2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 EV test drive

The 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 is the latest offering from Hyundai’s Electric Vehicle, Ioniq sub-brand.
As something of a rarity, the Ioniq 6 is a new sedan coming to the Canadian marketplace. While a risky proposition in a market where sedan sales are falling like leaves in October, Hyundai appears to have deemed it a low risk proposition. The Ioniq 6 required minimal development cost as it is built on the already available E-GMP platform shared with the Ioniq 5 Crossover.
The Ioniq 6 is one of the most striking vehicles on the road today. The design is centred around providing the most aerodynamic package to increase driving range. Details such as hidden door handles that only pop-out when the vehicle is unlocked and stationary along with flush fitting front and rear lighting, not only positively affect the Ioniq 6’s aerodynamic coefficient but looks really sleek and cool.
Inside the Ioniq 6, a clean, almost spartan approach to design centres on a pair of 12.3 inch LCD screens that are housed in a continuous metal rimmed panel that curves across the left half of the dashboard. The instrument cluster utilizes one of the screens located behind the steering wheel. The display is adjustable to reflect what matters most to you. Power consumption, Navigation, power flow and to which wheel or perhaps just your speed, the choice is yours. Hyundai’s Blue Link system will remotely allow pre-heating or cooling the cabin prior to entry, as well as finding charging stations as you drive along.
One aspect of dashboard design was confusing at first due to what appeared to be sections that curved out, similar to fins, prior to reaching the A pillar on either side of the vehicle. Eventually I realized these were actually hidden air vents. There were a couple features that required some adapting to. One being the window lifts being moved off the doors to be placed on the centre console. Once you’re used to the location it becomes second nature but for a few days muscle memory has you reaching to the left to leave parking lots. The other, the gear selector. Automakers love coming up with novel ways to integrate this essential feature into their cars. Hyundai has placed the gear selector on the end of a steering mounted stalk on the right side of the steering wheel. To choose between Drive and Reverse you rotate the tip of the stalk away from or towards you, similar to turning on or off headlights. Press the button the end and you’re in Park. Again, once you get the hang of it, no problems.
Interior room was quite generous, most notably in the rear seats. Visually there was a copious amount of room on the floor behind the front seats. On closer inspection I realized that the front seats were essentially sitting on the floor, likely to provide as much headroom with the low slung roof. A such there was no room to slide your feet under the front seats. Despite that, rear seats passengers were comfortably accommodated.
The Ioniq 6 is available in rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive options. The RWD vehicle is fitted with a single electric motor and the AWD version has a 162 kWh at the rear and 124 kWh motor driving the front wheels. The drivetrain is centred around 800 volt architecture fed by a 77.8 kWh battery. With the ability to charge on 350 kWh DC fast chargers, Hyundai reports 20-80% charging in as little as 18 minutes. Level 2 chargers (around 6.5 hrs) and 150 kWh fast chargers (35 mins to 1 hr) are more attainable options if you don’t have a vehicle charging station at home.
The ride in the Ioniq 6 is quite refined. Yes, there’s the customary rush of power from a standing start but the suspension provides a smooth and responsive ride. A low centre of gravity provided by the floor mounted battery and low profile roof line, gives the Ioniq 6 the ability to corner quite nicely. Another aspect that surprised me was how quiet the Ioniq 6 was. On the highway at typical speeds there was little to no road or wind noise. Lowering the window while on the highway will clearly demonstrate how effective the Ioniq 6 is at isolating the outside world. The rush of ambient clatter with the windows open is in stark contrast to the cocoon provided by the Hyundai when the windows are closed up tight.
Driving range is really top of mind when considering an EV. As mentioned earlier, the Ioniq 6 exists to provide the maximum range for the E-GMP platform. Depending on how a buyer options the car, the range can vary greatly. An entry level, rear wheel drive, single motor model with 18 inch wheels is estimated to provide 583 kms of range. The higher spec, all-wheel-drive, dual motor model with 20 inch wheels (our test vehicle) is rated at 432 kms of range. However, based on your driving habits and whether you predominantly drive city vs highway roads, you could expect to see substantially more range. In fact, with our tester, we frequently saw over 500 kms of range estimated on the instrument cluster. While its only an estimate, we found the reality was pretty close to the estimate once battery regeneration was factored into the charge onboard.
The Hyundai Ioniq 6 stands out as a unique model in today’s evolving car marketplace. Offering standout styling with cutting edge EV technology, the Ioniq 6 sits in the sweet spot of affordability within the EV car category with a starting MSRP of $54,999. By offering an alternative to the Crossover focused Ioniq 5, Hyundai seems to have all the bases covered in the mass EV market.
For full details and specifications on the Ioniq 6, visit the Hyundai website