Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy 6-Seater Review: When Big Really Is Better

There are large cars, and then there is the Hyundai Ioniq 9. At 5,060 mm long, 1,980 mm wide and 1,790 mm tall, this is not a car that disappears into the background. Its 3,130 mm wheelbase is longer than anything else in Hyundai's current range, and at 2,610 kg, the Calligraphy AWD 6-Seater is a substantial piece of machinery.

It actually reminded me of a Chevrolet Suburban I once rode in as an Uber during a trip to New York City. That thing felt enormous from the inside, with the sort of cabin where you could imagine losing a child, a suitcase or possibly a cat between the seats; you know what I mean…

The Ioniq 9 gives you much the same sense of scale.

But here's the important difference: With the Hyundai, the sheer size isn't merely something you have to tolerate. It actually makes the cabin considerably more useful.

The Inside Story

The Calligraphy 6-Seater is the version I'd take. Instead of trying to squeeze three people across the second row, you get two individual captain's chairs with generous armrests, excellent contouring and plenty of adjustment. They are sufficiently supportive for long journeys without feeling excessively firm, and the armrests give them something of a Business Class airline seat feel.

Unsurprisingly, this is where everyone wants to sit. My in-laws certainly weren't complaining when they occupied the second row, and their feedback was remarkably consistent: The Ioniq 9 is comfortable, spacious and, importantly, doesn't ride like a car with a stiff suspension tuned purely to feel "sporty"; that matters because a car like this is ultimately judged from the passenger seats.

The third row is another pleasant surprise. Average-sized adults can sit there without the usual feeling that they've drawn the short straw - there's enough legroom and headroom to make the rearmost seats genuinely usable, while roof-mounted air-conditioning vents mean passengers aren't left baking behind everyone else. Especially for Singapore, that's more important than it sounds.

The Ioniq 9's interior is large enough that adults can actually move between the rows without having to perform yoga. With six occupants, it feels like a proper people mover rather than a five-seater with two emergency chairs bolted onto the back. Oh, and for the curious, the boot capacity is a commodious 338-litres… with all seats up, mind you.

The cabin also has a level of solidity that I didn't expect from Hyundai (I'm deliberately avoiding the word "premium" here because manufacturers have stretched that word to the point where it can mean almost anything); and yes, the Ioniq 9 actually feels luxurious.

The materials, switchgear and general fit and finish are respectable, while the cabin is sufficiently quiet that conversations don't need to be conducted at airport-announcement volume.

Better still, Hyundai hasn't decided that every function needs to live inside a touchscreen. The air-conditioning controls remain physical, as do some of the main controls for the infotainment system. They have a reassuring resistance when pressed, which is becoming increasingly rare as manufacturers continue their collective march towards screen-based minimalism.

The driver's cockpit is equally sensible. Everything is reasonably easy to see, reach and understand without requiring you to scroll through three menus before figuring out how to change something.

There's even a UV-C cleaning compartment, where you can place a phone or other small gadget for a quick clean - it's a small feature, but one of those genuinely useful little touches that you appreciate rather than simply showing off to your friends once.

Digital Side Mirrors

The Digital Side Mirrors are probably the Ioniq 9's most noticeable piece of technology.

Instead of conventional exterior mirrors, cameras mounted on the sides of the car feed live images to dedicated displays positioned at the bottom of the A-pillars.

The system provides a wide-angle rearward view, and the displays incorporate additional information to help with lane changes and reversing. The cameras also maintain impressive clarity in both daylight and darkness.

But like most technology designed to replace something your brain has been doing for decades, it takes some getting used to; your natural instinct is to look outside the window when checking your mirrors. With the Ioniq 9, you have to train yourself to glance down towards the screens instead.

After a few days, it becomes fairly natural. What impressed me more was the consistency of the image - it remains clear at night, and the displays are positioned where they can be seen without requiring a major shift in your field of vision.

Driving It

The Calligraphy AWD gets 303 bhp and 605 Nm from its dual electric motors, with 0-100km/h taking a respectable 6.7 seconds.Well,for something weighing 2,610 kg and capable of carrying five other people, that's properly brisk.

It must be said the Ioniq 9 doesn't deliver the violent shove you get from some performance EVs. Instead, the power arrives smoothly and predictably, which suits its character far better.

Still, you don't have to worry about being out-gunned by some pesky hot hatchback that has decided your electric family bus looks like easy prey…

On the expressway, the Ioniq 9 cruises almost ridiculously effortlessly. Overtaking requires little thought, and it has more than enough reserve power at highway speeds; even those Vellfires and Alphards occupying the fastest lane seem rather more willing to give way.

