microsuede headliner, heads-up display, remote park assist, digital rear view mirror, ergo motion driver’s seat, front and second row relaxation seats, and has a range of 311 miles and a power output of 422 HP; it starts at $74,990
- The Calligraphy Design trim upgrade is an option on the Calligraphy edition, and it is priced at $76,490
Welcome to Hyundai’s Next Step in its Evolution: All-in On EVs
On our drive, we had the chance to stop by the brand-spanking-new Hyundai Metaplant in Ellabell, Georgia (which, yes, is a real place).
There, we toured the sparkling clean, robotized assembly plant that produces both the Ioniq 5 and the Ioniq 9. We witnessed robot dogs assisting with small jobs and low autonomous guided vehicles, or AGVs, that tooled around carrying everything from stacks of bumpers to boxes of parts to entire cars around. Yes, there were people—lots of people— working there too. Someone needs to make sure the robots aren’t slacking off. In fact, Hyundai says that the factory will employ more than 8,000 people when it’s fully up and running, and another nearly 7,000 people will provide services, part,s and more.
While it was amazing to see such a novel and futuristic plant at work, it was also incredible to see Hyundai’s dedication to the EV future; the company invested more than $12 billion on the plant, a battery facility and more, including an employee park that’ll provide space for long walks and sports leagues.
And there are solar-powered charge stations for employees who want to charge their cars while at work. Or, those who want to climb into their Ioniq 9, recline the relaxation seat, and recharge their own batteries. Which I can now highly recommend; the Ioniq 9 did the trick on such a *challenging* day.
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