Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy 2025 Review

Priced at $119,750 plus on-road costs, the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy is the most expensive vehicle the Korean auto giant has ever sold in Australia.

It may also end up being the smallest-selling model in the current range. Why? Refer above.

Based on a long 3130mm wheelbase version of the Hyundai Group’s e-GMP battery-electric vehicle architecture that underpins the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, Kia EV3, EV6, EV9 and the Genesis GV60, the 5060mm-long EV9 employs a permanent magnet synchronous motor on each axle to produce a combined 314kW/700Nm.

The EV9 is its closest rival, another is the Volvo EX90.

The Ioniq 9 powers its motors via a 110.3kWh lithium-ion battery pack – the largest ever fitted to a Hyundai passenger car – and claims a 600km WLTP range. Economy is rated at 20.6kWh/100km and the 400V/800V system’s DC fast-charge rate is a high 233kW.

The battery also provides a V2L (vehicle to load) plug, which is handy when you need to run ancillary items like laptops and electric BBQs in a remote location or during a blackout.

Exterior standard equipment includes pop-out aero doorhandles, clever LED headlights that shield oncoming traffic from glare, sophisticated ‘parametric pixel’ cube light shows across the front and back of the car, a panoramic sunroof, a powered tailgate and 21-inch alloy wheels shod with Continental tyres.

Digital exterior mirrors are a $3000 option. There are 10 paint choices, of which nine will add $750 (metallic/pearl) or $1000 (matte). Only white is standard.

Inside, there’s the choice of seven- (standard) and six-seat (optional, add $2000) layouts, the latter sporting two powered captain’s chairs in the middle row.

Standard equipment includes Nappa leather upholstery, front seats with 16-way power adjustability, heating, ventilation (outboard row two as well), premium relaxation and massage functions (which can be timed to kick in automatically), a power-adjustable leather-trimmed steering wheel (that has a bit of a Mickey Mouse big-eared look to it) made from vibration-reducing aluminium, ambient lighting and tri-zone climate control with overhead vents for the second and third rows.

Key infotainment and audio features include a pair of 12.3-inch screens stretched across the dashboard with a head-up display set ahead of the driver. It’s all tuneable and adjustable, with even an old-school set of circular dials available (speedo and power/charge meter) in the cluster for us luddites.

Thankfully the screens are supported by a set of hard buttons for audio and climate control.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is included, along with embedded sat-nav, AM/FM and digital radio channels and a 14-speaker Bose audio system.

There is a dedicated wireless smartphone charger up-front and six 100-watt USB-C connectors across the three rows. The Ioniq 9 is also the first Hyundai in Australia to utilise a digital key stored in your smartphone to open/lock and start.

Apparently, you can share this key with up to 15 other smartphones. Why?

The Ioniq 9 also has a five-year subscription to Hyundai’s Bluelink connected car service and gets over the air updates.

It predictably comes well-endowed with safety gear including autonomous emergency braking and monitors to help you avoid incidents in all directions. There are 10 airbags, including curtains that extend to row three, but there’s no ANCAP rating as yet.

The whole package is protected by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Roadside support is unlimited as long as you service with a Hyundai dealer, with the schedule set at every two years/30,000km.

Each one costs $660 pre-paid, or you can send $1345 to cover four years/60,000km.

It’s a real pity so few people will buy and therefore drive the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9 because it really is enjoyable from the chauffeur’s seat.

Despite its circa-2700kg kerb weight, it really gets up and gets boogying in all of its drive modes; even energy-saving Eco and especially in Sport (the selection of which is accompanied by tightening seat bolsters). It feels faster than its 5.2-second 0-100km/h claim.

The combination of instant torque response from first throttle input, the even strength through the range and its quietness (with the help of double-laminated soundproof glass and active noise control) makes this a great powertrain for wafting across country.

And that big battery means you can cruise along at the marked country highway speed limit – or maybe a little more – safe in the knowledge that you’re not going to be hunting out chargers in every town you drive through.

You won’t get 600km, but 500km should be achievable. Our country touring average came out at 23.4kWh/100km and a short city stint halved that to 12.7kWh/100km (which is pretty startling). The claimed WLTP average is 20.6kWh/100km.

