Hyundai Ioniq 9: A Living Room on Wheels

In the decades that Hyundai has been operating in Nepal, it has comfortably reached a stature of aspiration; a point where other car brands aspire to be where Hyundai is today.

They have been here for a long time, they have come out with some very important and iconic cars, and most importantly, they have been able to instil a sense of confidence in customers and buyers that only comes with years of assured service.

There have been thousands of Cretas on the roads of Nepal, and Hyundai was also one of the pioneers when it came to EVs in Nepal, with cars like the Kona EV and the Ioniq sedan. The Ioniq became so sought-after around the world that Hyundai eventually created an entirely new brand to separate its EV-only lineup of cars: Ioniq.

We drove the Ioniq 5, a retro-futuristic SUV that was amazing and sold in decent numbers here in Nepal. And that follow-up has now led to this… this living room on wheels: the Ioniq 9.

We have it for a couple of days, and we’re going to tell you all about it. So, grab a drink and a snack, or some tea and biscuits as most people do in living rooms… get it? Living room on wheels? No? Let’s move on.

Exterior

Right up front, you get this parametric pixel light design that has become a staple of the Ioniq design language. You get lots of pixels that give you a proper light show. The huge pane of glossy plastic on the front bumper has us worried, though. It looks like it will be really easy to scratch, and it will also be one of the first things to break in a collision.

Over on the side, if you haven’t noticed already, this is a very long car. Although flush door handles may have their days numbered, you get them here. This mammoth SUV is carried by thick tyres and 20-inch wheels.

As the roof swoops slightly down towards the back, the silhouette reminds you of a loaf of bread… an artisanal bread, if you were to put the quality of this car into perspective.

You get large, very large, windows all around, and the D-pillar gets a chrome trim that also strikes through between the window and shoulder line, breaking up the monotony of all that glass. As we get to the rear, it is an all-out light buffet back here.

You get a strip of pixel LEDs that starts at one taillight, goes towards the roof, and falls down to the other taillight. This looks iconic, especially at night.

Elsewhere, you get a skid plate at the bottom and large IONIQ lettering, along with a small button for the electric tailgate, which Hyundai could have hidden on the letter Q for a much cleaner look.

Interior

Inside, you feel like you have to take your shoes off before entering, like you would at any Asian home, because this cabin is as such. The Ioniq 9 pulls no punches when it comes to space, and this is frankly one of the roomiest interiors we have ever been in.

Our reviewers: one 5’9” and 100 kilos, and the other 6’3” and 120 kilos, usually block every view of the cabin as soon as they get inside, yet both of them felt so much smaller inside the Ioniq 9. The cabin feels so huge that even the driver’s screen and infotainment screen, both sizeable 12-inch units, feel ridiculously small.

To put the space into measurable context, our 6-foot reviewer can find his perfect driving position, have the 5’9” reviewer sit behind him, and then fit himself comfortably in the third row without brushing his head against the ceiling or thrusting his knees into the second row.

Our car reviewers have never been in the second row together without grunting for comfort. Here, both of them can survive in comfort for a leisurely drive. That is unheard of.

You get lots of features as well. Both front seats come with plenty of electric adjustments, along with heating and ventilation. The driver’s seat also gets a massaging function and a very clever suite of body-aligning features that becomes active when the system notices the driver’s posterior chain beginning to slouch after they have been driving for a long time.

The system then props up the driver’s bottom for a better posture, giving you excellent support during long, tiring drives. The reclining rear seats also get ventilation and heating, along with climate control and vents on the ceiling rather than down at the bottom, which usually turn your kneecaps into popsicles.

The third row also comes with ceiling-mounted vents, reclining ability and cup holders, so no one in the family feels left out during a road trip. And yes, even with all the seats up, the Ioniq 9 will accommodate everyone’s weekend duffel bags with ease.

One downside we feel from the cabin of the Ioniq 9 is the use of white trim on the seats, doors and dashboard, along with the white headliner. These white bits will get dirty and stained quickly and will be very difficult to keep clean.

Another downside is the sunroof. We wouldn’t have complained if it didn’t open at all, but it does open — just not as wide as you would expect, given the sheer size of the glass roof.

Performance

The Ioniq 9 drives how it looks. Relative to its massive size, the SUV lumbers around with ease and pride.

It’s not short on power, mind you. It makes 160 kW of power and 350 Nm of instant torque from the rear wheels, which can zip it to triple-digit speeds alarmingly quickly. But for a car of this stature, you don’t really feel like using it.

The size, the price and the heft of the Ioniq 9 demand a respectable drive rather than a rash one. The car feels happiest when driving between 60 and 70 km/h. We don’t mind being a passenger either. The seats come with plenty of adjustments, along with heating and cooling. You even get calf rests for the driver and co-driver for your relaxation needs.

You get lots of buttons as well, buttons for climate control, media control and whatnot. All those physical buttons make for a very safe drive, as you don’t have to keep fiddling with the screen every time you want to adjust something as small as the volume or fan speed.

The visibility is superb. With large glass all around and a huge car that is grey in colour, it almost feels like you’re sitting on top of an elephant looking down on everyone.

The car is huge, but sensors all around and a 360-degree camera, along with light steering, make it bearable to navigate around city streets. On the highway, the Ioniq 9 sits happily at any speed, quite frankly. The car feels planted and stable, and should you find enough room to overtake, the Ioniq 9 handles that swiftly as well.

You get a 110 kWh battery that is good for a 620 km WLTP range. We had the car for two days, during which we did a lot of driving (and a lot of inefficient driving) but still couldn’t make a serious dent in the battery percentage.

With a real-world range anywhere from 550 to 580 km on a full charge, it is safe to say this car is good to go wherever you want to take it. Another reason for this to be an excellent road-trip car.

Verdict

Let’s address the elephant in the room. And no, it’s not the Ioniq 9 itself.

This car costs Rs. 2,19,96,000. And at that price, you begin to understand that all this space, size and sheer abundance of creature comforts come at a hefty cost.

Of course, the Ioniq 9 isn’t a car for someone working a 9-to-5 job or living off an average paycheque. This is the sort of car you park outside your bungalow and bring out for family outings, long road trips, or perhaps more regularly if you have eight children to drop off and pick up from school.

This is a luxury car through and through. And when you’re shopping in this territory, the difference between Rs 2.20 crore and Rs 2.30 crore probably isn’t what decides the purchase. For the sort of buyer this car is aimed at, the price is unlikely to be the thing that makes or breaks the decision.

So yes, there is an elephant in the room, but perhaps it isn’t one that will bother the people actually considering an Ioniq 9. Our bigger gripe, however, is something else.

For a car of this size and at this price point, we really wish Hyundai had fitted air suspension. The Ioniq 9 is already an incredibly comfortable and capable road-trip machine, but a robust air-suspension system would have given it that extra layer of comfort and versatility, especially when dealing with the sort of roads a road trip in Nepal inevitably throws at you.

Because ultimately, that’s what the Ioniq 9 feels built for: carrying your entire family, in immense comfort, across long distances without ever making you feel like you’re asking too much of the car. It is, quite literally, a living room on wheels.