A typical Flat-Out Road Trip would usually include a far flung destination, some of the finest driving roads (or adventurous terrain) and plenty of chat about restaurants, fancy hotels and things to see. But on our recent drive of the enormous and very battery-powered Hyundai Ioniq 9, we simply didn’t have the time for all of that.

Instead, we were tasked with piloting one of the few electric seven-seaters on the market from the bustling surrounds of Seoul to Busan – South Korea’s version of a quaint little beach town. The Ioniq 9 Long Range Rear Wheel Drive can manage 335-miles on a single charge, despite its size. The journey is around 250-miles and we all know how real range works when it comes to EVs. Wish us luck.

A big deal

At almost 1.8 metres tall and over five metres long, the Ioniq 9 is impossible to ignore. Part-minivan, part-shooting brake, part palatial yacht on wheels, it commands attention the instant you approach it. Yet step inside, and the scale suddenly makes sense: the cabin feels astonishingly roomy, with head- and legroom that rivals anything in the three-row EV market. Think Volkswagen ID Buzz, but wrapped in Hyundai’s Korean-infused interior and brimming with technology.

“It is massive, it feels luxurious inside but it never stops being practical – able to handle the mundane daily life stuff”

That land yacht-like exterior design clearly signals intent: this is a seven-seat EV built for comfort, practicality and cruising in style. Chief designer SangYup Lee’s swooping exterior lines culminate in a ‘boat tail’ rear deck that isn’t just a styling flourish — it helps make the Ioniq 9 one of the most aerodynamic shapes Hyundai has produced to date. There’s also a smattering of the marque’s pixel light graphics that fuse with common luxury SUV traits. It’s not conventionally beautiful, but it certainly turns heads.

Clever Active Air Flaps underneath open only when the motors or battery need cooling, digital side mirrors reduce drag and an ultra-efficient heat pump system warms the cabin without chewing through the battery. Despite its enormous size, it slips through the air with surprising grace, which is a good thing when we’ve got the best part of five-hours driving ahead.

Soundtracked by bongs

Slipping out of the underground car park in Seoul isn’t the easiest tasks, as the Ioniq 9’s size immediately becomes apparent when traversing a particularly tight bend. Sure, there is a myriad of cameras and sensors to assist, but all-wheel-steering, like that found in the recent Porsche Macan EV, would help matters considerably.

Once out of said car park, it’s a case of navigating Seoul’s choking traffic, much of which travels at an average speed that could easily be beaten by a mobility scooter. It’s bumper-to-bumper at most times of the day, which gives a good excuse to have a good nose around the interior.

Both front and second-row seats electrically recline nearly flat, complete with leg rests (not that I tried this while driving, honest). The massage function in the front is soothing but firm, while the second row has a more pronounced vibration setting — ideal for passengers who need a little extra reminder they’re still alive on a long drive. Some models offer swivelling second-row seats, so when parked, passengers can face the rear row for a quick card game or a casual chat.

“That land yacht-like exterior design clearly signals intent: this is a seven-seat EV built for comfort, practicality and cruising in style”

For this trip, the Korean domestic model featured high-definition rear-seat screens. These let second-row passengers stream video, hook up Bluetooth headphones, or even play console games with peripherals. With our co-driver taking slowly dispatching of some Seoul traffic, we could climb in the back and enjoy a bit of Netflix or line up a banging Spotify playlist that covered everything from Death Metal to Bjork.

Storage is equally well thought out. The Ioniq 9 swallows four golf bags and five duffle bags when the rear row is folded flat. Hyundai’s Universal Island 2.0 console slides forward and back, allowing passengers to pass through the cabin without awkward climbing or limbo manoeuvres. Six USB-C ports, capable of delivering 100W each, keep laptops, phones, and other devices charged, drawing power directly from the car’s enormous battery pack.

Despite the painfully slow progress, the Hyundai Ioniq 9 still found it important to warn us of every conceivable speed camera, change in speed limit, potential hazard and anything else it decided to get vocal about. The relentless bonging is painful and being a Korean car, we can’t work out how to turn it off.

Range anxiety

To get into some numbers for a moment, the Long Range RWD version we drove for this test featured a 110.3kWh battery powering a 160kW rear motor. All-wheel-drive models add a front motor, with total outputs ranging from 308bhp to almost 430bhp in the Performance AWD variant. Despite the vehicle’s weight — almost 2.5 tonnes when fully loaded — acceleration is brisk. The Performance AWD reaches 0-62mph in just 5.2 seconds.

After spending the first few hours simply leaving Seoul, we finally hit the 45 – an American-style highway that slices straight through the centre of South Korea and basically connects the seaport town of Busan with the country’s capital city. If you want, the journey can simply be one solid, four-hour motorway journey.