When it came time to recharge, we saw 200kW-plus come up on the screen even though the battery wasn’t completely depleted. The claimed maximum recharge rate is 233kW, so we were close.

The Ioniq 9 combines its slick powertrain with a genuinely surprising amount of dynamic talent. It steers and handles with dexterity, yet also manages a comfortable ride. It really only jars on the roughest roads; such are the perks of Australian input in the global chassis tune.

Making it even more impressive is the fact there are no adaptive dampers, although they are self-levelling at the rear. Dynamic torque vectoring no doubt helps with the sense of agility though.

You can find yourself hustling along a country road at an unexpected pace with confidence. We probably shouldn’t be too surprised, e-GMP cars have traditionally delivered as much.

The regenerative flappy paddles in the Ioniq 9 are powerful enough to turn them into faux down- and up-changes. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again, all regen should be as easily driver-adjustable as the way the Hyundai Group does it.

The one-pedal function is also truly effective.

Inside the cabin, the Ioniq 9 is a comfortable and quiet place to travel. Space is generous in the first two rows, the seats are sizable, comfortable and storage is plentiful, including the centre lidded bin that opens from the front or rear hinge.

Even with row three in place there’s still 338 litres of luggage space in the boot, expanding to 908 litres when said row is power folded and then again to 2410 litres with only the front seats in place.

There is no substantial underfloor storage, but there is a small frunk.

The greatest challenge of the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9 is its price. You’d have to be a committed BEV lover to take it ahead of Hyundai’s orthodox Santa Fe and Palisade three-row SUVs, both of which can be had for many tens of thousands of dollars less.

Here is the EV conundrum writ large: the big battery that eases range anxiety adds cost and takes the Ioniq 9 beyond the reach of almost all new vehicle buyers.

Hyundai’s then added to the cost misery by taking only the dual-motor powertrain and piling on the spec. In other markets, the Ioniq 9 is available for much less and with a single motor.

Kia’s tried that a strategy with the closely related but not identical EV9, though it’s not had a lot of success. Hyundai seems to have taken note.

The third row is perhaps a tad tighter than it could be, even though the second row slides in two pieces through a substantial range to provide better space. Access is easy via a flip-fold function on the driver’s side and a slide function on the pavement side.

Driving does tend to get less enjoyable when it comes to navigating in town, where the Ioniq 9’s size makes squeezing along narrow streets a bit of a chore.

The digital mirrors (both external and internal) take some getting used to. Unlike an orthodox mirror, there’s a conscious refocussing of the eye required to see what’s being reflected.

The view is startlingly clear though – until the camera for the internal mirror is covered over by grime in rainy conditions, then you have to swap to the orthodox mirror, which thankfully is fitted as well.

It’s still necessary to drill into the centre touchscreen to turn off speed monitoring and driver attention monitoring (two types) at the start of every trip… unless, of course, you enjoy bing-bonging. Lane keeping is turned off from the steering wheel.

The latter is worth keeping switched on when running on a clearly marked freeway. It’s a subtle and well-tuned system that keeps you well centred.

There’s a personalisable synthetic audio sound accompanying acceleration that some may love and others won’t – we personalised it to ‘off’.

There is no spare tyre; just a mobility kit. At least an optional tyre should be offered.

And dubbing this thing an SUV is a bit of a joke really. In actual fact it’s a people-mover – a very nice people-mover – even with three off-road modes and downhill assist control.

It’s a real pity the 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy is priced so high and therefore destined to make so little impact on Australia’s slowly emerging EV scene.

In most key ways it’s a thoroughly impressive and well-executed vehicle destined for the shadows.

Clearly, Hyundai’s not too concerned which of its seven-seat SUVs is purchased as long as you opt for one of them. As good as it is, most people won’t be opting for the Ioniq 9 though.

2025 Hyundai Ioniq 9 Calligraphy at a glance:
Price: $119,750 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Two permanent magnet synchronous electric motors)
Output: 314kW/700Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 110.3kWh lithium-ion
Range: 600km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 20.6kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested

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