Watch out Tesla: Hyundai confirms sharp pricing for futuristic four-door

Tuesday, 28 February 2023

The Ioniq 6 is coming as a swoopy, retro Model 3 competitor.

Hyundai’s ultra-sleek Ioniq 6 has been priced ahead of its imminent arrival, and it’s pretty damn sharp.

Landing in three guises with two battery sizes, the Ioniq 6 will kick off underneath the magic $80,000 mark for the full $8625 Clean Car Programme rebate.

That model is the Entry, the only one to use the 53.4kWh battery. It gets a rear-mounted electric motor producing 111kW and 350Nm. Thanks to the Ioniq 6’s slippery body shape, range is rated at a healthy 429km with 18-inch rims while the combined energy efficiency is a claimed 13.9kWh/100km. That’s incredible efficiency, considering most other EVs are still floating around the 20kWh/100km mark.

Hyundai has slipped one Ioniq 6 under the magic $80k price point.

The next model up is the 77.4kWh Entry, which asks $94,990. It has the same powertrain as the 53.4kWh version but the motor has been pushed to 168kW of power with the same 350Nm of torque.

**READ MORE:

That sleek body has a drag coefficient of 0.21cD, making it highly aerodynamic.

* Record safety ratings for Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Lexus RX

* First drive: Hyundai's wild RN22e aims to prove EVs can be fun

Every model is well-equipped, with lots of interior tech and safety gizmos.

* The Ioniq 6 streamliner will do more than 600km per charge

* First Drive Review: Hyundai Ioniq 5

Perhaps the Ioniq 6 N might resemble the awesome RN22e concept?

Upping the power does have a slight impact on the efficiency, with 18-inch wheels pushing the figure to 14.3kWh/100km (or 16kWh/100km with 20s), but the larger battery means total range is a meaty 614km with 18-inch wheels (or 545km with 20s).

Buyers can also get the 77.4kWh rear-drive configuration in the upspecced Elite version, which costs $104,900.

Finally, there will be an all-wheel drive Ioniq 6 in Limited spec, powered by the 77.4kW battery. With one motor on each axle, output is rated at 239kW/605Nm. It has a claimed efficiency of 16.9kWh/100km with 20-inch wheels, the only size available here, and a range of 519km.

Plugging into a 350kW DC charger means a 10-80% recharge time of under 20 minutes thanks to an 800 volt architecture underpinning all models.

As for specifications, the Entry models get a 12.3-inch infotainment screen supporting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker audio system, wireless phone charging, and the SmartSense active safety suite.

This includes lane-keep assist, autonomous emergency braking, active cruise control, blind spot collision avoidance, a rear-view camera, and front and rear parking sensors. LED lights at both ends are also standard.

Moving to the Elite gets you dual LED headlights with automatic high beams, interior mood lighting, the option of 20-inch wheels with Pirelli tyres, a Bose premium audio system with a subwoofer, 'EV Active Sound Design” to bring some aural spice back into the drive, powered front seats and heated seats in both rows, leather interior trim, a heat-pump air-conditioning system, and a vehicle-to-load plug inside.

The Limited trim adds forward collision avoidance assistance that works while turning and crossing junctions, as well as changing lanes, a 360-degree camera, remote smart parking, a powered sunroof, a head-up display for the driver, interactive pixel lights on the nose, and ventilated front seats.

Interestingly, every Ioniq 6 gets solar glass in the front windscreen and windows. Hyundai glosses over this in the release, but it seems the glass will funnel in a few extra kilometres into the battery when parked in the sun.

The Ioniq 6 is available now, with local deliveries to start imminently. Next up for Hyundai’s electric offerings will be the Ioniq 5 N, followed by an Ioniq 6 N.