HYUNDAI IONIQ 6 REVIEW: STYLE AND PACE TO RIVAL TESLA – BUT NOT IN ALL-WHEEL DRIVE FORM
It used to be the Ford Cortina. Then it was the Vauxhall Cavalier. Then it was the BMW 3-Series, now it’s the Tesla Model 3.
Through the ages, various cars have become fleet favourites; models that people choose as company cars above any other, be it as a result of image, as with the BMW, or for comfort and modernity, as with the Vauxhall.
Now, as a result of tax breaks surrounding EVs and the availability of its proprietary charging network, the Tesla is the darling of company car user-choosers. As a result, Model 3s are practically everywhere.
So what if you want an electric car that isn’t a Tesla? Something that enables you to stand out from the crowd? The answer may well come from Hyundai, in the form of its Ioniq 6.
Pros
- Generously equipped
- Brilliant to drive
- High charging speeds
Cons
- Range not quite up there with the best
- Interior feels cheap given the price
- Harsh, jittery ride quality
Deja vu
We rather liked the Ioniq 6 in rear-wheel-drive form. This pricier four-wheel-drive version is up next. By and large, the extra weight of the all-wheel-drive set-up doesn’t usually benefit the Hyundai Motor Group’s EVs and, historically, we’ve almost always found that the simpler two-wheel-drive versions are the better buys. But will the Ioniq 6, with its lower profile and sportier bent, buck that trend?
You pay £4,200 more to add two additional driven wheels; in Ultimate form as tested here, that means a not-inconsiderable list price of £54,040 (a cheaper Premium version is also available for £51,240).
That looks pricey at first glance compared with the £49,990 you’ll pay for an all-wheel-drive Model 3, or the £52,950 of a dual-motor Polestar 2. However, Hyundai has thrown everything and the kitchen sink into this top-spec version of the Ioniq 6, which means it is far better equipped like-for-like than its rivals.
Both Ioniq 6s have the same 77kWh (gross) battery, yet as the all-wheel-drive model is heavier it uses charge more quickly, with an official range of 322 miles to the rear-wheel-drive car’s 338. That isn’t bad, to be fair, equating to somewhere between 220 and 250 miles in the real world – but against the 390 miles of the Tesla or the 368 miles of the Polestar, it looks a little low.
Likewise, the Ioniq 6’s streamlined appearance (not to mention its standard heat pump) might suggest it’s particularly energy efficient, but in fact while its 3.7 mile-per-kilowatt-hour (mpkWh) figure is decent enough, it isn’t as good as its rivals’, which are about or above 4.5mpkWh.
Time sensitive
The Ioniq 6 fights back with faster charging speeds. A zap from 10 to 80 per cent can take as little as 16 minutes, on the condition you can find a charger that’s fast enough. Contrast that with 27 minutes for the Tesla and 28 minutes for the Polestar.
Inside, the Ioniq 6 is light and airy – not quite as much as the Ioniq 5 SUV, but it still feels bright and welcoming. The downside to this is that it’s been achieved through the use of light-coloured materials – there’s a lot of light grey plastic, which makes it feel a little like being trapped inside a late 1980s computer monitor cabinet.
Some of the materials are questionable, too, like the vinyl padding on the door armrests, which are the dead spit of the pleather you’d expect to find on a waiting area chair at a dentist’s, while the plastic door handles are (unconvincingly) sprayed to look like metal, which feels cheap in a £50,000-plus car.
But there is some good visual interest, too; from the ribbed door panels to the odd, upturned ends to the dashboard, to the cornucopia of different textures.
It all works well, with a dedicated climate control panel (even if it is touch-sensitive) and two big, wide screens; the touchscreen in the centre is laden with features, but responsive and easy to navigate.
The driving position is unusual; you feel as though you’re sitting on top of the car, peering beyond a non-existent bonnet. So from within, the Ioniq 6 feels as it looks from without – stubby and curiously proportioned.
Mirror, mirror
Our car was fitted with the optional “digital side mirrors” – cameras viewed via screens at each end of the dash. I’ve yet to try one of these systems that offers a significant advantage over and above the conventional mirrors it replaces.
In this case, our car’s cameras filled with condensation briefly, rendering the view on the screens a foggy haze, then when it rained the rearward perspective became a pixelated mess. All of which is a problem with the technology, rather than its application in this car particularly – but suffice to say I remain unconvinced.
In the back seats there’s more space than you might expect given the swooping roofline – leg and knee room are plentiful, and the light materials mean it doesn’t feel claustrophobic. Head room is fine, too, though if you’re particularly tall you might find the side of your bonce knocking against the cant rail.
