MOVE OVER ROVER, THERE’S A NEW PUPPY IN TOWN

Rover Revolution

The Rover has enjoyed a reputation as the standard bearer of the premium SUV class for decades. 

That reputation was built on the shoulders of the original utilitarian Land Rover, which started production in 1948 and became Rover’s most successful vehicle in the 1950s through the 1970s.

The Land Rover has been a symbol of off-road versatility ever since. You see them everywhere on British TV shows about a country seaside doctor, rural detectives, or English farmers.   

In 1970, the company introduced the Range Rover, which combined the off-road capability of the Land Rover, but in a more refined and car-like package. The Range Rover created the premium sport utility vehicle market, which has become a widely popular segment in the 21st century.

As the World Revolves

In the last 25 years, the popularity of premium SUVs has mushroomed in the consumer market. Yet, few consumers in this century have used premium SUVs for any serious off-road travel. 

Today, it’s hard to imagine anyone wanting to traverse their pristine, ceramic-coated luxury vehicle through anything beyond some on-road inclement weather conditions.

And so, the priorities have evolved for drivers of the premium SUV. Serious off-road capabilities have given way to the importance of a quiet, boulevard ride comfort, on-road stability, and a smooth, powerful and linear throttle response. 

Out-Rovering the Rover

On these qualities, the humble Hyundai Ioniq 9 out-does the current Range Rover in each of these measures.

The Ioniq 9 AWG Performance Calligraphy manages to maintain an excellent ride quality while having outstanding on-road stability—two qualities usually diametrically opposed to each other. 

But where the 9 really shines is in its smooth, powerful and linear throttle response. 

Unfashionably Electric

Electric vehicles are currently taking a sales hit. 

The reasons are plentiful, and they include the revocation of the federal tax credit (see OP-ED: New California EV Incentives https://lacar.com/reports/california-ev-incentives ), the revocation of single-occupant HOV lane access for EVs, poor range in cold weather conditions, and the lack of sufficient charging stations in rural communities and road trip stop-overs.

These are formidable reasons for the softening of EV sales. For luxury SUV buyers, however, the incentives should matter less than for budget car buyers. 

Poor range in cold weather conditions is a more serious concern for drivers in four season regions. It’s not for those living in places like the moderately warm region of Southern California. 

Having the capability to take your vehicle on a road trip at a moment’s notice is an endearing thought that may materialize a few times throughout the year. But if you can afford a luxury SUV, it’s probably not the only vehicle in your portfolio. 

For the overwhelming majority of the 365 days in a year, you are driving around town, maybe to the adjacent county, and much of it in stop-and-go traffic.

On these days, the smooth, powerful and linear throttle response of the all-electric Ioniq 9 AWD Performance Calligraphy is unbeatable. By comparison, every premium SUV powered by an internal combustion engine feels slow to respond and in a not-very-linear fashion. This includes all iterations of the current Range Rover.

The 9 by Design

Every premium SUV worth its weight must pass the eye candy test. The Ioniq 9 is thankfully one of Hyundai Motor Group’s best designs—and this includes the Group’s Kia and Genesis designs.

It’s not always the case when it comes to the Hyundai brand of vehicles. 

Chess vs Checker Pieces

A Hyundai insider close to this writer described the brand’s design approach as one of “chess pieces”—meaning they want to give every model in their lineup a distinct, specialized identity rather than applying a uniform, “cookie-cutter” look.

Hyundai has had great success with some of its chess pieces, such as the current Santa Fe and the Ioniq 9 under review.

Other times, the consumer reception has been less than enthusiastic, such as with the soap bar-look of the Ioniq 6 and the triangle-laden Elantra. 

The corporate insider points to the Kia brand as one that incorporates more of a “checkers” uniform design approach within its product models. 

Kia calls its design theme “opposites united”, and the common look applies to every model from the K4 all the way to the electric three-row seating EV9—the brand’s counterpart to the Hyundai Ioniq 9.  

