{"id":35402,"date":"2025-12-18T09:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T13:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=35402"},"modified":"2025-12-18T09:55:00","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T13:55:00","slug":"payne-on-the-town-in-the-sci-fi-low-mi-hyundai-ioniq-9-ev","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/payne-on-the-town-in-the-sci-fi-low-mi-hyundai-ioniq-9-ev","title":{"rendered":"Payne: On the town in the sci-fi, low-mi Hyundai Ioniq 9 EV"},"content":{"rendered":"

Detroit<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 The striking, three-row Hyundai Ioniq 9 is an avatar for the electric niche.<\/p>\n

I flogged the Ioniq 9 all over Metro Detroit \u2014 the 300-mile, natural radius of an EV \u2014 as I helped chaperone a racquets tournament and performed daily chores. From its sci-fi, “Blade Runner” exterior to its posh white interior, the Ioniq is dressed to, well, the nines with a serene elegance that is a match for an $80K Lincoln Aviator.<\/p>\n

But with real-world range of only 249 miles (80% charge at a fast charger), it cannot match the dexterity of its $50K, gas-powered, 418-mile-range, three-row Hyundai Palisade peer that is a finalist for 2026 North American Utility of the Year. Use your vehicle locally and fly for business\/family trips? Are you retired and enjoy relaxed road trips? Wowed by Hyundai\u2019s new, sci-fi image? The Ioniq 9 is a luxury vehicle for you.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 Performance Calligraphy charges at Detroit News columnist Henry Payne’s home on a Juicebox charger with adapter. The Ioniq 9 can also charge on current-gen Tesla chargers.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n

If you need a more versatile family vehicle, buy a gas-fired Palisade or Aviator.<\/p>\n

I tested a $79,540 Ioniq 9 Performance Calligraphy model a week after completing a 15-hour, four-day round trip to Watkins Glen, New York, in a 418-mile-range, gas-powered, $51,110 Palisade XRT Pro. Palisade made the trip with one five-minute drink of fuel. Had I been driving the Ioniq 9, I would have required more than an hour over three charging stops \u2014 not to mention more time in the charger-starved Finger Lakes, where neither my hotel nor my destination \u2014 Watkins Glen International Raceway \u2014 were equipped with 220-volt overnight chargers.<\/p>\n

The layouts of the Palisade and Ioniq 9 are the same with roomy, three-row interiors studded with gorgeous dual-screen dashes, comfortable seats, high-tech features and USB-C ports everywhere. Ergonomically thoughtful controls are expertly placed on the steering wheel for ease of use. The shifter alone is a masterpiece that frees up console space by harboring both START button and gear selector.<\/p>\n

Then Ioniq 9 adds another $30K of sweets.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 sports the EV brand’s new sci-fi design language with pixelated lighting elements.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n

Think white leather that wraps the interior like icing on a wedding cake. White steering wheel, white seats, white console. The duo-tone interior is trimmed with gray bits: for example, seatbacks split by a line up the middle. Silver bezels and door handles are tastefully placed \u2018round the cabin for added decoration. The interior reminded me of a Lincoln Aviator I piloted in 2020, which boasted similar interior appointments from a brand synonymous with quiet luxury.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is niiiice,\u201d said a visiting racquets player slipping into the Ioniq 9\u2019s second row. My third-row passenger was not as impressed, especially when I fumbled the controls.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m getting crushed!\u201d he said as I mistakenly pressed the automatic rear seat button to fold the rear seat (with him in it) into the floor. Sometimes a simple pull-loop in the seatback works better. And quicker.<\/p>\n

Once their chauffeur (me) had figured out the controls, five passengers arrived at Adaline Restaurant on Woodward in quiet luxury. Ioniq 9\u2019s electric drivetrain is a treat in stop-and-go urban environment.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
The high-tech interior of the 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 includes twin hoodless screens, voice commands, wireless charging and lots more USB-C ports for passenger charging.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/p>\n

Heading down Jefferson Avenue, my 5,900-pound chariot squirted ahead of traffic to make a Michigan Turn. \u201cIndyCars go 180 mph down these west-bound Jefferson lanes at the Detroit Grand Prix,\u201d I informed my guests.<\/p>\n

Ioniq 9 won\u2019t go that quick, but its 4.4-second vault to 60 mph is impressive for a three-ton ute. Better yet, the power it delivered was linear, quiet, mannered. No gear shifts, no downshift hiccups from a multi-speed transmission. The Hyundai does have steering wheel paddles \u2014 but they are to adjust electric motor regenerative braking, not gear shifts. I preferred Level 4 regen (to the harsher MAX setting), which allowed the SUV to slow to a stop without me ever touching the brake.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was a smooth ride,\u201d commented a passenger, emerging to take a slow walk around the car curbside.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
\n
The 2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 sports a stylish, simple exterior. Underneath, RWD and AWD electric powertrains are available.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

I first saw the Ioniq 9 at the famed Goldstein House overlooking Beverly Hills at its November 2024 Los Angeles Auto Show debut. A distinctive architecture for a distinctive car. The Ioniq 9 is no less a standout in downtown Detroit traffic. That “Blade Runner” rear is its signature, but the fascia is memorable for its wraparound headlights punctuated by pixel LED blocks and vertical, pixel-block headlights.<\/p>\n

