Road test review: Hyundai Ioniq 6

Thursday, 3 August 2023

Hyundai has offered electric vehicles for a fair while now but they’ve generally been electric versions of existing combustion models, like the Kona or the original Ioniq hatchback. Then, back in 2020, it announced it would create a new Ioniq sub-brand (which, weirdly, didn’t include the existing Ioniq hatch) dedicated entirely to EVs.

The first of those models emerged in 2021 as the Ioniq 5 SUV, bearing awesome neo-retro looks inspired by Hyundai’s past with square, pixel lights, a minimal interior, and a grunty dual-motor powertrain in the top-spec Limited.

Fast forward a few years and Hyundai has released the follow-up, the Ioniq 6 sedan. Like the 5, it features sexy old-school looks but instead of looking at the 1980s, Hyundai went right back to the ‘30s and gave the Ioniq 6 a swoopy, highly aerodynamic body shape.

The local arm doesn’t reckon the 6 has any direct competitors, but it isn't much of a jump to compare it to the Tesla Model 3. Thing is, Tesla has consistently cut the prices of its offerings this year, almost once a month, so Hyundai needs to impress to pull those potential customers across. To that end, we had the base Ioniq 6 and the top-run Limited on test to see how each end of the spectrum performs.

A quick rundown – the base model gets a single rear-mounted electric motor making 111kW/350Nm along with a 53kWh battery for a WLTP-rated range of 429km. It costs $79,990, or $72,975 with the Clean Car Programme rebate.

Meanwhile, the Limited adds a second front-mounted electric motor for 239kW/605Nm of all-wheel drive power and ups the battery capacity to 77.4kWh, which pushes range up to a maximum of 519km. Hyundai is asking $124,990 for this one.

Of course, the differences aren’t solely in the powertrain. The base model makes do with smaller 18-inch wheels (versus 20-inchers) and less tech inside, including Hyundai’s on-board heat pump climate control system, heated seats, projection LED headlights, and the interior V2L power socket. These begin to appear on the $104,990 Elite model.

It does come with dual 12.3-inch screens, exterior V2L support, and the bulk of Hyundai’s full SmartSense safety suite. The range-topping Limited, meanwhile, gets a head-up display, 360-degree camera, a sunroof, and Hyundai’s ‘Relaxation’ reclining front seats. Our tester also had Hyundai’s digital wing mirrors; cameras replacing traditional glass.

The styling of the Ioniq 6 is probably its most polarising point. It’s one of those cars you need to see in real life, because I reckon it looks brilliant in the metal but occasionally a bit bent in photos. The curvy body is a real head-turner, and those Parametric Pixels dotted all over look fantastic.

Inside features dual screens taking pride of place above a row of physical media controls and a strip of haptic air-conditioning buttons. It’s broadly the same as the Ioniq 5, although does without the sliding ‘Universal Island’ found in the SUV. In its place is a fixed console which houses a wireless device charger, two cupholders and the window controls.

The seating position is lower than the 5 too, because it’s a sedan. Behind the wheel is the gear selector – rotate it forward for Drive and backwards for Reverse.

Some of the controls of the infotainment screen are quite a stretch away which is annoying as the driver, and some settings require a few too many prods. Namely turning off the speed warning, which chimes relentlessly if you go even slightly above the detected limit. I understand it’s a safety thing, but it’s a bit much – especially as it doesn’t always read the signs correctly. It also resets itself every time you turn the car off.

But when you do quell the bongs and get driving, the Ioniq 6 is great. The dual-motor Limited is punchy when you want it to be but smooth all the time. It’s quiet inside even at high speeds, thanks mainly to the arcing bodywork, even with the larger 20-inch wheels.

Both models have adjustable regen via wheel-mounted paddles, which work very well. With some fancy fingerwork you don’t even really need to touch the brake pedal.

There is a Sport mode, but it’s not really needed. The Ioniq 6 feels much more a tourer than sports car, although it does handle rather well when pushed, thanks to the weight being kept nice and low. A stronger motor at the rear means it feels naturally rear-biased, and the suspension is well tuned for Kiwi roads. Steering is a bit numb, but not too bad.

The base model is brilliant too, the smaller wheels reducing noise again. It’s slower, of course, but it’s very liveable, and handles almost as well (it gets lesser tyres than the Limited’s Pirelli P-Zeros). Certainly worth considering if you don’t need the extra poke of the all-wheel drive Limited, especially as it gets the CCP rebate.

While the Limited is very impressive, something I could do without are those digital wing mirrors. They’re cool tech, and after a few days getting used to not looking out of the window to see behind me, I found them to work nicely during the day, showing a much wider field of view than traditional mirrors.

But at night they fell flat. Thankfully the back-up camera has better night vision so you can actually see behind you, but there were a few moments driving in areas without much light (my driveway being one of them) where you simply can’t see anything out of the digital wing mirrors. I’d rather save some money and get the glass mirrors. Cheaper to replace too, and not a problem on the base model.

Of the two, I think I’d try and spring for the Limited, especially if you can get it without the cameras. As cool as they are, that low-light performance needs more work. It also gets a nicer stereo, which I always appreciate. But the base model presents some serious value with the full Clean Car rebate.

As for the Tesla Model 3 comparisons… That’ll have to wait for another time.

Bonus images