Hyundai's latest EV is more functional than fun, but it nevertheless offers plenty of whimsy, rejuventating a dying segment
It’s no secret sales of mid-size sedans are deader than that parrot from the Monty Python sketch, killed off by the rising popularity of crossovers. But there’s one thing that might take a defibrillator to the segment: full electrification. Joining its award-winning Ioniq 5 and the compact Kona EV crossover, here’s the latest addition to Hyundai’s battery-electric lineup, the Ioniq 6.
Big batteries have done funny things to the car industry, in that they generally outperform any weight penalty. Thus, it makes sense to build a crossover on a heavy platform, and let that electric torque just shrug off the weight. But EVs can’t escape the rules of physics entirely.
Where range comes into play, sedans are simply more aerodynamically efficient than a hatchbacked crossover. The Ioniq 6 is as slippery as a fish, with a coefficient of drag of just 0.22 (comparable to a Porsche Taycan). In the base rear-wheel-drive long-range model, that means a healthy maximum battery range of 581 km, almost 100 km more than the longest-hauling Ioniq 5.
Step up to all-wheel-drive, and range drops to 501 km, still better than the long-range Ioniq 5 with only rear-wheel-drive. Only the third of the three Ioniq 5 models set for launch – the Ultimate Package with 20-inch wheels and range-sapping 245-mm-series tires – sees range drop into the 400s, at 435 km. Which is still very good.
Hyundai was free to be slightly playful with the styling of the Ioniq 5, and as a result it contains elements of the Lancia Delta Integrale and perhaps some elegant mid-1980s Peugeot. The Ioniq 6 has fun details, too, but functionality was the primary focus. The rear spoiler slightly resembles the back end of a Merkur XR4Ti, but the rest of the car is a sleek and friendly robotic newt. Little clusters of square “pixels” are scattered all over.
Inside, the 6 is slightly more conventional than the 5, with the exception of centre-mounted switchgear for the door locks and window controls. This slims down the inside of the doors, and you get a long pull surface rather than a grab handle. Passengers riding up front enjoy a roomy and comfortable cabin, and rear legroom is excellent thanks to a nearly three-metre wheelbase. Rear headroom for adults is a bit tight, especially with the sunroof — the hidden costs of aerodynamics.
All Canadian-spec Ioniq 6s get a 77.4-kWh battery pack. The base model of the Ioniq 5 comes with a 58 kWh pack, so perhaps expect a lower trim 6 in the pipeline at some point. For now, the least-powerful single-motor Ioniq 6 gets 225 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, while the other two AWD models have 320 hp and 446 lb-ft of torque.
That kind of near-instant twist was more than enough to shed the Ioniq 6’s 2000-plus-kg curb weight, and zip up to highway speeds merrily. On windy roads, with the sportiest driving mode active, the 6 cornered flat and composed, and responded to the throttle in a way combustion-engined cars simply can’t.
But don’t let the power figures fool you, as the driving experience of the 6 is not really meant to imitate something from Hyundai’s N performance division. (There is an N-tuned Hyundai Ioniq 5 on the way.) Instead, the 6 is all about effortless pace, and whisper-quiet commuting.
Most EVs are quiet already, but the Ioniq 6 is librarian-spec. With such a wind-shedding coefficient of drag, it is vault-like enough in here to hear nothing but the occasional squeak of the wipers shooing away a stray spot of rain.
As today’s drive route included a couple hundred kilometres of some of B.C.’s busiest highways, the silence was a blessing. Hyundai’s automated cruise control is more refined than ever, now including automatic lane-changing when the turn signal is activated, and will also learn driver habits to become either smoother or more aggressive in applying throttle. It is not a fully hands-off system, but it stayed well placed in the lane at speed.
As elsewhere, Hyundai manages regeneration force via the paddle shifters on the Ioniq 6. There’s manual control for four different levels, as well as a full i-Pedal (not quite one-pedal driving, but close) and an auto setting that pairs well with the automatic cruise control. You can’t adjust regen while actually braking, but it’s nice to have full control to turn off resistance on the flat sections but dial in some braking force on a downhill.
The technology interface is handled with the same dual 12-inch display as in the Ioniq 6, and it works well. Hyundai doesn’t put all the functions behind a touchscreen, which means you get real buttons and switches for climate controls and a volume knob for the stereo. Where you do interact with the touchscreen, it’s a typically sensible Hyundai layout with large icons, and is easy to navigate.
From a practicality standpoint, the Ioniq 6 loses a few points to the more-flexible 5, though the 316L trunk does have folding rear seats. The “frunk” is laughably small, good only for less-used necessities like a first aid kit or tire pressure gauge.
Overall though, the Ioniq 6 charms with conventionality. It’s a nicely-appointed mid-size sedan, roomy enough for a family, long-legged enough to leapfrog along Canada’s relatively sparse (thus far) charger network. Hyundai notes that the 6 can theoretically be fast-charged from 10- to 80-per-cent charge in just 18 minutes on a 350-kW charger, but in practice, few public chargers will hit this rate. But with over 500 km of range on the mid-level AWD model, a Vancouver-to-Whistler ski trip and return would leave plenty of charge on a 6’s battery. A Level 2 charger in the garage means you’d almost never use a public charger.
The only potential speed-bump is pricing. Here in B.C., only the base RWD Ioniq 6 qualifies for the provincial rebate. All three get the federal rebate, and full provincial rebates in Quebec. Pricing starts at $54,999, but it’s $57,999 for the AWD most buyers will want. That’s significantly less expensive than a Tesla Model 3 with all-wheel-drive, but B.C.’s changing rebate requirements mean that the Ioniq 6 will be less of a deal than the 5 was at launch a couple of years ago.
Leaving provincial specifics aside, the Ioniq 6 is a worthy effort at expanding Hyundai’s EV range. It combines all the advantages of battery-electric motoring with a sensible layout, blends in just enough quirkiness to feel special, and then ices the cake with enough range to have an owner rarely checking their state of charge. Rumours of the demise of the mid-size sedan seem to have been exaggerated. Turns out it will voom if you put four million volts through it.
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