Toyota Corolla vs Hyundai Ioniq 9

What's the difference?

The final score for this review makes it look as though the Corolla is a middling effort. The scores for each individual section of the review are well considered and fair. The Corolla does lack the practicality of some of its rivals. A lack of an ANCAP rating isn’t great and the powertrain is just okay. But it remains one of the most fun-to-drive hatchbacks on the market today, even seven years into its life, and I would wholeheartedly recommend the Corolla to anyone looking for a small car. If you can forgive some of the quirks, it is a reliable, adorable, fun and efficient small car favourite. 

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 is a big, comfortable and powerful SUV that ticks lots of boxes. Sadly, though, the electric power that makes it such a treat to drive is probably the same thing that will keep it off plenty of shopping lists. For now, at least.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

It’s been around for a good seven years, but the current-gen Corolla hatch is still a smart design. It has a squat stance and looks as though it has sporty intentions (it doesn’t), and the head and tail-light treatment doesn’t look like anything else in the segment.

The Corolla has adorable proportions and a pert little behind in a sea of increasingly boring small SUVs.

However, in SX trim and in the ‘Sunstone Orange’ body colour of my test car, the Corolla gives off rental car vibes. Which is hardly surprising given lower grade Corollas are a favourite of rental companies.

Inside that vibe continues. This is where the Corolla is really showing its age.

There are various shades of grey throughout the cabin, with a mix of hard and soft plastics. The cloth seat trim is drab, which is a shame because some other brands have managed to make cloth cool again. Not Toyota.

The touchscreen sticks up out the top of the dash like an old iPad and the dash design is old but functional. 

There is nothing inspiring about this interior design. In saying that, of those aforementioned rivals, only the Mazda3 and the new Kia K4 have modern cabins.

I'm going to sound like a bad football coach here, but the Ioniq 9 is a tale of two halves, at least when it comes to the exterior.

And I mean that literally. The front half is lovely, with a smooth, rounded nose, two stacks of LED lights that build the horizontal on top of the vertical and a clean, modern road presence.

The back half, however, isn't. It took me a while to put my finger on it, but it suddenly dawned on me that it gives off old-school station wagon vibes that, for me at least, don't gel with the rest of the design.

Inside, though, it is a complete picture, with my only complaint that the steering wheel feels a touch too big – though I like it's more minimalist design.

Elsewhere, the materials are lovely to look at and touch – even the dash panel insert that reminds me a bit of snakeskin pants – the seats are comfortable and the tech works well.

One word on the digital wing mirrors, though. They are one cost option I wouldn't be ticking the box for. I find them off-putting, not least because they seem to zoom-in so close to the car behind that you can almost see what part of the people behind's breakfast is residing between their teeth. It feels invasive.

Plus, all you're really doing is swapping a large mirror outside the car for a big screen inside it. Conventional mirrors for the win.

The Corolla is a small car and that is evident inside. You might bump elbows with your front passenger, but I have no problem with the front leg or headroom.

Those cloth seats might be drab but boy they are comfy, and the fronts have loads of side bolstering. 

The steering wheel has typically clear controls and looks and feels nice. 

As a more, shall we say seasoned model in the segment, the Corolla still has buttons on the dash for things like air con, but not too many. That bulbous centre stack and the centre console, however, could be better designed for the space.

As it is, the wireless charging pad is hidden under it at the far end of the console. It’s a bit fiddly to get your phone in and out. This is also where one of the USB-C ports lives.

The other one is in the central storage bin which is quite small, but also houses a 12-volt outlet. There are no other places to store things because of the rounded shape of the console, which also features a couple of narrow cupholders.

OurCarsGuide bottle had to be squeezed into the door storage cavity - only narrow, short vessels will fit properly.

That 8.0-inch multimedia screen is very easy to navigate, with logical menus and icons. However, it’s almost too basic, which is not helped by the all-white background. It could be a more engaging set-up but it’s also very hard to fault the functionality. Our Apple CarPlay maintained its connection the whole time with the car, too.

Space is quite tight in the rear, although I have enough headroom for my 184cm frame. Legroom is just okay behind my driving position. There’s more space in the back of a Hyundai i30. It’s also dark because of smallish rear windows and thick C-pillars. 

The rear seat backrest is quite upright, but, like the front seats, well cushioned.

Amenities are just average back there - there’s a weird cupholder high on the door, only a passenger side map pocket, no rear air vents and no USB ports, although you could easily use the one housed in the front central bin. There’s a rear fold-down armrest with two cupholders.

