Hyundai Ioniq 6 preview

Here’s the Carzone.ie preview of the Hyundai Ioniq 6.

What’s this?

This is the Hyundai Ioniq 6, the follow-up to the highly acclaimed Ioniq 5. Don’t go calling it a saloon though — Hyundai describes the Ioniq 6 as an “electric streamliner” and that gives some clue as to its party piece. With its slippery fastback shape, the Ioniq 6 is extremely aerodynamic, which means that even though it uses the same underpinnings as the Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, it has them bested on range by a considerable margin with some versions capable of around 610km between charges. As well as being quite a looker and having such a decent range, that EV architecture should also mean that the cabin is spacious.

What will its rivals be?

Because both major on design and considerable EV nous, two of the Ioniq 6’s biggest rivals come from within its own ranks: the Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6. In the electric saloon category, the Ioniq 6 should put it up to the likes of the Polestar 2, Tesla Model 3 and even the BMW i4. The Ford Mustang Mach-E is another potential rival too, not least because the Ioniq and some rear-wheel-drive versions of the Ford have near-identical battery ranges.

Any tech info?

Like in the Ioniq 5, in front of the driver sits a 12.0-inch digital instrument cluster that melds together with the 12.0-inch infotainment touchscreen to form one sizeable digital dashboard. It’s through that touchscreen that drivers can operate the Performance Tune-up system that will alter elements such as the weighting of the steering, the power of the motor and accelerator response to be adjusted to the driver’s preference. Other neat features include a choice of ambient lighting in 64 assorted colours including six dual-tone schemes, as well as a system that pipes a spaceship-like sound into the cabin, and which changes the texture of the sound based on the speed and the manner in which the car is being driven.

What will the range be like?

Because of the flexibility of the platform, like the Ioniq 5 and EV6, there’ll be a choice of battery and motor arrangements. At the top of the tree will be a 325hp dual-motor, all-wheel-drive version with a large 77.4kWh battery pack that will, Hyundai says, be able to get from a standstill to 100km/h in 5.1 seconds. It’s a version with the 77.4kWh battery, rear-wheel drive only and running on 18-inch wheels that’s able to hit that headline figure of 610km of range, while there’ll also be versions available with a smaller battery to bring the purchase price down.

Expectations?

Really quite high. The Hyundai Group’s E-GMP platform has already proven its worth, and both the Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 are popular in part thanks to their eye-catching designs and excellent interiors. More of the same is expected from the Ioniq 6 when it arrives in 2023, which can only be a good thing. Excitingly, Hyundai has even hinted that there could be a performance “N” version coming further down the line.

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