Hyundai Ioniq 6 review

• What is it?
• Stop with the tech a sec, what do we think of the design?
• Do we have the same size surprise here as with the Ioniq 5?
• Is the idea that it’s some sort of luxury cruiser?
• Are there driving modes?
• What do they do?
• OK, this, the Polestar or the Tesla?
• What's the verdict?
• What is it like to drive?
• So are you saying this is fun to drive?
• How fast is it?
• But essentially it’s a streamliner, right?
• Digi wing mirrors, eh?
• How’s the efficiency though?
• What is it like on the inside?
• How is the driving assist?
• How practical is it?
• Is there a design element you particularly like?
• Anything that irritated?
• What should I be paying?

Overview

What is it?

Two things mainly: a rival to the Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2 and BMW i4, but more importantly a car with a clear and defined job description: to go a long way as efficiently as possible. So the key stats are as follows: 382-mile range, 5.1 mi/kwh efficiency, 0.21 drag factor.

Others will go further or have even better aero (step forward Merc’s EQS), but need a bigger battery and more weight to do so. The 6 comes in at around 2,000kg and uses the same E-GMP platform that also underpins the Ioniq 5. Yet it can go 100km further per charge.

That depends on the model of course. The one rangeseekers will want is the rear-drive single motor (226bhp/258lb ft) with the big battery (77.4kWh instead of 58) and small wheels (18s instead of 20s). The only one we’ve driven so far is the twin motor (4WD with 320bhp and 446lb ft for 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds) on the big wheels. That’s also the first one that will arrive in Britain and the only one we have a price for. The flagship First Edition will cost £54,995. Prices for lesser versions are likely to start at around £45,000.

Stop with the tech a sec, what do we think of the design?

What do you think of it, that’s what matters isn’t it? Here’s our take though: it’s not as successful as the Ioniq 5. That really conveyed and updated a 70s aesthetic, while this is a design that’s shaped more by windtunnel results. The headlights look rather pinched and plain, the gathering of lines at the rear isn’t that neat.

But. It’s different and distinctive, and that matters. Hyundai is the first manufacturer in the world to move away from the Russian doll model of car design, where carrying through brand values and matched styling cues is all that really matters. SangYup Lee, Hyundai’s design chief talks instead of a chess set approach.

There’s some neat detailing – the pixel lighting is rapidly becoming a Hyundai signature, the use of transparent plastic, and the lower vertical elements at the rear. The interior has some Ioniq 5 carry over, but feels better quality. Head to the Interior tab for more on that.

Do we have the same size surprise here as with the Ioniq 5?

Ah, you’re alluding to the Ioniq 5’s sheer scale: looks like it should be a family hatch, is actually SUV-sized? No, this is as you expect. It’s longer and lower than the 5, not to mention 150mm longer than a Model 3 (plus slightly wider and taller, too). It’s a four-door with a boot. Rear legroom is excellent, boot usability is slightly compromised.

Is the idea that it’s some sort of luxury cruiser?

That’s basically it although, as mentioned, it’s not going to wear an EQS-sized price tag. If the £45,000 start is right it’s pretty much the same price point as the Ioniq 5 (we’re unlikely to get the smaller battery version here), and although we haven’t driven it yet, that’s probably going to be the one you want.

Provided you want it as its designers intended. Even on the 20s wearing broad 245/40 tyres, it barely loses any speed when you lift off and glide. There’s hardly a rustle of wind noise, suspension intrusion is well damped, so too cabin cavitation. It’s a very quiet and refined machine.

Are there driving modes?

Of course, although the only detectable differences between them are the changing screen graphics, steering weight and throttle sensitivity. You choose between Eco, Normal and Sport. In Eco throttle response is off-puttingly sluggish, in Sport the steering is off-puttingly gluey. So leave it in Normal and play with the paddles instead.

What do they do?

Vary the regen over five levels between zero and max, where you can easily one-pedal around. Of course the brake pedal does the same thing: 95 per cent of the time it’s only operating the motors, with the wheel brakes cutting in when that scooter performs a last second lunge at the traffic lights. And there was plenty of that going on where we were: we drove the Ioniq 6 in South Korea. UK cars are expected to arrive in spring next year.

OK, this, the Polestar or the Tesla?

The Polestar is arguably the slight outlier. It’s got markedly less range and less space, but has image and quality on its side. The Tesla definitely doesn’t have quality to boast about, but it does have the supercharger network and that’s still compelling. But we’d have this over the Tesla, not least because we’d trust it more: it’s better engineered and built. Just bear in mind that the Hyundai’s 800 volt architecture and 350kW charging speed (10-80 per cent in 18 minutes) is for naught when the chargers are bust/occupied/peak at 50kW.

We’ve been saying how much of a roll Hyundai is on for the last three-to-four years. This is just further evidence of that, with the twist of a different styling vibe. Its performance is entirely in line with how Hyundai is pitching it: this is a comfortable, effortlessly smooth and easy cruiser. To operate, as well as drive. It soaks up miles, uses its charge surprisingly sparingly and does as much as possible to mitigate range anxiety.

Driving

What is it like to drive?

As we said in the overview it’s a car where the driving manners match the job description. And it’s a job description entirely suited to electric power: to be as smooth, quiet and comfortable on long journeys as possible. But we know what you’re thinking: surely this applies to all electric cars?

Well, yes, but the sticky spot they often get into is that your inputs aren’t perfectly reflected in the car’s outputs. Maybe the steering is slightly sticky; the brakes too vague then too grabby; the ride lumpy. The Ioniq 6 is a very well developed car – markedly better than the 5 in fact, which does come across as wallowy and out of sorts if you get even mildly enthusiastic with it.