The rear seats split and fold 60/40 and they fold flat making for a better loading space.

The good news is the SX (and the base Ascent Sport) come standard with a temporary spare wheel, which is great news for a hybrid model. The bad news is, that reduces boot space to a paltry 217 litres. 

That’s off the pace of all of its key hatchback rivals, including the Mazda3 which has its own cargo concerns at 295L, and the Hyundai i30 with 395L.

The Corolla ZR hatch has more space at 333L but you only get a tyre repair kit instead of a temporary spare. 

If you’re dead set on a Corolla but need more cargo space, consider the smart looking sedan that has 470 litres.

It’s a big unit, the Ioniq 9, measuring more than five metres long, just under two metres wide and around 1.8 metres high. Weight is a hefty 2.7 tonnes at its heaviest, too, while braked towing capacity is pegged at 2.5 tonnes.

So, big numbers and a big vehicle with big storage. With all three rows in place, you get 338 litres of boot space. But treat it like a five-seater and that increases to 908 litres. Drop both rows, and you’ll have a massive 2410 litres at your disposal.

The room in the middle row is ample for full-size adults, especially if you tick the box for the cushy six-seat layout, and the rear doors feel massive, so when opened you can step through to the third row with ease, too.

Once in there, you'll find an impressively luxe space. The room isn't ridiculous, but my 175cm got in easily enough, and then fit pretty easily, too. And the addition of USB charge ports, air vents, speakers and an automatic recline function for the third row will lift the mood for whoever you put back there.

So, we know it's not cheap, the Ioniq 9. In fact, it’s Hyundai’s most expensive car ever, outshining even the bonkers and brilliant Ioniq 5 N.

How much are we talking? Well, you can only get one Ioniq 9 — the flagship Calligraphy trim — and it’s yours for $119,750, before on-road costs.

There are just a couple of options from there, with the six-seat version an extra two thousand bucks, which I know sounds weird, to pay more for less, but you are essentially swapping the three-seat middle row for two more luxurious captain’s chairs. The digital side mirrors, which I hate, will cost you $3000, and matt paint will set you back $1000, or $250 more than the premium paint ask. Tick everything, and your Ioniq 9 is more like $125,000.

As to how many Hyundai will sell, suffice it to say the brand doesn’t expect it to be a huge contributor to its totals, acknowledging the EV market is stagnant and that most EV buyers are upgrading an electric vehicle, rather than stepping out of an ICE vehicle, which makes the purchase pool pretty shallow. Still, Hyundai is on track to sell around 150 of the six-figure Ioniq 5 Ns this year, so there are clearly some EV buyers with deep pockets.

Anyway, you get just about everything Hyundai can throw at a vehicle, including full LED lighting, 21-inch alloys, a big panoramic sunroof and a hands-free powered boot.

Inside, there are real Nappa leather seats, tri-zone climate, heated and ventilated seats in the first and second rows, a heated steering wheel and what Hyundai calls 'premium relaxation' seats up front.

There’s a big multimedia screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a digital dash and a head-up display, a 14-speaker Bose stereo and a total six USB connections. But no vehicle-to-load, which means you forgo the household-style power outlet found in some EVs.

There are also a couple of first for Hyundai, including the ability to load your digital key into your phone’s wallet, meaning you can unlock and drive just using your device, and it’s the first time Hyundai has deployed active noise cancellation, too.

Since Toyota dropped the petrol engine from the Corolla range, it’s a hybrid-only affair.

The powerplant is a 1.8-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine paired with Toyota’s fifth-generation hybrid system that incorporates a lithium-ion battery, which is lighter yet more powerful since the 2022 update.

The Corolla drives the front wheels exclusively via a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

It’s not the punchiest engine and could do with more poke, but Toyota does do hybrids well. 

There's only the one configuration available here, with Australia's Ioniq 9 a dual-motor AWD producing a combined 314kW and 700Nm – the latter ensuring this heavy EV never feels dull or sluggish.

Overseas, our powertrain is called the Ioniq 9 Performance, and it produces the fastest zero to 100km/h time of just 5.2 seconds.

According to Toyota the official fuel-use figure for the Corolla hybrid hatch is 4.0-litres per 100 kilometres and CO2 emissions sit at 90g/km.

While the trip computer said 4.8L/100km at the end of our week, my own fuel consumption calculation came to 5.8L.

You will only need 91 RON 'standard' petrol to fill up the Corolla.

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 is essentially sitting atop a massive 110.3kWh battery, which produces a claimed WLTP driving range of 600km.

