The Hyundai Ioniq 6: a highly efficient electric car with more sense than an SUV

The Hyundai Ioniq 6 is a kind of UFO on our roads. It is Hyundai's second current proposal in the Ioniq family, but it has nothing to do with the Ioniq 5, that crossover with a compact design and XXL size.

This large sedan is undoubtedly one of the strongest models in the electric car segment of 2023. Its original design, dictated by aerodynamics and evoking the Hyundai Prophecy concept car, has allowed the brand to announce impressive autonomy.

To put it in perspective, it is an electric car, obviously, in a saloon format 4.85 m long with a starting price of 49,620 euros with a 150 hp engine and 53 kWh battery and culminates at 66,360 euros with all-wheel drive, 325 CV, and 77 kWh battery, the version that we tested today. And, of course, there is nothing like this car on the market.

Aesthetically, the front is simple, refined, and with well-defined lines. The profile is reminiscent of a Mercedes CLA or CLS at times, while the rear has an air of a classic Porsche 911, an effect accentuated by the presence of the spoiler.

Although Hyundai has decided that its new models do not resemble each other and that each one has its own personality (the opposite theory of Audi or Mercedes, where all models come from the same mold), the reason why the Ioniq 6 is so unique is due to aerodynamics.

The car has been fully optimized to break air resistance, and thus achieve good autonomy with a battery of "only" 77.4 useful kWh. The nose is low and it has two front ventilation flaps that open, to increase cooling, or close, to optimize airflow. All this depends on the needs of the battery.

The standard mirrors are conventional, but in the Energy finish that we tested, they are digital cameras, which allows their front surface to be considerably reduced

At the rear, with its airs of a Porsche 911 cyberpunk, we find a spoiler of remarkable dimensions and, below, a ducktail spoiler to complete it. The bottom of the Ioniq 6, like a racing car, is completely flat. Hyundai thus boasts a drag coefficient of only 0.21. To get an idea, a Tesla Model 3 has a 0.23.

A design at the service of autonomy

In practice, this careful aerodynamics allows Hyundai to announce a range in the WLTP cycle of 510 km and an approved average consumption of only 16.9 kWh/100 km. From theory to practice there is a stretch, you know, but in this case, it must be recognized that Hyundai has reduced it significantly.

Our test yielded an average of 18.25 kWh/100 km for a range of 424 real km. These are figures that, outside of a Tesla Model 3 or a BMW i4 edrive40, we rarely see in an electric car. In the city, the average drops to 15.6 kWh/100 km (range of 496 km) while on the highway, at a speed of between 120 and 130 km/h, consumption remains at 21.8 kWh/100 km, giving in this case a range of 355 km. In other words, you can travel more than 300 km between stops to recharge without taking special care with the accelerator so as not to reduce consumption. If you are more careful or relaxed than a server, it is easy to drop below 20 kWh/100 km on the highway.

On recharges, the Ioniq 6 can be just as impressive, minimizing the time you spend plugged in. It has an 800-volt architecture, courtesy of its E-GMP platform, which allows fast charging in direct current (DC) of up to 240 kW of power, capable of taking the battery from 10% to 80% in less than 20 minutes.

Unfortunately, this is pretty much theoretical at the moment as public fast charging points rarely exceed 150 kW. Here, we depend on the existing infrastructure. And in Spain, it is not very buoyant yet.

This Ioniq 6 AWD Energy is not only a very efficient car, it is also the prelude to what will be a future sports model. It has two engines that give it all-wheel drive and have a combined power of 325 hp and 605 Nm of torque. Thus, it can run from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds.

In the dance of electric figures, it seems that any car that does not go below 3 seconds is not worth mentioning, however, those 5 seconds translate into being stuck and sunk in the seat when you hit the accelerator.

The feeling is of a much faster car than it is due to the instantaneousness of the torque. Something that is appreciated even more in the 80 to 120 km/h achieved in just 3.4 seconds. Come on, what is said to advance in the blink of an eye, catapulted towards the horizon by a giant hand.

In addition to good performance, this Ioniq 6 boasts good dynamic behavior. Although in the city the suspension is a little firm to go over bumps and bumps, on the highway it is superb in terms of comfort and poise, it devours kilometers.

An experience that the incessant audible alarms (lane keeping warning and maximum road speed warning) come to spoil a bit. They can be deactivated in the settings menu, but every time the car is turned off, these aids are active again once we start the car again.

One of the few electric cars that is fun to drive

Despite all this, in the twisty sections, the Ioniq 6 knows how to be really sporty. The address is even somewhat communicative (in an electric!), we know or intuit what the front wheels do. And while the direction is precise, it could be more direct. At corner entry, it's a bit lazy, but the rear axle drive helps it come out of the corner briskly. The 20-inch Pirelli PZero tires also help to achieve good traction, something to which electric Hyundais, such as the Kona, we were not used to.

Of course, like everything electric, the weight is what it is. And controlling 2,113 kg in a curve is quite a technical challenge for Hyundai. If we lift our foot in a curve, the car will not lag behind as a Porsche 911 could, for example, but will lengthen the trajectory of all four wheels, it is enough then to accelerate again to recover the marked trajectory. And, furthermore, it is relatively progressive in that regard; we will not be surprised. It is, as they say, a noble car.

