2026 Hyundai Ioniq 9 SUV: Swiveling Massage Seats, AI Driving Modes, and Pixels Everywhere

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osjtypo@reddit

Hyundai and Kia are the fast fashion of the automotive world. Their design cues change so much so quickly. Always onto the next lol.

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The side profile is a bit awkward, but the front, back, and interior look nice. I think the short overhangs make it look a bit awkward, but no doubt the interior will be extremely roomy and all the better for it.

The EV9 looks better, but this has a bigger battery and probably a roomier cabin. This will probably be a hit just like the EV9.

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Thomas_633_Mk2@reddit

I honestly prefer the side to the back, but agree front is good. It's not my or r/cars type of car at all, but I can see it selling. My one request is a physical Hyundai badge on the front and back, rather than just an impression on the glass. Be proud enough of your car company to badge your cars!

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FlySilently@reddit

Am I the only one who is seeing hints of Pontiac Aztec in the rear 3/4 view? (sorry, just do)

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Thomas_633_Mk2@reddit

The Aztek's rear was never the part people hated, tbh. It's a very practical hatch

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watduhdamhell@reddit

The reason for the short overhangs is the same reason every EV has the short overhangs or egg shape: aerodynamic efficiency. Unfortunately it's just not something you can do without when range is a major consideration. That said, I think they did a good job working it into the car.

Also worth absolutely celebrating here are the physical f** HVAC controls. What a concept! Though I would deduct some points for using what looks like capacitive buttons half defeating the purpose- I suspect most people will hit that auto button and then turn the dial as desired so the other buttons really won't be used too much anyway.

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Captain_Alaska@reddit

Overhangs don't have much to do with efficiency. EVs generally have short overhangs because they don't need as much space for an engine which allows you to push the wheelbase out for stability and cabin space.

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fanboy190@reddit

I actually have an EV9, and although I like some aspects about this car, I like the EV9 as a whole better. IMO, it has a less barren-looking interior, with largely the same features (although it has an extremely annoying climate screen that this lacks). I do love the exterior design of this, especially the rear that somehow looks wagon-esque to me! Although I think the EV9 looks slightly better, I wonder if this will age more gracefully in the future.

Also, am I the only one seeing a bit of Lucid in the front? That blacked out panel and "blade" looks somewhat similar, and the switchgear in my EV9 looks like it was almost directly lifted from the Air (the climate control buttons and the volume knob, in particular). It seems to me as if HMG, along with their rumored Genesis-Lucid collaboration, are taking inspiration from Lucid. This is absolutely not a bad thing, as Lucid has handled the issue of buttons superbly!

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ubercruise@reddit

Yes, I do find the front and windshield portion remind me of the Lucid Gravity

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ishaansaral@reddit

If you could combine the EV9 exterior with the Ioniq 9 interior, you'd get peak 3 row EV SUV. This design is more function over form compared to the EV9, probably a good way to differentiate them. The side glass angle is the strange part for me. The rear is Santa Fe inspired in shape with Volvo taillights for max height and width, which I honestly love both in terms of design and function. The front looks better without the contrasting colors, and it seems very much Kona inspired.

As a side note, Kia needs to go back to more physical controls like Hyundai. The tiny climate control screen that is blocked by the steering wheel is such a strange choice. The dual functioning touch panel for media and climate control also wasn't good in the Sportage. Kia is lagging behind in terms of interior ease of use.

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DeTomato_@reddit

It looks weird, but somehow I like it. The side profile is weird because of the sloping roofline. But it surprisingly tame looking for an Ioniq.

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---4758---@reddit

Funky as hell. Love it.

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boomerbill69@reddit

Yep. Looks like a car designer circa 2000 was able to turn a concept from their wildest dreams into an actual production car. It's weird and ugly but also awesome in this world of uninspired blobs.

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BeigeChocobo@reddit

Totally agreed. Looks awesome and bigger battery/range than the EV6. This has potential to be a winner.

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U3011@reddit

It's weird but I also like it. The massage seats speak to me as someone with back issues. You quickly get over screens instead of traditional dials or touch screens everywhere. I've driven EV's on and off over the years but still cannot get used to the near instantaneous torque available on tap. I wish EV's had a newbie mode to help you transition from ICE to EV acceleration.

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King_in_a_castle_84@reddit

It's not big enough! C'mon Hyundai I know you can make it 20 feet long and seating for 8 and 4 tons! I have faith in you!

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egooririexruinam@reddit

How safe is the AI driving mode of this and similar cars?

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PersiusAlloy@reddit

Oh great, another $65,000 12,000lb EV

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faizimam@reddit

Hyundai sells a $40k car. It's called the ioniq 6

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gumol@reddit

Not even the Hummer EV isn't that heavy

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Ziakel@reddit

That’s *interesting..

Don’t know about this one chief

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Ceramicrabbit@reddit

Something tells me this one might not age very gracefully

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Recoil42@reddit

Yeah, I'm thinking by 2026 it's already going to look really dated.

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Capri280@reddit

Looks decent except for those odd wheelarch blisters

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jackwinklebean@reddit

I wonder if the turning radius is going to be even worse than our Ioniq 5. That long wheelbase is great for interior space but not so great in tight parking lots.

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boofishy8@reddit

It’s a minivan

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jpharber@reddit

Since it’s heavily based on the EV9, I don’t think it’s that bad.

The EV9 doesn’t necessarily have a better turn radius, but it is at least closer to what you’d expect for the size of vehicle that it is.

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Seref15@reddit

SUV = Sport Utility miniVan

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ILikeTewdles@reddit

It's... Interesting looking, that's for sure.

I'm kind of bummed where Hyundai\KIA went with their styling. I had a older Elantra that was great. I'd buy another Hyundai product but a majority of their vehicles are super weird looking now and I just can't bring myself to do it.

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Ragnarokuss@reddit

The blacked out wheel arches look much better than the body-colored ones: https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Large-64130-2026IONIQ9SEL-copy.jpg

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SimplyAvro@reddit

Wow, indeed it does. With just the body-color ones, it just looks like there's something missing, as if the usual plastic cladding they install simply...wasn't :/
It think it's because of the way it sinks back in below the arch line. If perhaps it was a more flush design, it would look a bit better.

Regardless though, if I were ever in the market for this one, I'd get the configuration you linked, green with the black arches. Green is pretty sick on cars, and I like the contrast the black gives.

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StrongOnline007@reddit

OK, this at least makes that part of the design sorta makes sense. I feel like the cutouts in the body-colored arches don't need to exist

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FriendsWithAPopstar@reddit

Wow the styling is heavily inspired by the P2 XC70. Exact same taillight design + this angle has a very similar silhouette

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wave_action@reddit

I prefer the body colored ones. I think a luxury look suits this well.

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sonrisa_medusa@reddit

Ooo, this makes so much more sense to me.

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givemeaanswer@reddit

It looks incredible and i know itll be a great car cause reddit hates it

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MassiveEdu@reddit

And they prove again tocbe shit at making snything that looks good, fuck modern hyundai is a two hit wonder (ioniq 5 and n vision 74)

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Boostedprius@reddit

it looks like it's a concept car from the mid-2000s and I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing?

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gumol@reddit

Note that not all of these features will be available in the United States; market-specific equipment details haven’t been announced as of writing.

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jpharber@reddit

Since it’s heavily based on the EV9, I don’t think it’s that bad.

The EV9 doesn’t necessarily have a better turn radius, but it is at least closer to what you’d expect for the size of vehicle that it is.

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okays33@reddit (OP)

Not for electric SUVs, see the lucid gravity

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