The boot is big, too – quite shallow, but long, and there’s a further storage area beneath the bonnet – though one downside of the all-wheel-drive version is that this is much smaller than in its rear-drive sister.
Rough and tumble
Generally speaking, most of these electric sports saloons are set up to be somewhat on the taut side, but even by those standards the Ioniq 6 is exceptionally firm.
Somehow, even smooth-looking surfaces feel corrugated as they pass beneath the large-diameter wheels and narrow-sidewalled tyres, which stumble unceremoniously into potholes. Scarred sections of road jiggle the whole car – and occupants – disconcertingly.
At motorway speeds the ride calms down somewhat, though never completely. The result is that, even at a cruise, you never feel quite relaxed; the car itself feels nervy and unsettled and as a result the driver does, too.
There is a payoff for this parlous ride quality, though, because the Ioniq 6 feels absolutely terrific at pace on a sinuous road.
Firstly there’s the all-wheel drive grip – simply vast reserves of it that enable you to hustle around bends at an extraordinary pace.
Likewise the traction – again, seemingly inexhaustible, which means you can plant your foot pretty much any time you like, within reason, and feel all four wheels hook up and sling you forward like a steampunk trebuchet.
Surprisingly, given the suspension’s stiffness, there’s just a smidgeon of body lean, but this is no bad thing because this miniscule amount of squidge allows you to tell through the car’s attitude changes what it’s up to.
And even though there’s not much feel through the steering, it is precise, progressive and well weighted, allowing you to place the Ioniq 6 neatly and accurately. All of which gives you the confidence to really lean on all that grip and rocket through bends.
The Telegraph verdict
The problem for the Ioniq 6 is that, at this price, it competes with some highly competent rivals, which best it both in terms of interior quality and electric range.
It fights back with rapid charging speeds, as well as a generous equipment list, while its ballistic way of getting down the road makes it more exciting to drive than most.
But at the end of the day, this car is best served by rear-wheel drive, in which form some of that grip and traction are traded for more nuance, a lower price, a greater range and a fractionally less bone-shaking way of dealing with bumps.
If you want to stand out from the Model 3 crowd, that’s the one to buy. This all-wheel-drive version is just a bit too much – and just a bit too little, all at the same time.
The facts
On test: Hyundai Ioniq 6 Long Range Ultimate AWD
Body style: four-door saloon
On sale: now
How much? £54,040 on the road (range from £47,040)
How fast? 115mph, 0-62mph in 5.1sec
How economical? 3.7mpkWh (WLTP Combined)
Electric powertrain: 2x AC permanent magnet synchronous motor with 77.4kWh (gross) battery, 350kW on-board charger, Type 2/CCS charging socket
Electric range: 322 miles (WLTP Combined)
Maximum power/torque: 321bhp/446lb ft
CO2 emissions: 0g/km (tailpipe), 27.4g/km (well-to-wheel)
VED: £0
Warranty: 5 years / unlimited miles
Spare wheel as standard: no (not available)
The rivals
Tesla Model 3 Long Range Dual Motor
351bhp, 390 miles, £49,990 on the road
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. The Model 3 has achieved popularity because it’s an accomplished machine backed up by an excellent charging network. It’s roomy, easy to drive and benefits from a minimalist, modernist interior, sharp handling and, in this latest facelifted form, a well-judged ride and handling balance. If you can dissociate the car from the cult of Elon Musk, the Model 3 is easy to love.
Polestar 2 Long Range Dual Motor
416bhp, 368 miles, £52,950 on the road
More power and more range for less money than the Ioniq 6 – it isn’t hard to see why the Polestar 2 appeals in this form. Throw in the beautifully finished interior – a cut above the Hyundai’s – and that appeal only grows. Having said that, the 2 is sparsely equipped by comparison; to bring it up to spec, you have to push the price up considerably.
VW ID.7 GTX
335bhp, 387 miles, £60,000 (est)
Prices for this hot, four-wheel-drive ID.7 have not yet been released, but chances are it’s going to be significantly pricier than the Ioniq 6. For all that, it’ll be much bigger, with loads more space for passengers and a vast and practical hatchback boot. You’ll still have to live with VW’s touch-sensitive control dogma – in the ID.7, for example, you have to move the direction of air flow from the air vents using the touchscreen, which seems bonkers – but otherwise this is expected to be a comfortable, competent and extremely roomy large EV.
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2024-06-11T17:09:51Z dg43tfdfdgfd