Is this the world's best big EV SUV? The straight-up facts about the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9 to frighten the Tesla Model X, Mercedes-Benz EQS and Volvo EX90

Earlier this month, Hyundai unveiled its first all-electric three-row SUV in the shape of the Ioniq 9, but there’s much more to it than meets the eye.

Expected to start at under $100,000 and due in Australia by the middle of next year following nearly half a decade of intense engineering development, but it lands more than two years after the closely-related and highly-acclaimed Kia EV9’s global debut.

It raises an obvious question: why the gap, and what is with the mother brand of the Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) giving its daughter brand and fierce in-house rival such a massive marketing advantage?

The answer is progress as well as differentiation.

According to Hyundai America Technical Centre Senior Vice President, Brian E. Haligren, the Ioniq 9 has benefitted from a number of changes and upgrades to HMG’s already leading 800-volt battery electric architecture that are designed to make it the best three-row SUV electric vehicle in the world today.

The best, period, and not just in value for money.

“The E-GMP platform is a tremendous platform for us to build products off from,” Haligren told CarsGuide.

“For this product, we continued to stretch the wheelbase, and it really provided two things – the installation of a larger battery – the 110kWh battery is one of our biggest batteries we have… and it enables us that 620km of range.

“And then coupled with it, the flat floor that electrification provides gives the design team a lot of creativity around it to lay out larger (interior) dimensions for legroom and headroom as well.

“So, the platform is really versatile and we’ve really taken advantage of that (for Ioniq 9).”

In other words, then, the Ioniq 9 has been differentiated from its EV9 sibling by being able to provide much longer range as well as more room inside thanks to that uniquely stretched platform.

Hyundai didn’t just want to beat the Kia – it benchmarked premium EV SUVs, too.

“There are lots of competitors out there,” Haligren said. “You got the Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV, Audi Q8 e-tron… lots of largish SUVs.

“But (Ioniq 9) is one that is really filling a gap out there, saying ‘hey, we want a three-row SUV that actually is large (and yet still relatively affordable)’… it’s not small. Some of the other ones really aren’t three-row SUVs. They may claim it, but you don’t want to sit back there. Here you can sit six or seven adults in this vehicle and not feel cramped.”

For space and packaging reasons, as well as containing weight and costs, it’s also why Hyundai did not follow the Audi and some other big EVs by employing double-stack battery packs.

“A lot of it is about packaging and headroom,” Haligren reiterated.

“Double stack is out there, but our single stack provides plenty of battery energy for range. But it also helps us keep that floor very low, which really benefits headroom. The third row is very spacious and with a double stack battery we would not be able to provide that headroom that we have today in the Ioniq 9.”

Hyundai Design Centre Senior Vice President, Simon Loasby, added double stack battery packs introduce unacceptable weight increases, a higher centre of gravity, more expense and other unacceptable compromises.

“Of course, we looked at them,” he said. “But it comes down to weight and size and cost and packaging, and all those issues, we want a full electric SUV and didn’t want to push the boundaries – we want to keep close to our customer set with the overall price.”

World-leading aerodynamics also came into play, with the Hyundai SUV’s knockout 0.26 drag coefficient in the most-slippery version being an astounding result given its size and height.

This matches the Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV that will cost at least twice as much to buy, and eclipses the Volvo EX90’s 0.29 – though the as-yet-unconfirmed-for-Australia Lucid Gravity will bump it out of the lead with a 0.24 rating.

Better aero under, as well as over, the Ioniq 9’s body, means lower energy use and greater efficiency, though Hyundai has yet to reveal electricity consumption figures for the Ioniq 9.

“We added some tremendous features to help with aerodynamics and streamline-ness,” Haligren said. “We have (HMG-first) dual-motion activator flap in the front of the vehicle, to close out the front air dam to drive airflow around the vehicle and minimise any leakage as much as possible.

“We spent a lot of time even on the underbody to really do the closeouts correct, to do 3D sculpting to get the airflow how we wanted. And there’s a boat-like rear tail section to really streamline it out.

“These are in addition to flush door handles and the deletion of a traditional (roof-mounted) shark-fin for streamline-ness and instead use imbedded antennas elsewhere… so, a lot of attention and a lot of detail went into this.”

The powertrain, meanwhile, has also seen some significant improvements.

“The propulsion system is very efficient, with a two-stage inverter; one stage of the inverter is for more traditional driving (of the rear electric motor) for better efficiency, (meaning that) the front electric-motor is disconnected for a reduction of parasitic losses,” Haligren explained.

This is until extra performance and traction are required, whereby the second stage inverter seamlessly joins in for the front electric motor to provide all-wheel drive.

Also aiding efficiency whilst boosting performance is reduced weight, and that is partly achieved with aluminium body panels in place of heavier steels in the door panels, side flanks and front guards, as well as in the cross-beam structures underneath.

These, in tandem with the E-GMP’s inherent low centre of gravity, in turn dramatically affect dynamics, including steering and handling control, ride comfort and refinement.

Furthermore, the Ioniq 9 features sophisticated dual-lower control arm struts and multi-link suspension up front and a multi-link independent arrangement out back, fitted with dual-action passive dampers with frequency control units for a cushier yet more controlled outcome.

Air suspension was considered but rejected on the basis of additional weight and cost as well as packaging space intrusion.

Tested and tuned at HMG’s various proving grounds in North America and South Korea, Hyundai’s target was to produce a “well-balanced” EV SUV.

“We wanted a balanced vehicle that takes advantage of an EV’s low centre of gravity; one that delivers smooth ride characteristics, linear steering response, confidence-inspiring brake performance and low noise/vibration/harshness (NVH) – quietness was paramount,” a spokesperson said.

“We wanted balanced performance where the vehicle reacts as the customer expects.”

Finally, a lot of work went into isolating NVH issues at the source, with acoustic-foam inserts, strengthened pillars, low-resistance tyres and body reinforcements to minimise booming noise; wind noise reduction measures include acoustic laminated glass for the side glass, stiffer door structures and a triple layer of sound absorption material, especially around the cargo area and the availability of active noise cancellation tech.

Hyundai encapsulated the rear electric motor into its own ‘tomb’ so occupants would not hear it operate in the back.

“A little bit of aero reduction is a big deal; a small cut in decibels is a big deal,” Haligren said. “(When developing an EV) we just go a little deeper and are more tenacious when trying to solve NVH problems.

“As we continue to develop products within the portfolio we have, we always look to continue to optimise, refine and get better in every single offering,”

“At the end of the day, it’s all about providing a compelling product.”