 

Finally, highlight the good resistance and bite of the brakes in sports use, despite the car's two tons. No doubt the powerful regenerative braking of the Ioniq 6 also helps the brakes in these situations. The paddles on the steering wheel allow you to precisely regulate this regenerative braking with four levels, from 0 to iPedal. With the latter, in the city, the brake pedal is practically redundant.

In short, the Ioniq 6 is an excellent grand tourer with a true sporty side. Within the electric ones, it does not reach the level of a Tesla Model 3 Performance, the reference, but it is very close.

In any case, the seats are the weak point of the sporty aspect of this car, because they do not hold anything. And even more so with the synthetic leather upholstery that equipped our test unit. And it is that the interior of the car does not correspond to the exterior or the dynamism of the car.

A spacious interior, but almost traditional in its design

The exterior is very original and has a strong presence. And yet, it's unquestionably a Hyundai. The common link between electric Hyundais in general, and Ioniqs in particular, are the "pixels" (as Hyundai calls them). Those square LEDs are scattered all over the car, like in the third brake light or the front daytime running lights.

These pixels can also be seen on board, such as in the center of the steering wheel, which flashes green as the battery recharges, in the center console, or in the mobile wireless charger. Beyond these details, although the car is spectacular on the outside, it is not so much on the inside.

Despite being a saloon, the driving position is surprisingly high. Compared to the Ioniq 5 SUV, the dashboard, which features the same instrument cluster and multimedia touchscreen as the Ioniq 5, is joined in the center by a center console that houses several storage compartments, USB sockets, and, surprisingly, the power windows.

The materials and textures chosen by Hyundai do not quite convince us, as in the center console. Hyundai has chosen to use a large number of recycled materials, which is in keeping with the image of an electric car, but doesn't always look rewarding.

Although some surfaces, such as the doors, are very well crafted, other materials seem quite sensitive to scratches and may not age very well. Nonetheless, the assemblies appear to be meticulously crafted.

At 4.85 meters long and with a wheelbase of 2.95 meters, habitability is not a problem. Like the Ioniq 5, it offers particularly spacious onboard space, only slightly limited in height for the taller people in the rear.

No one will feel especially confined to the back seats. Even with the front seat far back, there's little chance of the rear passenger knees touching the front seat. Only the headroom is lower and could force taller people (more than 1.85 m) to lean back in their seats so as not to touch the ceiling with their heads.

In front, the driving position is surprisingly and unnecessarily high and you can't lower the seat as far as you'd like. As for the digital mirrors, once we've gotten used to looking at the screen and not the outside camera, they work very well.

The screens are located at an angle that a priori does not seem ideal, but once it is running it is almost perfect. Visibility is excellent during the day, even with the sun behind, but at night and on the road the resolution and especially the contrast should be better. If anything, they work much better and are infinitely better positioned than in an Audi e-tron, for example.

In terms of habitability, the only point that can be clearly improved (at least for those who need it) is the trunk capacity. And it is that 400 liters is not much for a car of 4.85 m. It's less than what a Tesla Model 3 offers, smaller than the Hyundai.

Nor does it have a practical opening, because, despite its fastback body, the Ioniq 6 is a four-door. As for the front trunk, it only serves to store a Type 2 cable and nothing else. But at least it is there, that there are not a few electric ones that lack that possibility.

Price and rivals of the Hyundai Ioniq 6

When talking about electric sedans, it is inevitable that it is compared to the Tesla Model 3, the reference in this segment. The Hyundai Ioniq 6 is no exception. Both models are very good in terms of performance, aerodynamics, consumption, autonomy, and even habitability. The only point against the Hyundai is purely material: its price compared to the Model 3 is excessive.

The Tesla Model 3 Great Autonomy, with 350 hp and all-wheel drive, is the closest to the Ioniq 6 Energy for 66,360 euros. But the Model 3 in question costs 16,000 euros less. Even the access Model 3 (rear-wheel drive and 280 CV) costs 10,000 euros less than the access Ioniq 6, with a 53 kWh battery.

And it's not just in front of Tesla. This Hyundai Ioniq 6 Energy is even more expensive than a 340 hp BMW i4 eDrive40 (from 64,650 euros). In short, the Ioniq 6 is an image model, intended for those who do not want a model similar to everyone else. It is almost a design object. Of course, one that moves very well, and that, is an electric car, can go much further than the vast majority of electric models.

In the high-end electric car segment, brands can afford the luxury, never better said, of being original, almost eccentric. And this Hyundai Ioniq 6 is presented as the most original on the market, showing that you can be aerodynamic and have personality. It leaves no one indifferent, and in general, the reactions I've seen have been very positive.

Its autonomy is one of the best on the market, approaching Tesla, something that is accentuated by its fast charging system. It is also comfortable and at the same time knows how to be sporty. Except for the quality of its interior, it is a true top-of-the-range for Hyundai. Even its price is that of a high-end car, which will limit its diffusion.

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