All-new electric four-door coupé is aiming to steal the Tesla Model 3’s crown On sale Now Price £46,745
Lawrence Cheung Lawrence.Cheung@haymarket.com
BE HONEST: DID you imagine a few years ago that Hyundai’s electric car line-up would ever look as striking as it does now? The first Ioniq was, after all, conspicuously inconspicuous.
That all changed in 2020 with the launch of the head-turning Ioniq 5, and that’s now been joined by this equally distinctive Ioniq 6.
The two share underpinnings, but while the 5 is an electric SUV, the 6 is a sleek four-door coupé designed to steal your attention away from the BMW i4, Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3.
In fact, the only obvious similarities on the outside are the Hyundai badges and the pixel-style lights, which on the 6 take the form of a snazzy rear light bar and a panel on the spoiler. In other words, this is a large electric car for those who don’t need to prioritise space for luggage or tall rear seat occupants.
All Ioniq 6s have a 77.4kWh (usable) battery, and there are two power outputs available. The entry-level single-motor, rear-wheel-drive version produces 225bhp and is good for a 0-62mph time of 7.4sec. A much more potent 321bhp dual-motor option with four-wheel drive reduces that sprint time to 5.1sec.
As well as looking sleek, the swoopy roof should help the car slip through the air cleanly, and the official range is a competitive 338 miles on a full battery charge. The entry-level Model 3 RWD’s figure is 305 miles, while the Polestar 2 Long Range Single Motor’s is 341 miles.
It’s not all good news, though. When we tested an early Ioniq 6 on a real-world test route in winter weather, the range was closer to 220 miles. That’s down to the efficiency rating dropping to a rather disappointing three miles per kWh – similar to the Polestar 2 in the same conditions, but much less than the four miles per kWh managed by the Model 3. In cold weather, the Model 3’s smaller 57.5kWh (usable) battery gave it a longer range than the Ioniq 6.
The 6 puts in a convincing performance elsewhere, though. The suspension does a good job of keeping the car settled and is a fraction more supple than the Model 3’s, isolating occupants from most road imperfections.
Body lean is well contained when cornering, with plenty of grip available. The steering and the brake pedal are a little too light to make the car engaging, but it is effortless to drive, and the ride/handling balance allows you to flow down a twisty country road beautifully. At a cruise, the interior is very hushed, with just a hint of wind noise
