Parent Hyundai has certainly got one over its child Kia from the very start. While the EV9’s 100kWh battery is one of the larger packs fitted to a mainstream car, the Ioniq 9 boasts a 110kWh lump of volts – and also slips through the air more easily than the blocky Kia. A near-400-mile range is claimed for the entry-level rear-wheel-drive Ioniq 9, and you won’t lose too much by choosing one of the twin-motor all-wheel-drive versions.

Power ranges from a modest 215bhp in the Long Range RWD, through the 303bhp Long Range AWD and up to 421bhp in the Performance AWD we’re testing here. An even more potent Ioniq 9 N seems likely, shadowing the 502bhp EV9 GT.

It all speaks of a flourishing seven-seat electric car sector. No longer do you have a choice between short-range converted vans or a cramped and expensive Tesla Model X; the cavernous and distinctive VW ID. Buzz costs a similar amount, and posh versions of the Ioniq 9 must also fight the Volvo EX90. There’s also the smaller, cheaper Peugeot E-5008 snapping at the heels of entry-level versions, with the promise of 400-plus miles from the version with the biggest battery.

So, where does the Ioniq 9 fit into the mix, and how close to the top will it rise?

You’ll know all about it when you see an Ioniq 9 on the road. It’s big and strikingly shaped, if perhaps a bit fussy in a few areas, particularly above the wheelarches and around the bumpers. The overall effect is sleeker than an EV9 or EX90 and avoids the Mercedes EQS SUV’s unflattering proportions.

A bluff front with an expanse of flat bonnet brings to mind an old-school SUV, but there’s not much metal between the front wheels and front doors, giving a more cab-forward look than a Range Rover or Volvo XC90. It’s long and wide, and although the roof tapers towards the back it’s also a tall car.

It’s imposing, especially when it gets dark. That’s when the central front lightbar comes on to join the daytime running lights up top and main light units that sit below. It’s an assertive front that’s backed up by vertically stacked pixel tail lights. These are joined up by a row of LEDs across the top of the rear screen when you brake, hammering home the sci-fi lighting signature.

The Performance powertrain only comes with top Calligraphy trim – not to be confused with Range Rover’s Autobiography. Base Premium gets all-black wheelarch surrounds and 19-inch wheels that make the 9 look like it’s sitting on castors. Mid-spec Ultimate gets larger 20-inch wheels and some body-colour infills that look classier.

Calligraphy spec boosts the wheel size to 21 inches and fully paints the wheelarch surrounds while adding a silver flourish to the bottom of the front and rear bumpers. As you’re only paying a couple of grand more than for an Ultimate if you’re buying outright, or £50 a month extra if you’re financing, it’s well worth it.

While I’ve only tried the Performance powertrain in the Ioniq 9, experience with EV9s suggests the single motor will be fine if you’re in no hurry to get anywhere. Expect it to feel keen enough around town, if a little breathless when moving from a 60mph limit to a 70.

Performance models are perhaps a little excessive for a sensible family SUV, if entertaining all the same. The 0-62mph time drops dramatically to 4.9sec, assuming you’ve engaged the right mode. Eco really doesn’t want to go, while Normal won’t give you full power until a few moments after you’ve put your foot down hard. I ended up in Sport most of the time just to get the most immediate response; it’s a lot of power, but its delivery is carefully calibrated so that it doesn’t overwhelm the tyres.

There are other electric cars that can go faster, but often that means a ragged, slightly uncontrolled feel when you fully open the taps. You never get this feeling in an Ioniq 9, with traction and slip managed deftly by the electronics, no matter which settings you’ve engaged.

This stable feel continues in the bends if you’re taking advantage of an empty car and driving briskly, at least once you’ve got used to the substantial amount of bodyroll. It feels neutral and willing to drive itself out of a bend without drama or slip from front or rear tyres.

Brake pedal feel is good at lower speeds, although when asked to deal with a few hard stops from higher speeds the stoppers did wilt a little more than we’d have liked. Well-weighted steering makes it easy to place the Ioniq 9 on the road, but you’ll find no deep sense of connection here. This is a satisfying and pleasant SUV to drive, not something that’ll appreciate being hammered around blinding B-roads. With that in mind, save your cash and get the Long Range AWD. It’ll be plenty quick enough and is nearly £2000 cheaper than the Performance.

Ride comfort is noticeably better than the EV9, thanks to a softer set-up. The Ioniq 9 does still fidget over poorly surfaced roads, especially at lower speeds, but this isn’t as bothersome as it can be in the Kia. As speeds increase you notice a gentle waft to the ride that’s very Range Rover and not at all unpleasant.

Very, assuming you don’t live somewhere with really tight streets. The Ioniq 9 is over five metres long and doesn’t have rear-wheel steering, which could help with manoeuvring and parking in confined spots.

The upside of the size is that it’s very roomy, making the Ioniq 9 an incredibly practical vehicle. Even with all three rows of seats in use, there’s still a reasonable amount of boot space. In five-seat mode it has over 600 litres of capacity beneath the parcel shelf. That said, the boot floor is high, which won’t make loading easy for shorter people.