Kia’s approach seems to fair better with its smaller models. The design theme looks a bit awkward on the large EV9—particularly at the rear C-pillar (albeit its tall C-pillar adds more space to the trunk). 

In contrast, the Ioniq 9’s boat-tail tapering rear roofline looks more elegant and (to these eyes) less likely to look outdated over time. 

Range Aerosthetic

The sleeker look of the Ioniq 9 evidently also contributes to the Ioniq 9’s outstanding coefficient of drag. 

In North American, it’s 0.269 Cd. In European and South Korean markets, it’s even better due to the availability of models equipped with digital side mirrors (slim cameras).

These are coefficient of drag figures more closely associated with midsize sedans than a large, three-row SUV. 

Hyundai says it’s achieved through the use of a design language they call aerosthetic, which includes use of the aforementioned boat-tail rear taper, dual-motion active air flaps on the front grille, a fully enclosed underbody paneling system, and hidden roof antennas. 

The low coefficient of drag is one of the reasons for the Ioniq 9’s excellent range figures (EPA rated from 311 to 335 miles per charge depending on trim level). 

The all-wheel drive Performance Calligraphy is EPA rated at 311 miles of range. However, I found this to be overly conservative, as I averaged over 400 miles in combined city and highway driving in the spring season of Southern California.

The Incredible Shrinking SUV

Upon first glance, the Ioniq 9 looks massive. So massive, LA Car staffers were referring to it as “big bruiser”, “the big green machine”, and “the green behemoth”. 

In the driver’s seat, however, things don’t look so enormous. Controls are within easy reach. All-around visibility is much better than average.

Once you start driving, the vehicle seems to shrink even further, as the Ioniq 9 is light on its feet and nimble as a mid-size sedan. Outward vision remains quite exemplary. 

Further enhancing the sense of maneuverability are the multitude of driver assist features such as Surround View Monitor (a 360-degree bird’s eye view camera system), Blind-Spot View Monitor, Bling-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Keeping Assist, Lane Following Assist, Forward Attention Warning, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist, Parking Distance Warning, and Rearview Camera.

The Performance Upgrade

Choosing the “Performance” upgrade to the Ioniq 9 boosts power output from 303 horsepower on standard AWD models to 422. 

Torque increases to 516 pound-feet, giving it immediate off-the-line grunt. 

0-60 mph performance drops to just under 5 seconds—a significant leap from the still respectable mid-6 second performance on standard AWG models. 

That’s comparable to the long-range rear-wheel drive Tesla Model 3 sedan. 

For muscle car historians, that’s also comparable to the limited edition 1965 Ford Galaxie equipped with the 425 horsepower dual four-barrel carburetor 427 cubic inch engine.

Of course, the acceleration of the Ioniq 9 AWD Performance Calligraphy is more immediate and far more linear. 

But it’s a Hyundai!

About the only thing keeping the Ioniq 9 from being declared the new Range Rover is the fact that it’s a Hyundai-branded vehicle. 

Hyundai Motor Group’s premium brand is Genesis, but HMG chose to sell the Ioniq 9 under the Hyundai brand. 

This speaks volumes for the level of refinement that the Ioniq 9 offers. If Hyundai had not already sold the Ioniq 9 and it were instead badged as a new Range Rover (and given a high tier Meridian Audio sound system and enhanced suspension capabilities), I wouldn’t be surprised if it had received critical acclaim. 

Alas, Hyundai did seem to hold back a bit on the Ioniq 9 to keep it from going into the stratosphere. 

Former Mark Levinson and ELAC audio consultant Robert Shoji observed that the Bose Premium Audio system in the Ioniq 9 fell short of the best systems in the premium SUV category. 

I suspect this was a conscious decision by Hyundai to not up-end the Lexicon and Bang & Olufsen systems in the sister Genesis Division.

Too Good for its Own Good?

