New Car Review | Hyundai IONIQ 6 Elegance

The IONIQ 6 is a sleek, unique-looking electric saloon with loads of range, great comfort and really good space inside for passengers. It has a unique-looking design, representing a cross between a saloon and a fastback.

IONIQ is a sub-brand of Hyundai making only fully electric vehicles. The IONIQ 5 and the IONIQ 6 are built on what is called the e-GMP platform, which is bespoke architecture for their fully electric cars. It allows Hyundai to build more efficient and spacious vehicles that charge really well.

The IONIQ 6’s looks certainly are dividing opinion. Some people find that it is a little bit too different, perhaps too avant-garde and unique. We have fallen in love with the design. It’s a bold departure by Hyundai from the trend toward SUVs, and we think that they should be praised for this!

The IONIQ 6 is highly influenced by aerodynamics to produce such an efficient car. The nose breaks very low down and gently swoops back to meet the windscreen. The headlights are built into the bodywork. Active air vents at the front open and close as the car needs.

It’s quite a low car coming in at just over 1.5m tall. In many ways, it’s hard to classify the design of the IONIQ 6. You could call it a saloon, but the rear is more reminiscent of a fastback. The car also curves inwards at the shoulder line, showing a strong shoulder line running down the length of the car.

There are 9 colours to choose from. Our test car was the Nocturne Grey Matte, and if we were to buy the car then that is the one we’d go for! Our test car was on the 18” aero alloys. But there are 20” wheels that lend a sportier look and really fill out the wheel arches. But you do lose a bit of range with the larger wheels.

After spending a week in the IONIQ 6, nearly everything else on the road seems dated. The cabin is refreshingly different. There is loads of internal space, the tech is bang up-to-date, the seats are very comfortable, and the lay-out is intuitive.

There are two 12.3” displays across the dash. One is located behind the steering wheel, displaying all the driving information that you need. Your speed, direction, energy use, and much more are displayed in a customisable way.

The other is a touchscreen for the infotainment system. It’s a good size, with excellent definition and an intuitive layout. There are loads of settings so that you can customise the car to the way you like it.

Although there is plenty of screen space, Hyundai have retained some old-fashioned buttons. There are a few shortcut buttons on the dash that bring you to certain features such as the parking cameras or the radio. Underneath those buttons are the permanently displayed climate controls. It is great to have easy access there.

The steering wheel has a smattering of buttons with a couple or toggle switches and rotary knobs. Four lights adorn the centre of the steering wheel and give you feedback about what Drive Mode you’re in, traffic warnings or even tell you what state of charge you’re at when the car is plugged in charging.

There is loads of space in the cabin of the IONIQ 6, including a mass of storage under the centre console. In the back, rear passengers have an incredible amount of space, with great legroom. The car will easily accommodate four people of 6ft 4”. Due to the shape of the rear portion of the car, a little bit of boot space is sacrificed. There is 401 litres, and the opening isn’t that big. For some people, this may be a bit of an issue, but it was no problem to us during the week, even with two kids in tow. You also get the benefit of a 45 litre frunk under the bonnet.

Put simply, the IONIQ 6 is a dream to drive. It’s fast when needed, always comfortable, bundles of tech to take the stress out of long drives, and the range is brilliant. Are there any drawbacks? Well, there’s a lot of beeps and bongs. The car is very quick to warn you about things. In one sense, this is good as it keeps you very aware of your speed and surroundings. At times however, it is annoying such as when it picks up on a speed sign on a slip road and then thinks you’re going 40km/h over the speed limit. You can turn these off, but it has to be done each time you get into the car.

Our test car was the Rear Wheel Drive, Long Range. It has a 168kW motor that will do the 0-100km/h sprint in 7.4 seconds. As this is an electric drivetrain, that acceleration is seamless and feels quite fast. If you opt for the smaller battery, then you get a slightly smaller motor of 111kW and a 0-100km/h time of 8.8s. Those looking for a more sporty drive can sacrifice a bit of range and get the 239kW All-Wheel Drive version. This has two motors, one on the front and one on the back. With all that traction, you’ll do the 0-100km/h sprint in a very impressive 5.1s. Top speed on all models is limited to 185km/h. Depending on how you feel, you can toggle between Eco, Normal and Sport Modes. In Winter, you can take advantage of Snow Mode.

