“Build a Model 3, but without the emotional baggage or the squeaks and rattles.”
We’re not positive that was Hyundai’s exact instruction, but we’re positive that’s what they’ve built. Rather than call it an “Ioniq 6” or a “mid-sized electric sedan” or any other phrase, we’ll just call it how we see it: This is Hyundai’s answer to Tesla’s ubiquitous Model 3.
And on paper, it’s a compelling argument: 800v architecture means faster charging. Vehicle to load outlets means it’ll run your fridge. Highway Driving Assist 2 mostly drives for you. And up to 361 miles of range is 20 more than the Tesla.
But what about in practice? We borrowed a Hyundai Ioniq 6 Limited, the model’s $50,000 all-wheel-drive flagship, then spent a week and 1000 miles driving around Los Angeles to find out.
No, this isn’t a track test: It’s a review of a daily driver, driven like a commuter would. We visited dirt trails, twisty mountain roads, city traffic, long highway stretches and more.
And before you ask: No, we don’t have any fantastic clickbait charging tales to relate: We plugged the car into our hotel each night, then it was full in the morning–our only interaction with level 3 public charging infrastructure was an uneventful quick splash of electrons on our way back to the airport at the conclusion of our trip. Rated range for this trim is 270 miles, and we’d call that fairly accurate in mixed driving based on our experience.
But back to the car, starting with the outside. We’ll call the styling “polarizing.” Our friends called it far worse.
It’s definitely not bland, but we prefer the Ioniq 5’s ‘80s-tastic design language instead of whatever this is.
Inside the car, though, is a spacious, bright, well-designed interior that’s a great place to spend 12-hour days bouncing around a city. Yes, there’s some fashionable EV minimalism, but not to the extremes of its competition and the result is a nice balance between form and function.
So how’s it drive? This is no performance car, but it’s perfectly respectable: 320 horsepower and 4600 pounds mean we didn’t win any drag races, but instant torque and an incredibly low center of gravity were still fun and faster than any other sedan Hyundai builds without an N badge.
Props to Hyundai for ride quality, which is light-years better than the pre-refresh Model 3s we’ve been in. Hyundai’s driver assistance features are perfectly competent, too, and handled our highway driving with ease.
If all this seems perfectly unremarkable, well, it was. This is a commuter car that just happens to be electric, and it does a phenomenal job of staying out of your way while it carries you through your life. It’s telling that the only real standout memory of our time in the Ioniq 6 was its build quality, which definitely felt a notch higher than the Model 3. It boasts an impressive warranty, too, with the powertrain covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles, and the rest of the car covered for five years or 50,000 miles.
In conclusion? In 2024, basic commuter cars have more than 300 horsepower, Porsche-level handling and appearances that make it clear a designer–not an accountant–drew the bodywork. It’s a fantastic time to be a car enthusiast.
Comments
You know, I’ve only seen a handful of these in person, I see a lot more of the Ioniq 5.
I also used to see a ton of the Kia EV6, but not so much anymore.
Is this rwd or fwd or awd?
It got me thinking that electrification of cars is probably good for rwd enthusiasts.
I’d rather electric and rwd than gas powered and fwd.
Oh wow, they’re keeping up the 10 year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty on EVs? Very interesting. Very out of my price range, but very interesting.
In reply to wvumtnbkr :
They are either RWD or AWD.
We have a 2023 Ioniq 6 and love it. Super comfortable and certainly capable enough. We just did a 1200 mile roundtrip from FL to NC and back. It performed flawlessly. We used EA chargers exclusively, as Hyundai provides 2 years of free charging via EA, and that went perfectly too.
The car is actually fairly large too. Overall length is 191.5″, identical to my 2012 BMW X5! Which means the rear seat legroom in the Ioniq is massive.
Why did they decide to make it look like a Pillbug? There’s still an open gap in the market for an EV that doesn’t look goofy and costs less than $30k, to me Hyundai or Kia could be a likely contender for that spot.
I generally think Hyundai is killing it in the design department, but I am not a fan of the way this looks…and that’s an understatement. Pricing looks really similar to the model 3, which was a pleasant surprise. I think the I5N is super cool but for some reason it costs around $23,000 more than a model Y performance.
STM317
PowerDork
6/4/24 2:09 p.m.
RevRico said:
Oh wow, they’re keeping up the 10 year 100,000 mile powertrain warranty on EVs? Very interesting. Very out of my price range, but very interesting.
We either got problems or solutions and the line between the two is blurry at best.
I’m pretty certain that hybrids and EVs are required to have a minimum of 8 years/100k miles of warranty coverage on their EV components. Hyundai is kicking in a couple of extra years, but it’s not twice what other OEMs are doing like it is in their ICE vehicles.
Yeah, Ford’s is 8 years/100k miles.
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