Sitting on big, 21-inch, low-profile wheels, it\u2019s more space age than the handsome, rugged design of its sister Palisade XRT Pro, which drives on high-profile, all-terrain tires.<\/p>\n

Ioniq 9 is a Concorde, the Palisade a Boeing 737 airliner. And not just because Ioniq is more posh.<\/p>\n

Yes, it\u2019s spectacularly outfitted with luxuries like self-park assist, automatic panoramic roof, head-up display and programmable massaging seats. But it\u2019s also oddly fragile due to the limits of EVs.<\/p>\n

I have two chargers in my garage: a NACS charger for Tesla and a Juicebox J1772 connector for everything else. The NACS-equipped Hyundai should be able to charge on both (a J1772 connector is in the trunk). The Ioniq 9 worked on the Juicebox with the adapter, but not the Tesla charger, because it wasn\u2019t a current-generation NACS.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
\n
The cargo space of the Hyundai Ioniq 9 Performance Calligraphy swallowed baggage for a tournament picnic.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

Unlike just a few years ago, there are chargers everywhere in Oakland County. But the charger world has a language all its own.<\/p>\n

When I searched for a nearby charger in the Ioniq 9\u2019s screen, a blizzard of options came up from 350 kW to 150 kW to 50 kW at multiple locations. With a packed schedule, I didn\u2019t have time to wait at an occupied charger (unlike a gas pump where customers cycle through in minutes). Helpfully, Ioniq 9\u2019s software showed me the number of charging stalls at each location. I picked the one with the most (four, at a BP gas station in Southfield) \u2014 compared to a closer, smaller charger at a Ford dealer.<\/p>\n

Upon arrival, I discovered the BP actually had\u00a0eight<\/em>\u00a0charging stalls. Only one was occupied, and I plugged in for 25 minutes to go from 22% of charge to 80%. That is 63 miles to 277 miles \u2014 a top-up that would take three minutes in a gas car.<\/p>\n

\"Charging<\/figure>\n
\n
Charging at BP in Southfield in the Hyundai Ioniq 9 Performance Calligraphy.<\/em><\/div>\n

Henry Payne, The Detroit News<\/em><\/div>\n

I used the 25 minutes to shop for a newspaper, buy Snapple and check email.<\/p>\n

The cost for this inconvenience was 49 cents per kWh, which is about the same cost for 214 miles ($35) of regular gas at $3.10 a gallon. But it takes five times longer. That inconvenience multiplies on road trips.<\/p>\n

The trip to Watkins Glen? It would take 1.25 hours longer than a gas-powered Palisade (or comparably priced Lincoln Aviator). Not to mention anxiety upon arrival about where to charge or how weather conditions might affect range.<\/p>\n

No wonder Lincoln has scaled back its plans to go all-electric and instead is making the three-row, V6-powered, 480-mile-range, instant-fill-up Aviator.<\/p>\n

The Korean automaker, on the other hand, is determined to change its image. Gas-powered Palisade or luxe Ioniq 9 EV?<\/p>\n

Next week: All I want for Christmas is a manual Porsche 911<\/em><\/p>\n

2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9<\/h2>\n

Vehicle type:<\/strong>\u00a0Battery-powered, rear or all-wheel-drive, six-or-seven-passenger SUV<\/p>\n

Price:<\/strong>\u00a0$60,555, including $1,600 destination fee ($79,540 Sport 3 AWD as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant:<\/strong>\u00a0110.3 kWh lithium-ion battery with single rear or dual electric-motor drive<\/p>\n

Power:<\/strong>\u00a0215-422 horsepower, 258-516 pound-feet torque (422 horsepower, 516 torque as tested)<\/p>\n

Transmission:<\/strong>\u00a0Single-speed direct drive<\/p>\n

Performance:<\/strong>\u00a00-60 mph, 4.4 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 129 mph; towing, up to 5,000 pounds<\/p>\n

Weight:<\/strong>\u00a06,034 pounds (as tested)<\/p>\n

Fuel economy:<\/strong>\u00a0EPA MPGe 85-92; range, 311 (AWD) to 335 (RWD) miles<\/p>\n

Report card<\/h2>\n

Highs:<\/strong>\u00a0Sci-fi design, acceleration, Tesla-like NACS charging port<\/p>\n

Lows:<\/strong>\u00a0ICE peer sports similar tech, better range; NACS doesn\u2019t work on all Tesla chargers<\/p>\n

Overall:<\/strong>\u00a03 stars<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Detroit\u00a0\u2014 The striking, three-row Hyundai Ioniq 9 is an avatar for the electric niche. I flogged the Ioniq 9 all over Metro Detroit \u2014 the 300-mile, natural radius of an EV \u2014 as I helped chaperone a racquets tournament and performed daily chores. From its sci-fi, “Blade Runner” exterior to its posh white interior, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35402"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35402"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35403,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35402\/revisions\/35403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}