Maybe it's the sheer width; perhaps it's that enormous face staring at them in the rear-view mirror. Whatever it is, the Ioniq 9 has presence.

And somehow, it handles. It feels almost inappropriate talking about handling in a six-seat luxury SUV weighing more than 2.6 tonnes - yet here we are.

The Ioniq 9's dual-motor AWD system gives it a reassuring level of grip, and that becomes particularly noticeable when you start asking more of the car than you probably should. There was more than one occasion when I momentarily forgot I was driving something the size of a small apartment and arrived at a corner carrying slightly more speed than planned.

A little more brake pedal pressure, a turn of the wheel and... it just goes around. The AWD system does a good job of keeping everything planted, and the steering has enough weight and positive feedback to give you confidence in where the front wheels are pointing. It isn't sports-car sharp, nor should it be, but it doesn't feel vague or disconnected either - for something this large, that's impressive.

You can actually place the Ioniq 9 with reasonable confidence, and the car doesn't become nervous when you change direction at a decent pace.

Of course, physics eventually wins. This is still a 2.6-tonne SUV riding high above the road, and there is no mistaking the mass when you really push it.

But the important thing is that the Ioniq 9 never feels like it's fighting you.

However more importantly, that composure doesn't come at the expense of ride comfort. The Ioniq 9 doesn't feel overly stiff, and on normal Singapore roads it does a good job of ironing out uneven surfaces. Expansion joints, patched sections and the usual imperfections are dealt with without constantly reminding everyone inside that the road underneath isn't particularly smooth.

From the driver's seat, you notice the same thing. The suspension generally keeps the cabin settled and the steering doesn't transmit every minor surface imperfection into your hands.

But, it isn't magic. On badly resurfaced roads, pothole-laden stretches or particularly nasty bumps, some vibration does make its way into the cabin. You can feel the weight of those big wheels and tyres working through the suspension, and the car occasionally reminds you that underneath all the leather, screens and clever electronics is still a very large vehicle carrying a very large battery.

That honesty is important, showing the Ioniq 9 isn't a floating magic carpet. It is, simply, very good at taking the edge off Singapore's less-than-perfect roads, and I'd take that over an artificially stiff ride any day.

The Ioniq 9 Calligraphy AWD gets a 110.3 kWh battery and a quoted WLTP range of around 600 km. Real-world range will vary with driving conditions, but that is still a healthy figure for a 2.6-tonne, six-seat SUV.

Its 800V architecture is arguably more impressive, supporting up to 350 kW DC charging and a 10 - 80 percent charge in around 24 minutes under suitable conditions. AC charging is rated at up to 11 kW.

While you won't find 350 kW chargers everywhere in Singapore, but hey when you do, the Ioniq 9 can make good use of them.

A Concert Hall On Wheels

The cabin's quietness also gives its Bose 14-speaker audio system a chance to shine.

Apple CarPlay connects seamlessly, too. In fact, it was so seamless that I forgot I'd connected my phone. It paired automatically when I got into the car, and somewhere during the test drive, Mum called to ask me to come by for dinner.

Then I put on John Mayer.

Yes I listen to a lot of him because I enjoy his guitar work more than I probably should admit; and the Ioniq 9's sound system does an excellent job of reproducing the detail and space in his recordings.

On the right tracks, it feels as though John is sitting in the passenger seat grinding away at his guitar. If you appreciate John, try lining up Slow Dancing In A Burning Room, In Your Atmosphere, Covered In Rain, Free Fallin', Why Georgia, Edge of Desire and Something's Missing on a playlist.

You're welcome.

In A Nutshell

So, what exactly is the Ioniq 9?

This Ioniq 9 Calligraphy 6-Seater sits somewhere between a luxury family mover and an executive shuttle.

It is spacious enough to carry six adults in genuine comfort, with an exceptionally good second row and a third row that is actually usable. Yet from behind the wheel, it is far more composed and capable than its 2.6-tonne bulk suggests, with strong grip, positive steering and effortless performance.

Its biggest weakness is, unsurprisingly, its size. At almost 5.1 metres long and nearly two metres wide, parking in Singapore requires care, even with the cameras and digital mirrors.

But once you're moving, that size becomes its greatest advantage. There is space everywhere, the cabin is quiet and comfortable, and the Ioniq 9 feels every bit as luxurious from the back as it does from the driver's seat.

It doesn't try to disguise its size, it embraces it. And for the Ioniq 9, that's precisely what makes it work.

Photos by Azfar Hashim (@azfar.talks)

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