So are you saying this is fun to drive?

No, because that’s not what it’s about. We’re saying it’s satisfying, that it responds naturally and relatively precisely and has the ability to up the pace without stumbling. It’s actually very fluent across the ground. The ride isn’t Citroen soft, it’s better supported and shorter travel than that, but nor is it harsh or easily deflected. It slips along placidly and calmly.

How fast is it?

That’s basically irrelevant, because this is not a car that encourages you to clog it about. 5.1 seconds to 62mph is the claim. We were never tempted to even bother testing it out. It had the torque and pace to do everything we needed without reaching the end of the throttle’s travel. Therefore it’s quick enough. This was the 320bhp twin-motor version, and it’s unlikely we’ll be saying the same of the 225bhp rear-drive car. That’s the version where you’ll be looking more keenly at how to spare the electrons.

What we did test was its cornering, and it was good news. The Ioniq 6 has good body control and if you nail it out of tight corners you can actually feel some mechanical systems at work as power is fed to the rear and the cornering angle changes. It’s mildly engaging.

But essentially it’s a streamliner, right?

We don’t quite know where this whole streamliner thing comes from – it was better applied to trains in the 1930s than cars. Anyway, the most interesting and distinctive ability it has is when you wind it up to speed, lift off (regen off) and realise that it barely loses any momentum at all. The last car that gave us this feeling was the Bentley Continental GT and you only get it from cars that are heavy, slippery and have little mechanical drivetrain drag. And this was on the larger, wider 20s. On 18s it should be downright astonishing.

So the way you find yourself driving the 6 is to indulge this ability, leave the regen braking off and allow it to surf to lose speed. Pull a paddle to increase regen when you need to. There’s very little noise intrusion from suspension or tyres, and the only wind issue is the slightest rustle from the optional digital wing mirrors.

Digi wing mirrors, eh?

Yeah, and again we’re not convinced. Apparently the efficiency gain is pretty negligible, and not a fitting swap for the reduced visibility and viewing angle. Also, why are they so blocky rather than following the streamlined shape of the rest of the car?

How’s the efficiency though?

Impressive. It’s rare for an EV in this class to achieve much more than 3.5 miles from each kilowatt of battery power in general driving, yet in the 6 we were regularly getting well over 4 mi/kWh, and 5 on long trips, matching Hyundai’s range promises. This car, incidentally, promises 325 miles of range. It’s the single motor that gets you over 380 miles.

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

Very up together. There’s obviously quite a bit of carryover from the Ioniq 5, but there’s a sense here that it’s better constructed, from the rigidity of the bodyshell to the tactility of the materials. And it all works well together. That’s chiefly because Hyundai has resisted the temptation to shove everything into screen menus. You still have separate heating controls and shortcut buttons for the navigation and media, and you can still switch off the driving assist via buttons on the steering wheel.

A pair of 12-inch screens manage all your information reasonably logically and understandably, the seats are a bit flat (but finished in ethically sourced materials). The cabin – at least with the grey/white finish rather than black – is light and airy.

How is the driving assist?

As irritating here as anywhere else. Next question.

How practical is it?

More than we expected. It looks like the curved roofline should eat into rear headspace, but cutaways in the rooflining mean taller passengers will actually be pleasantly surprised. And they’ll love legroom. There’s oodles. Just ask those in the front seats to raise their chairs a bit so you can tuck your toes under and you’ll think you’re in an S-Class.

The notchback saloon boot is more compromised, but not small at 401 litres. That’s decent, but holidays for four are likely to be a challenge. And you don’t want to hang kit on the outside of such a slippery profile now, do you? And don’t go thinking the frunk is going to be helpful – at 14 litres it’s not even big enough to carry the charge cables. Hopeless.

Is there a design element you particularly like?

Well yes there is, thank you for asking. The door cards are really well designed. It’s a bold, simple, striking shape, with three tiers. At the top a ridged plastic that does interesting things with the cabin’s mood lighting at night, then an elbow rest bar with a broad sweep of speaker grille, and at the bottom a full length door bin. Best of all it’s sculpted out, giving a generous feeling of space. It’s really well done.

Anything that irritated?

The two spoke steering wheel that looks like it is on upside down. Fair play for Hyundai for being confident enough to leave its logo off the wheel though – in its place are four dots that illuminate when you switch driving mode or play with the self-driving features. There is a link though: four dots is the Morse signature for the letter H.

Buying

What should I be paying?

Hyundai has only announced the price of the most expensive version so far, the £54,995 First Edition. That’s broadly where we expected it to be pitched and if lesser versions start at or beneath £45,000 (lining up neatly with the Ioniq 5), it offers reasonable value for money. And should be pretty affordable to run.

Energy costs are obviously pretty unpalatable at the moment, with no sign of them reducing, but even so charging costs won’t be excessive compared to leasing. Expect to be paying £500-£600 a month, which lines it up neatly with the Polestar 2 (also available with a choice of single- or twin-motors), with prices/monthlies starting at £43,150/£476.

That undercuts the Tesla Model 3, which starts at £48,490, with the Long Range dual motor version another £9,000 on top. BMW’s fine-driving i4, easily the most dynamic car of this quartet, starts at £52,575.

In terms of standard kit, expect the Ioniq 6 to lead the way. The First Edition will come loaded with the full suite of self-driving gizmos, plus Bose sounds, heated front and rear seats, dual zone climate, sunroof, power tailgate, head up display and the V2L ability – so you can discharge the car to power your home/assorted electrics etc.