The IONIQ 6 is equipped with level 2 autonomous driving. The cruise control is superb, and is up there with the absolute best available. The car will adapt its speed to follow another slower moving vehicle that you come up behind. You can change the follow distance to 4 different stages. The car will also steer for you on the motorway, and also a lot of other roads with clear markings. But keep in mind that regulations mean you have to keep control of the car, and it will warn you if it thinks you are not holding the steering wheel! A really impressive feature is that the car will change lanes itself. All you have to do is lightly flick the indicator stalk. The car uses its sensors to determine if it’s safe, and will then steer out to the overtaking lane before bringing you back up to speed automatically. Then simply hit the indicator again and the car will move back in once it’s happy it has cleared the vehicle you are overtaking.

Thanks to excellent noise insulation and the angled windscreen, the cabin is very quiet. The suspension is set up very comfortably. The steering and feel isn’t as sharp as something like the Polestar 2 or the Tesla Model 3. But that’s not a bad thing. The IONIQ 6 is set up more comfortably and will even out the little bumps in the road with aplomb.

Perhaps the most important and impressive aspect of the IONIQ 6 is the range and efficiency. Hyundai’s original EV, the Ioniq was aptly nicknamed ‘the Wind Knife’. It was extremely efficient. The IONIQ 5 fell off the pace there due to its bulk. They’re back on track with the IONIQ 6. It is still a heavy car at a full 2 tonnes, but the efficient drivetrain, heat pump, battery conditioning and aerodynamics mean that it extracts a lot of miles from the battery.

There are two battery options available for the IONIQ 6. The smaller battery is 53kWh gross. It has a WLTP range figure of 429km. Although that’s a little optimistic for the real world, you could still treat it as a solid 350km car in most circumstances. The larger battery is 77kWh, 74kWh of which is usable. If you opt for the AWD and bigger wheels you get a WLTP range of 519km with a real world range of around 440km. If efficiency and range is more important than power, then get the RWD variant with a WLTP range of 614km. This range is possible, but you’ll have to treat the battery gently to get it. But we covered nearly 1,000km during testing and on average were set for a range of around 500km.

Range is your big consideration here. Anyone that doesn’t do regular cross-country drives will be more than happy with the solid 350km range in the smaller battery. It comes with a very good finish and standard of equipment. Coming in at €48,295, you can save a bit of money and still get an excellent car.

If you need the range, then the RWD bigger battery is the one to go for. The sweet spot is the Signature trim as it gets the full SEAI grant available and costs from €54,315. Our test car had some extra tech and creature comforts in the Elegance trim, but the price gap is about €8,000. If you have that money, go for it! For us, the Signature will do just fine.

If you want a bit of fun, then go for the AWD Finesse. It has bundles of power, looks great and has all the tech. You sacrifice a little bit of range, but more than 400km out of a charge is probably enough anyway. Prices, however, creep up just above €70,000.

The IONIQ 6 scored very well in the Euro NCAP tests when tested in 2022. It achieved scores of 97% for Adult Occupant, 87% for Child Occupant, 66% for Vulnerable Road Users, and 90% for its Safety Assist features. This is an impressive score overall, enabling it to achieve a full 5-star rating.

The IONIQ 6 is one of the best cars we’ve driven. We really did enjoy it, and have missed it since handing it back. It’s refined and comfortable, yet has good pace and handling when needed. The interior is very well appointed, intuitive and extremely spacious. The tech is superb, and it comes equipped quite well as standard.

Those that need a big boot may struggle with it, but it should suit most people just fine. Apart from a few annoying bings and bongs, it’s hard to find fault with the IONIQ 6. We understand that the looks may not be to everyone’s tastes, but we found a real beauty and elegance in its aerodynamic form.

Overall, the IONIQ 6 hits the mark on so many fronts and as a result is one of 2023’s stand out vehicles. The efficiency is incredible and it charges wonderfully well. We hope that people get out there, test drive it and experience it.

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