We decided to take a slightly more scenic route that meandered through a number of smaller towns: Gumisi, Daegu and Cheongdogun, deciding to stop for some lunch at a traditional Korean barbecue place, where we could feast on all manner of meats cooked over open coals, kimchi wrapped in fresh lettuce and kongnamul muchim to obtain that much-needed vitamin hit.

“Despite the painfully slow progress, the Hyundai Ioniq 9 still found it important to warn us of every conceivable speed camera”

The real-world range is impressive given the size and weight. On the Long Range RWD version, the 335 official range would typically get us to Busan in one hit, with tech like the digital mirrors cutting drag and the Active Air Flaps optimising airflow only when needed.

But the detour and a little spirited driving in Sport mode when the roads finally started to get a bit twisty meant we had eaten in to that range considerably, forcing a stop at a service station to charge. Thanks to Hyundai’s 800V electrical architecture, charging at a 350kW station replenishes the battery from 10-80% in around 24 minutes — just enough time to grab coffee and stretch.

Comfortably numb

Over the long and often very bland 250 miles, the Ioniq 9’s interior shows why it’s more than just a vehicle — it’s like Business Class travel on wheels. Rear passengers have mammoth amounts of legroom, reclining seats and adjustable headrests. The swivel seats mean big cheeses can hold business meetings, or you can play a game of poker with mates and USB-C ports are everywhere, powering laptops, tablets or gaming devices.

The Universal Island 2.0 console between the front seats slides back and forth to allow easy access to the third row or cabin, a minor detail that makes a huge difference on long drives. And with the rear seats folded, storage space is massive — four golf bags, five duffle bags and still room for more.

The Ioniq 9 could have quite easily been a rebadged Kia EV9, but it feels like an entirely different proposition. It cuts a very different figure on the road and somehow feels even larger inside, while clever storage solutions make it slightly more practical for the everyday.

Hyundai has also done a stellar job on the infotainment system that, during this massive drive it clearly took into account remaining range, nearby charging stations, average-speed cameras and automatically paid for tolls with notifications about the remaining balance. Plus, the HVAC system informed me that it was blocking exterior air from entering the cabin as we approached a long tunnel system, to ensure the most comfortable experience inside for all.

Dual 12.3-inch curved displays handle driver information and media, while “Hey Hyundai” voice control handles basic cabin tasks. Connected services allow Features on Demand, letting owners download customised lighting, new apps, and entertainment options – something we managed to explore while killing some time dispatching of Highway 45.

Busan or bust

We pull into Busan under the cover of darkness, the lights of the Gwangandaegyo Bridge (Korean for Diamon Bridge) twinkling in the inky blackness. The city itself is eerily quiet, being the off-season, with most holidaymakers still dreaming of their vacay as they put in the hard graft in Seoul and other urban areas.

The Park Hyatt Busan sits right on the waterfront, overlooking one of the city’s busiest marinas. Even with a lack of holidaymakers and sunshine, there are plenty of pleasure craft coming in and going out. Despite the mammoth all-day drive, we arrive at the hotel reception feeling refreshed and ready to tackle more. The Ioniq 9 is beyond comfortable and is arguably one of the best tools for racking up some serious mileage… so long as you have plenty of access to fast chargers.

After a good night’s rest, we get the chance to explore some of Busan that, in the weak autumn sun, can resemble Las Vegas and other “purpose-built” American cities. There’s a huge shopping mall, a theme park (that’s closed) and a grid system of roads that are lined with high-rise towers, much of which seem to house holiday homes for the wealthy.

Busan’s waterfront offers a little more of Korea’s traditional feel, with a smattering of fantastic independent coffee shops lining the shoreline, while fishing vessels can be seen coming in with the day’s catch and endless lines of seaweed drying in the sun. Squint hard enough on a clear day from the numerous shingle beaches and you can just about see the coast of Japan.

But there’s only time to top up on caffeine before making the return leg back to Seoul, where the Ioniq 9 needs to be dropped back for another rotation of journalists.

At time of writing, only the official price for Korean models has been announced, where the Ioniq 9 will cost 67 million Korean wan, or around £36,000. However, in the UK, it is expected to be on par with Kia’s similarly large EV9, with a starting price of around £64,995.

That’s a big chunk of change, but there’s not exactly an abundance of choice in the seven seat electric SUV market right now, but Hyundai’s hugely accomplished Ioniq 9 could end up being one of the sweetest to live with and represent the best value of the bunch.

It is big, it feels luxurious inside but it never stops being practical – able to handle the mundane daily life stuff. A perfect device for covering big distances, with enough entertainment inside the cabin to make up for a lack of excitement outside.