What is it ?
The IONIQ 6 is a four door electric saloon from Korea. It shares much of its architecture with other Hyundai & Kia EV’s including the Hyundai IONIQ 5, Genesis GV60 & Kia EV6. What you get is an impressive electric range, particularly as all UK versions feature a 77kWh battery, so 300 miles + is a distinct possibility.
Model range & price
Two options; a single-motor rear-wheel drive model which costs from £46,745 & a twin-motor all-wheel drive, that adds £3,500 to the price. And two specs, Premium trim or Ultimate level, which is also £3,500 more expensive adding extras such as electric memory seats with ventilated leather upholstery, an electric sunroof, a head-up display, parking cameras & a Bose stereo.
Power & performance
There are two versions of the 77kWh battery on offer. A 168kW 77kWh 4 door Auto with 224bhp & a 0-60mph time of 7.4 seconds, or the 239kW 77kWh 4 door AWD Auto, with 320bhp, plus 605Nm’s for a 0-60 mph time of just 4.9 seconds !
Range & charging
Choose the 2WD version & you’e looking at a range of 339 miles, whilst the AWD version offers 323 miles. Charging the 77kWh batty at home on a 7kW wall box from 0-100% will take 11.5 hours. As ever plug in at night when electricity costs less & the 4 hours will get you 30Kw’s of range for just £2.80. Charge away from your door & super-fast 800-volt charging is available, meaning fast public charging from 10 to 80% would take just 18 minutes.
Exterior
We love the IONIQ 5 from the outside & the 6 is also striking. Hyundai has styled the 6 after 1950s ‘streamliners’ a movement that created cars, trains & planes that offer an aerodynamic profile. So, you get a low profile front & a sweeping low roof line, with the rear end featuring a wrap-around LED light bar & a high spoiler. It’s distinctive.
Interior
Similarly to the IONIQ 5, the inside of the 6 is a design dream. Subtle greys, blacks & chrome in soft touch plastic & fabric exude a calm. The highlight is the 12.3″ drivers TFT display instrument cluster & alongside the 12.3″ touchscreen SatNav & media centre, that stretch right across the minimalist dash top. Separate heating controls sit underneath function buttons for the DAB Radio, Media, SatNav, Map & volume controls. You also get three USB connections & a 12v socket. In the rear, there’s two more USB’s, a fold down armrest & plenty of room to spread out. Clever touches include a pop-out filing-cabinet style glovebox & translucent door pockets.
Practicality
The front & rear both feature long, narrow door pockets. You also get some under armrest storage, space beneath the floating centre console, twin centre cup holders, & the afore mentioned glove box.
The boot is long front to back & quite wide but the aperture to load stuff in or out is quite small. Still, 401 litres is offered with a charging cable bag too. Rear-drive editions get a 45-litre ‘wetbox’ trunk beneath the bonnet, a useful place to store the charging cable.
Regeneration
In common with other EV’s, the IONIQ 6 offers drivers a choice of regenerative braking. Utilised using the paddles behind the steering wheel, there are in effect five available. Zero kicks things off which is good for progress on the motorway. By pulling the left paddle back, you then move up through 1, 2 & 3 & for the maximum level 5 ‘ iPedal,’ which brings the car to almost a complete stop. Although iPedal regeneration does feel quite strong, compared to similar systems on other EV’s that we’ve tried, it’s actually quite light, which is a good thing, as heavy regeneration can tire out your right foot.
Driving
We were testing the IONIQ 6 Premium 77.4kWh RWD, which weighs in at just over 2000kg. In the IONIQ 5 the battery weight definitely contributed to the cars drivability, making it a little stodgy. However in the 6, it fells more drivable if you will. Everything in the drivetrain seems to have been tweaked with the 6 feeling more refined then the 5. We liked it a lot. Winding country roads, sweeping motorway bends, hilly rises & falls. All are taken in the 6’s stride & it also sticks the road like glue. Only the BMW i4 EV beats it for sheer driving pleasure.
What it isn’t though is slow, with a 0-60 mph time of just 4.9 seconds achieved in Sport mode; you can also choose from Normal or Eco, with a top speed of 115mph. There’s excellent mid-range acceleration as well. Motorway cruising is a doddle, urban progress calm & quiet & the on board tech all works well. The white backed 12.3″ infotainment is crystal clear & AppleCar Play syncs your iPhone superbly.
Rear passengers get plenty of room with two 6 footers sat behind me complementing the legroom. The ride isn’t too firm & the 6 takes poor road surfaces an awful lot better than many other EV’S & PHEV’s.
Economy
We had the car for six days, drove approximately 200 miles, on a mix of local urban roads, the M6 the M56 & M60. We drove almost exclusively in Eco mode, utilised the iPedal when taking short journeys & averaged 3.3miles/kWh. Multiply that by the 78kW battery & you’re looking at a range of 260 miles, which although 63 miles under the claimed, is still impressive.We also strongly suggest that you fit a home charger & plug in overnight for cheap electricity as we did with our own Rolec ; http://www.rolecserv.com/home-charging
Warranty
12 Years’ Anti-Perforation Warranty
Five Year Annual Vehicle Health Checks
Five Year Unlimited Mileage WarrantyHigh Voltage Battery Warranty – 8 Years, 100,000 Miles
Hyundai Roadside Assistance
Pros
Like its sibling the IONIQ 5 the IONIQ 6 looks stunning & very space age. A car taken from the 1950’s & bought up to date in the 2020’s. The interior is surprisingly spacious & also practical. Real world range is a decent 260-300 miles. BIK is only 2%. And perhaps most importantly for an EV, it doesn’t feel heavy & it’s great fun to drive. Tempting, very tempting.
Cons
Being brutally honest it’s hard to come up with any. We did have some cable connection issues with our charger & the boot isn’t the largest…. but that really is it.
Conclusion
Whatever they’ve got in their water in South Korea, when it coms to EV’s it’s definitely working. Currently, only the BMW i4 handles better & the Tesla Model 3 goes further than the IONIQ 6, but neither are as cool as the 6. I lost count of how many times people commented on it as I locked up & walked away.
From a practical perspective, the IONIQ 5 may be a better bet & it also offer’s customer’s a smaller 53kW battery version, so entry into one is cheaper too. That aside, if you want to drive a battery electric vehicle that oozes style, has a 300 mile range, comes equipped with the latest tech & safety, looks fantastic with just 2% BIK, the IONIQ 6 should be at the top of your list
Another brilliant EV from Hyundai 4.5/5
