Hyundai Ioniq 9

FIRST UK DRIVE The biggest, most luxurious SUV Hyundai has ever built has arrived in Britain. We try it in top-spec form

- Dean Gibson

THE pursuit of premium is something that even the most mainstream manufacturers are engaged in these days, and the Hyundai Ioniq 9 aims to deliver the ultimate in luxury as the company’s new flagship electric SUV.

If the concept of a large Korean electric luxury SUV sounds familiar, it’s a template that has already been followed by the Kia EV9. The Ioniq 9 uses the same platform, but while the EV9’s design has a hard-edged element, the Ioniq 9 is more sculpted.

Inside, the cabin is truly vast, as you would expect of such a big SUV. There's acres of room up front and behind, while the third row is spacious enough for two adults - the difficult part is climbing in.

Up front, there's a slightly curved twin-screen dashboard with a climate control panel lower down, which will be familiar to anyone who has driven a modern Hyundai. We'd have liked a bit more design flair, but it’s a pretty user-friendly interface.

The top-spec Calligraphy model comes with all the kit you could imagine and a lot more besides. There are heated and ventilated seats front and rear, a 14-speaker Bose sound system, a panoramic glass roof, and Nappa leather upholstery.

The six-seat configuration is exclusive to this trim, and adds captain's chairs to the middle row that can rotate through 180 degrees to create an executive-style lounge. There's also the ability to turn them 90 degrees to face the wide-opening rear doors, which makes fitting child seats a doddle.