The premium SUV fundamentals on the Ioniq 9 AWD Performance Calligraphy—the ride, the handling, and the powertrain refinement—are so we executed, one wonders what Hyundai could have done if it weren’t saddled with the fear of cannibalizing Genesis sales.

Beyond the fundamentals, Hyundai also got the icing on the cake right. The Ioniq 9 is right on the money with creature comforts, practicality, and convenience. 

The AWD Performance Calligraphy edition of the Ioniq 9 adds a marvelous level of power and luxury to an already excellent premium SUV. 

The Sum Total

The Hyundai Ioniq 9 starts at $58,956, which is a bargain for a three-row EV if you can do without all-wheel drive and the power of dual motors. 

All-wheel drive and dual motors brings the price up to $62,765, which is less than $4,000. 

The Performance Limited pumps the power to 422 horsepower and the price to $71,250. The Performance edition also provides a bit better stability and noticeably better handling—qualities worth checking out notwithstanding the extra cost.

The as-tested Ioniq 9 AWD Performance Calligraphy goes for $74,990. That may seem like a lot, until you realize the base (5-seat) Range Rover is $113,300. 

You’ll have to decide if paying an extra $40,000 for greater off-road capability but less refined on-road ride, handling and performance is worth that historic badge. – Roy Nakano

SIDEBAR COMMENT

We don’t have one of those Alexa do-dad here in the Stokes Ranch (as my editor and co-reviewer Roy Nakano calls our 112 year-old house that once sat next to a sprawling Avocado grove in the town of Duarte, about 16 miles East of Pasadena), so I had to look the given name of this one up.

Calligraphy is the art of "beautiful writing," transforming lettering into visual art through specific, rhythmic strokes.

So, since there was very little writing (if any) on the “ionosphere green” 9 that I drove, we’ll leave the cool name for others to ponder.

As far as the middle part of this big machine’s long name, there was plenty of performance.  As you’ve read by now, Roy has more miles than me, but I had almost as much fun (oops, I almost said: “Gassing it” or “Standing on the Gas”) this this big bruiser of an all-wheel-drive, 3-row SUV as Roy did.

This all-electric SUV boasts 422 horsepower and (as people are starting to learn) you can call on at least 420 of those husky steeds to be directly under your foot from the git-go.  This is a big, solid SUV that seems to think that it is its own little brother the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N road rocket.

My favorite item on the long list of standard features for the “9” was the (Ta-dah:) “immobilizer”.  When I was a kid, it was a parent denying me the use of the family car.  When I got a bit older, it was empty pockets that might preclude putting a couple of bucks worth of 79 cents a gallon gas in my ‘52 Volkswagen, and now it’s an anti-theft system that just flat locks the whole show down cold if someone even thinks about trying a bogus key. Cool.

The “AWD” part of the name here. Right … it stands for all-wheel drive, something that a few years ago was more of a heavy-duty, king cab, gritty, muddy, s---t-kicking, off-road, pickup truck option.  Here it simply means precise/full-time control of those 400+ horses that are harnessed up in this one.

And no honest review would be complete without a small complaint.  The graceful downward (almost “Calligraphic”) slope of the front door opening took some getting used to, I’m 5’10” and really had to duck to get into the driver’s seat rear end first. Honestly a minor deal, perhaps sticking my head in first and then following with the rest of me like a NASCAR driver would have worked better.  Once in (however accomplished) the front seats were very comfortable, supportive, and (seemingly) endlessly adjustable.

For me this big machine, husky and looking like it it’s fully up for a lot of good miles of family transport, is a real, likable, liveable (and very quick on its feet) winner. – Doug Stokes

NOTE: I need to mention the roll-back sunroof that’s as big as all get-out.  Going (almost) topless in this one on balmy summer day should be on every owner’s to-do list at least once a week (even just driving in to work) when the weather is right. 

CRIME STOPPERS NOTE: (especially here in the LA area): Besides that cool “immobilizer” deal, there’s no catalytic converter here to be sawed off in the middle of the night.