With the front seats in their lowest position, there’s a ridiculous amount of room above the driver’s head, giving the option of jacking the seat right up for a more commanding view of the road ahead. It feels wide and spacious, with a broad central armrest and no fixed central tunnel to split driver and passenger.

Cabin stowage is exceptionally good, with the central cubby under the armrest accessible by front and rear passengers thanks to a clever double-hinged lid. On Calligraphy models the whole storage compartment can slide back towards the rear passengers for easier access, too.

The second-row seats can slide forward and back, recline and tumble out of the way to provide access to the third row. Alternatively, on six-seat versions, you can just step between the individual middle-row chairs. With them slid all the way back in four-seat mode, there’s enough space for those well over six foot tall to stretch out, and the recline goes back a long way for relaxed travel.

If you want to use the third row, you’ll need to slide the middle row forwards a bit to free up some legroom at the very back. Headroom is a bit tight for a six-footer in the third row, but legroom would be good enough for an hour or two at least.

Oh yes, although I’d give some of it a swerve. For instance, you can replace the traditional door mirrors with cameras that display their feed on monitors attached to the interior door cards. Hyundai has tried to get the screens close to where you’d look for mirrors without blocking the front windows, but they’re too low to look at easily.

I also found it hard to judge depth, which made reversing through the gate at the top of my drive trickier than it should have been. That’s a shame, as the cameras do make the Ioniq 9 appreciably narrower for tight spots. They also improve aerodynamics, although any increase in range will be marginal.

The e-mirrors are only available on Calligraphy, but lesser models still get plenty of clever tech. Ultimate spec gains an Ergo Motion driver’s seat that’s designed to reduce fatigue through a massage feature – not a patch on Volkswagen’s system – and subtle adjustments in your posture, which I found a little distracting.

Something everyone will appreciate is the active noise-cancelling system, which makes for quieter cruising. It’s impressively effective most of the time but can’t subdue road roar on coarsely surfaced routes. Again, this is Ultimate and up only.

That’s not to say base Premium is sparsely equipped. You get electrically adjustable heated and cooled front seats, three-zone climate control, seven USB-C charging ports spread through the cabin, and a vast expanse of screen made up of two 12.3-inch displays.

Connected services are standard, as are wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. If only some of the infotainment icons were a bit bigger, although I’ve no complaints regarding the responses or graphics of the system.

While the massive battery and its long range is reassuring, it’s always good to know what happens when charge levels creep towards zero per cent. The Ioniq 9 gives you plenty of warnings, a boon for those new to electric.

Your first alert comes at 20 per cent charge remaining, with a huge message on the central touchscreen giving you the remaining range, and presenting the option to either hit OK and carry on or look for nearby charging stations. You also get an orange bar for the state-of-charge indicator with an orange battery icon above it to hammer home the message that the pack’s near exhaustion.

At 10 per cent you get another big warning taking over the right-hand dial in the instrument cluster. This tells you to charge immediately and that power is limited, with the charge indicator now turning red. Again, this is paired with a larger message on the touchscreen reminding you of the charge level, range remaining, and the option of searching for a charging spot. You’ll feel that the performance isn’t as perky as before, but it’s not so reduced that I have trouble keeping up with traffic or when joining busy roundabouts.

Clear these messages and you won’t get another warning until the battery is showing zero per cent charge, and the range indicator is down to one mile remaining. At this point a ‘power limited’ message comes up in the driver’s display with a tortoise icon. Acceleration is now rather sluggish, although it will let you creep up to 60mph eventually.

Unfortunately, with the car insisting it has zero charge, I’m still eight miles away from the chargers in the office car park. I lower my cruising speed slightly and cross my fingers. The Ioniq 9 gets me to my destination with no further loss of power.

Overall it proved to be reasonably efficient for a seven-seat EV with more than 400bhp, averaging 2.7 miles per kWh, which is enough for a range of 297 miles. That figure included a reasonable amount of 70mph dual carriageways and 50mph A-roads, so a slower route would net over 300 miles fairly easily in summer.

Find a 350kW charger and you’ll get from 10 to 80 per cent in 24 minutes, with an 11kW charger managing 10 to 100 per cent in 10 hours.

We’ve not yet done a back-to-back group test, but there’s no doubt in my mind that the Ioniq 9 storms to the top of the class. You can happily fill it with tall adults, or if you only use two rows of seating then the boot is huge.

It’s appreciably more comfortable than a Kia EV9 and I don’t think a Volvo EX90 is much cushier, even on clever air suspension. The Hyundai’s extra 10kWh in battery capacity gives it useful additional range over the EV9, and it compares favourably to the ID. Buzz, too. Our past tests suggest an EX90 will go farther, but you’re paying an awful lot more for one of those.

Gripes are few. Efficiency could be better still, and a punchier single-motor option would be welcome. Low-speed ride quality could be helped by the smaller wheels of Premium and Ultimate trim, and I think Hyundai needs to invest in some real metal interior door handles, if I’m quibbling.

I were in the market for a luxury seven-seater, I’d have an Ioniq 9.