Be warned, though, the digital dash has a live read out of your minimum and maximum driving range, presumably judged on your driving inputs, and there is a vast gap between the two numbers. In short, if you want to maximise range, go easy on the accelerator.

Its 800V architecture unlocks 233kW DC fast charging, which the brand says will take you from 10 to 80 per cent charged in 24 minutes.

Plugging in at home, though, will be much slower than that – something like 10 hours using 10.5kW wallbox.

Most generations of Corollas have been solid, dependable and occasionally, even fun to drive. 

My first car was a Holden Nova GS hatchback, which was a rebadged version of the seventh-generation Corolla. I loved that car. It was zippy, fun and super economical.

The same principles generally apply to the current-gen Corolla. Thankfully, Toyota’s former CEO, Akio Toyoda, insisted all models from the Camry to the Kluger needed to be injected with more fun. And he succeeded with the Corolla. So much so that they've spun off a wild GR performance hot hatch version.

The Corolla sits low to the ground and it just feels much more connected to the road than a small SUV can. Even in mid-range SX guise, the Corolla can hug a corner and there is ample grip to ensure a fun drive on your favourite winding road.

Sure, the hybrid powertrain might not set your heart racing, but it is quick enough from a standing start and it lacks the lag of some of its turbocharged contemporaries. There’s also plenty of poke on tap for a small car when overtaking.

Even though it has a sporting edge to how it handles, the Corolla SX has been tuned for comfort first and foremost and this is another area it excels. The damper set-up ensures the Corolla soaks up speed bumps, nasty potholes and whatever else our shoddy roads can throw at it. At no point in my seven days with the Corolla did I complain about a harsh bump or thud.

Steering has a mechanical feel but it is still sharp, adding to the ‘chuckable’ vibe of this hatchback.

The powertrain can be noisy when pushed and combined with a CVT auto it’s the nicest sounding engine out there. Also, the transition from electric to petrol power isn’t particularly smooth. Other carmaker’s hybrid offerings - like Honda for example - are close to seamless. 

Some road noise gets into the cabin but it’s no deal breaker.

It's a proper surprise packet, the Ioniq 9, because you approach it with a pretty good idea of how a big, heavy and equipment-soaked seven-seat SUV is going to behave on a twisting road. Short answer? Not well.

But somehow, through some kind a wizardry, the opposite is true. Rather than feel stupendously big and heavy, the Ioniq 9 shrinks around you, feeling far smaller, more dynamic and more capable than you'd expect.

I'd maybe forgo the tightest of tight switchbacks in favour of more sweeping, undulating bends, but honestly, you can squeeze plenty of fun out of the Ioniq 9 on the right road.

Happily, it's no one-trick pony, either. It's quiet in the cabin, even at freeway speeds, it's comfortable in the city and there's plenty of space and tech on board.

The key take-away here is I like the way Ioniq 9 drives, another big vehicle helped massively by electric motors. Sometimes in big ICE-powered SUVs you can feel just how much work is going into getting them up and moving, but that's not the case here.

Instead, because there are no transmissions or turbochargers to deal with, the Ioniq delivers a rich flow of power and torque every time you push the accelerator. No lag, no whining, it just goes.

But here's the really interesting bit. It almost doesn't matter how good I say this car is, or how well I think it drives, this car will remain a niche seller. And Hyundai's executives seem to know it. And all of that's a shame, because it's really very good on the road, this Ioniq 9.

The Ioniq 9 is yet to be assessed by ANCAP, but the results will soon be published for its European test, and the result will be adopted here. Hyundai says it’s shooting for a maximum five stars.

Elsewhere, there are 10 airbags and just about every active safety system you can poke a stick at, all wrapped up in Hyundai’s 'SmartSense' suite of technologies, including the new-for-the-brand 'Highway Driving Assist 2', which acts as a lane-centre 'Smart Cruise Control' but that can also take evasive action should someone swerve into your lane.

The Corolla is covered by Toyota’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which, given Kia, MG, GWM, Jaecoo and more have longer terms (not to mention Nissan and Mitsubishi’s conditional 10-year terms) is now officially trailing its competitors.

However, the capped-price servicing plan of up to five years costs just $250 for each service, which is incredibly competitive. The service schedule is every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever occurs first.

Five years with unlimited kilometres is still the underwhelming warranty norm at Hyundai. The battery is covered for eight years or 160,000km.

Happily, servicing is infrequent, with intervals pegged at two years or 30,000km. As a result, the first six years of servicing will cost a total $2005, or an average $334 per year.