Crooked bananas move on
With the Hyundai Ioniq 6, the Korean brand is adding a fairly rare, low electric car to its range. One that also looks quite extreme. But that has a reason. Partly due to its shape, the Ioniq 6 has to travel more than 600 kilometers. We have to test that.
Not really pretty, did that roof line really have to slope so sharply?
Yes, that was necessary because of the cW value. Hyundai wanted to get it as low as possible for the Ioniq 6 and that was quite successful with 0.21. Less air resistance translates into lower consumption and that means more range from the same battery capacity. Where the higher Ioniq 5 with 77.4 kWh battery and rear-wheel drive, for example, travels 507 kilometers according to the WLTP cycle, the Ioniq 6 with the same powertrain travels 614 kilometers. That saves quite a sip on a fairly small drink. With a starting price of €50,895 for that version, the new sedan is one of the few cars that has more than 600 kilometers of WLTP range and still costs less than €60,000. Of course, that falling roofline is not the only measure that Hyundai has taken. The fact that the Ioniq 6 is a lot lower helps, but small things such as flaps around the wheel arches and a logo with less relief also contribute.
In reality, the back is less ugly than on the photos.
Did you just say sedan, so it’s not a hatchback?
No, here too maximum efficiency is the goal and a separate tailgate makes it possible to have the rear slope optimally in order to better separate the wind from the bodywork, resulting in fewer swirls. Such a separate flap does have a disadvantage: it is less easy to get into the luggage compartment. And it also measures only 401 liters, which is only slightly more than you can fit a Volkswagen Golf in, say. Fortunately, the rear seat is not too bad, the wheelbase is so long that you can easily sit down a bit without your knees poking in the front seats. The relatively limited headroom is therefore not immediately a huge drawback. You are a bit bent with your knees because the battery is in the bottom and the floor is therefore quite high, but that is also all manageable.
But I don’t want to sit in the back, what’s it like in the front?
If you’ve ever been in an Ioniq 5: all very familiar. Few buttons, which is a pity in itself because buttons are a joy to operate, but also a fast-working touchscreen to soften that lack very nicely. Fortunately, you quickly found the menu in which you can turn off the synthetic ‘engine sound’. And you can set the interior lighting in no less than 64 colors.
A lot of Ioniq 5, but with window controls on the center tunnel, which is no party.
Nice, does it also run a bit?
Certainly, in this area the difference with the Ioniq 5 is a lot bigger. It is very weak and the Ioniq 6 is considerably tighter. That means a little less comfort when you go straight ahead and a lot more comfort in all other cases. It handles better on the road and has less difficulty parrying bad road surfaces that happen to be on a bend. In addition, you can adjust the degree of recuperation when you want with the flippers behind the steering wheel, the car comes to a complete stop if desired without operating the brake pedal and with 229 hp, the Ioniq 6 is not a Tesla killer, but it is certainly smooth enough.
And the efficiency?
A single cold winter morning with temperatures barely above freezing does not give a complete picture, but based on the first 50 kilometers, the on-board computer indicated 17 kWh/100 km. That’s definitely not bad. The Hyundai also has 20-inch wheels, which saves 10 percent range on the WLTP cycle. Incidentally, our test car had optional digital exterior mirrors, which we would strongly advise against. It hardly saves consumption and makes every maneuver where you use the wing mirrors unnecessarily complicated. If you want to know why: just do your hair for a week with the selfie function of your phone. Then you’ll be glad you can use the mirror in the bathroom again.
Digital wing mirrors, just don’t.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl