Car Review: Ioniq 6 electric sedan is impressive
Mar. 24—Environmental concerns aside, there is a lot of negativity about electric cars: their future in the marketplace, reliability, cost and range anxiety. Also, government-mandated manufacturing percentages have companies scratching their collective heads at a time when consumers have not fully embraced the new technology.
Inroads are being made though, and one sedan stands out with its futuristic look, space age operation and silent operation — so quiet that three piped-in engine sounds can be activated, or muted, inside its cabin. Enter the 2024 Hyundai Ioniq 6 and its predecessor, Ioniq 5 — fully electric cars that have replaced the South Korean company's earlier hybrid and plug-in models.
Electric propulsion is key with the new technology. There is no gear shifting, no clutch to mess with — just straight-line acceleration that took our Limited Long Range tester to 60 miles-per-hour in a scant 4.3 seconds.
Lacking a transmission makes for increased legroom throughout the cabin without the hump found in standard cars, and extra sound deadening material keeps road noise outside around town or at highway speeds.
Although it takes some getting used to, the Ioniq's regenerative braking system is the preferred means of driving this electric. This one-foot driving mode delivers straight forward transition between accelerating and slowing down without relying on the mechanical braking system.
The Ioniq 6 is available in four trim levels — SE Standard Range, SE, SEL and Limited, priced from the low $40s to under $60,000. Base models are equipped with a 53-kWh battery pack powering a single motor driving the rear wheels with 149 available horsepower and a range of 240 miles. Upper trims have a 77-kWh battery pack available with a dual motor all-wheel-drive setup achieving 320 horsepower with EPA rating of 316 miles with actual range reported to be less.
The Ioniq's top rival is the Tesla Model 3 that undercuts the Ioniq 6 base price by $1,000. Where the Ioniq has an advantage over the Tesla is with its much larger dealer support network throughout the country.
Inside, a near luxury interior awaits. Two 12.3-inch digital clusters are mounted side by side and provide slick presentations of battery power status and other electric functions on the left side while a large infotainment screen projects navigation, audio, climate and apps at center. Ioniq's front doors have been narrowed by design, and switchgear normally found on the driver door is relocated elsewhere but easily found. Some hard plastics here and there detract from an otherwise sleek interior.
Separate design themes are assigned to each of three drive modes: Eco, Normal or Sport. A USB-A port for data and four USB-C outlets are located for front and rear passengers. There is also a conventional 110-volt outlet.
Standard driver assist features include adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning and automatic braking, blind spot warning with rear-cross traffic alert, lane centering, intersection collision mitigation, remote parking assistance, automatic low speed braking when parking too near an object.
While the rear design will not appeal to everyone's taste, the front and side panel designs are distinctively classy and more attractive than the Tesla.
Quick charge times are available ranging from 5-80% in 20 minutes from commercial chargers to 7-8 hours overnight with a 240-volt garage installed line.
Contact independent automotive columnist Len Ingrassia at editor@ptd.net.
