Stupendously Serendipitous: The Hyundai Ioniq 9

Mistakes were made. 

Alexander Fleming already had bikini babes on his mind when he accidentally left an unwashed petri dish before going on vacation, Clifton Herring cut some random 5’10” sophomore from his high school basketball team named Mike Jordan, and a few weeks ago, I got a phone call informing me that the car that was delivered to me earlier in the day would need to be recalled.

That last one, like the two before it, came on the heels of an absolutely incredible revelation. The truth is, I should really be writing about a completely different car right now, but instead I’m writing about the mighty Hyundai Ioniq 9.

Now, like the Lochness Monster or a large chunk of my monthly salary, I’ve always considered the Ioniq 9 (or any of the cars in the Ioniq range) as somewhat mythical–something I only see on paper but never in person. There aren’t a lot of them driving around, which I find to be somewhat of a travesty.

So with one delivered to my driveway, I can report to you that it is indeed a sight to behold. And there’s actually a very good reason for this. 

You see, the 9 is the brand’s flagship vehicle, priced at Php 4,580,000 and is available in the Philippines in one solitary variant: AWD Calligraphy Long Range. This may sound a little restrictive at first, but you’d be surprised to learn that you can actually configure the car 39 different ways out of the lot. So, unless you lack originality or you just really fancy coveting your neighbor’s ride, no two units should look the same.

Even if you did manage to have identical-looking cars, you’d take comfort in knowing there’s nary a car like it on the road today. The 9, like its siblings in the Ioniq stable, was designed to have aerodynamics and aesthetics in mind, a concept Hyundai creatively called, and what for it… “Aerosthetic.”

The swept back silhouette that abruptly gets chopped at the back, the digital side mirrors in place of ping-pong paddles on the side of the door, and auto flush door handles all account for its ultra-low drag coefficient of 0.259 Cd. Unless you’re some rocket scientist, I doubt that really means much to you, but I’m sure it will matter when you learn how much it plays into the car’s performance and efficiency.

Hyundai claims the Ioniq 9 can go up to 620km on a single charge. Not only that, the car can accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 5.2 seconds. I can attest to the fact that despite how lumbering the vehicle appears–it is after all the largest Hyundai for sale in the Philippines today (that isn’t a van), with a wheelbase of 3,130mm–it glides through the road like a great white shark in the ocean. The seat even actively hugs you firmly in place as you rocket through the road.

And about those seats, the first two rows of the Ioniq 9 come with ventilated power-adjusted seats that even have a massage function up front and leg rests on the second row, something they call “relaxation seats.” This all falls under the concept Hyundai is aiming towards with the 9 of giving the inside a lounge-like feel. 

Other classy touches to the interior include the use of sustainable and recycled materials like aluminum and bio-suede, adjustable ambient lighting, and a large panoramic sunroof.

The cabin of the Ioniq 9 is rife with storage space as well. The center console, which features a top lid that can be opened in either direction and a lower drawer on the cabin side, can also be adjusted back and forth to accommodate objects in front.

The rear hatch, which is automatically operated, opens up to a trunk that is capacious enough on its own at 338L (Hyundai did the math for you, and that’s four golf bags worth). If that isn’t enough, the third row also folds and retracts with the push of a button. And if that still isn’t enough, the second row automatically folds too, giving you a total cargo capacity of 2,494L.

Now that’s a lot of car to drive around. And as I’ve already mentioned previously, the Ioniq 9 gives off the impression that whoever it is that has to drive it feels like they’re taxiing an airplane–believe me, I should know the feeling– but its driving experience is actually very gentle.

The digital side mirrors, which are situated a little lower than a typical car, may take some time to get used to. I found myself glancing at the outside camera several times before realizing the monitor was below it and inside the door. Once I got used to it, though, I realized how big an advantage it was, considering that the brightness was consistent even at night.

It was very easy to get a comfortable driving position thanks to the electronically adjustable seats and steering column. I wrote a review not too long ago about another Hyundai, and my key concern with it was not being able to find a proper seating position. I’m glad that this was not the case here. I got a good view of the 12.3-inch panoramic curved display, which was easy to navigate and was within easy reach.

The proper seating position also allowed me to fully maximize the car’s abundance of driver aids. The car has a blind-spot view monitor that pops up on the gauge cluster, giving you a view of your blind-spot as you turn or make lane changes, a 360-degree Surround View Monitor, and, of course, the latest Hyundai SmartSense suite of advanced driver assistance systems.

Yes, mistakes were made. 

And mistakes are gonna be made. Because, despite everything I’ve said, I predict that most people will continue to look past this magnificent beast just because of who built it. Which is unfortunate because I find it very difficult to find a single fault in the Hyundai Ioniq 9.

There are new automakers in the market these days that slap every bell and whistle on their cars just for the sake of saying that they did, but totally suck in their execution. This was not the case here. Even with all of its features, not a single screw, nut, or bolt was out of place here.

The real mistake is sleeping on the Ioniq 9.

Hyundai Ioniq 9 AWD Calligraphy Long Range | Key Information

Engine	Dual Electric Motors
Output	308 horsepower, 605 Nm
Battery size and Range	110.3kWh, up to 600km
Drivetrain	AWD
Seating Capacity	7 (including driver)
Price	Php 4,580,000 (as of February 2026)
Pros	Packed with features, contemporary styling, good value for the price
Cons	Obscurity

^{Photos by Wowie Go and Julian Panlilio}