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Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric car first drive

Hyundai Ioniq 6 electric car first drive

Like a stone worn smooth by the sand and sea, the Hyundai Ioniq 6 is shaped by its environment.

Promising to exceed the claimed range of any sub-$100,000 electric car, the Ioniq’s distinctive silhouette helps it slide through the air with minimal resistance – and onto shortlists for electric car customers.

The arching silhouette of its roofline helps the Ioniq claim aerodynamic efficiency that is not only the best in its class, but among the best of any car on sale. Only the lowest-drag version of Mercedes’ EQS electric car can claim to be slipperier.

Drag coefficient data is rarely the subject of bar-room bragging.

But people will boast about an electric car with more than 600 kilometers of range, particularly one that does not rely on an enormous battery to do so.

The Ioniq 6 offers the same 77.4kWh battery and choice of rear-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive electric propulsion as the hatchback-shaped Ioniq 5.

While the boxy Ioniq 5 offers 481 kilometers of range, Hyundai expects the aerodynamic Ioniq 6 to claim 610 kilometers of range using the same test format.

It also expects the new car to be a sell-out success in Australia when it arrives next year.

While we don’t know exactly how much the car will cost, it’s likely to be a similar proposition to the Ioniq 5. That car is offered locally in relatively limited numbers priced from $69,900 plus on-road costs, suggesting the Ioniq 6 should start from less than $80,000 on the road. Range-topping versions will be closer to $90,000 drive-away.

We sampled the Ioniq 6 in camouflaged pre-production form at Hyundai’s Namyang proving ground in Seoul.

The banana-shaped roof is no less arresting in the metal, particularly when surrounded by conventional-shaped hatchbacks and SUVs at the Korean giant’s proving ground.

It’s much more familiar on the inside, where Hyundai’s design team has stayed in safer territory.

Though crude prototype plastics make it impossible to assess the quality of its interior, time in the back seat reveals that its slightly shorter wheelbase and dramatically swept roof result in less rear passenger room than the Ioniq 5.

Twin 12-inch screens curve across the dashboard in front of you, a familiar and effective if less-than-revolutionary combination for Hyundai fans. The brand took a note from Tesla’s book by keeping physical buttons to a minimum but dedicated climate controls are a victory for common sense.

Powered by twin electric motors with 239kW and 605Nm of combined power, the all-wheel-drive Ioniq 6 feels like it can match a claimed 0-100km/h time of 5.1 seconds.

Effortlessly brisk and near-silent when accelerating, the Ioniq 6 has no problem getting its power to the ground.

Special Pirelli tires developed for the new model trade ultimate cornering grip for reduced rolling resistance necessary to maximize its long-range potential.

We didn’t have the opportunity to assess the car’s cornering characteristics but a short drive on public roads showed that the Ioniq 5 is a refined machine, with a quiet motor, smoothly managed energy harvesting and well-controlled road noise.

We can’t say whether that slippery body reduces wind roar – low-speed running in a canvas-clad prototype isn’t the right test environment – ​​but can confirm the digital mirrors work well, even if your eyes need an extra moment to re -focus.

Accurate steering and well-modulated brakes work in its favour, and we suspect slightly tauter suspension than the comfort-focused Ioniq 5 delivers improved cornering control.

A full verdict will have to wait until we’ve had a chance to assess the car on local roads but early indications are that the Ioniq 6 backs up its intriguing looks with clever technology, giving electric car customers an impressive new option.

HYUNDAI IONIQ 6

PRICE About $90,000 drive away

ENGINE Twin electric, 239kW and 605Nm

RANGE About 600 kilometers

0-100km/h 5.1 seconds

FAST CHARGERS

Hyundai has built a high-performance Ioniq 6 pitched at enthusiasts. Powered by the same 430kW/740Nm motors found in Kia’s EV6 GT, the machine promises three-second 0-100km/h sprints, along with sideways fun made possible by clever torque vectoring. The Ioniq 5 is first in line to receive Hyundai’s go-fast “N” treatment, but we wouldn’t’ be surprised to see the sedan get special attention, too.

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Business

Are utes or SUVs more dangerous than cars?

Are utes or SUVs more dangerous than cars?

A new crash test has highlighted the dangers posed by utes and SUVs to sedans and hatchbacks.

America’s Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has developed a new side-impact test with a heavier and faster impact to better reflect real-world hazards.

The IIHS, which says motorists face a “much greater risk of head injury from impacts with taller vehicles”, has introduced a tougher side-impact test that should result in safer cars in the future.

IIHS president David Harkey said vehicles that sat lower to the ground took side impacts higher on the door panel in the revised T-bone test.

“That potentially puts sedans and wagons at a disadvantage in this evaluation but reflects what happens in a real-world crash when these vehicles are struck by a higher-riding pick-up or SUV,” he said.

Crash experts increased the weight of their side impact barrier from 3300 to 4200 pounds (1497 to 1905kg) and ramped up speeds from 31 to 37 miles per hour (50 to 60km/h).

The resulting test has 82 per cent more energy than before.

Cars tested in the new program receive one of four scores – good, acceptable, marginal or poor.

Re-testing of cars that received full marks in the old test format returned alarming results.

The Toyota Camry received a “poor” rating, joining mid-sized sedans from Nissan and Chevrolet on the bottom tier for side-impact safety.

Toyota’s sedan was the only vehicle in the test that recorded a “poor” safety outcome for rear passenger injuries, though it did a better job protecting drivers than the Chevy Malibu and Nissan Altima.

Side airbags in the Camry, Malibu and Altima failed to stop the heads of crash test dummies from colliding with the cars’ window sills.

Honda’s Accord received a “marginal” overall score, falling behind “acceptable” results for the Hyundai Sonata and Volkswagen Jetta.

The only car worthy of a “good” score in the latest batch of testing was Subaru’s Outback, a car that benefits – in this test – from additional ground clearance more akin to an SUV than a conventional sedan.

But 10 out of 18 family SUVs earned good ratings, with larger and higher-riding cars such as the Mazda CX-9, Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota Kluger performing much better than conventional sedans.

No family SUV received a poor rating, though smaller SUVs were hit harder by the test.

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Only one – Mazda’s CX-5 – received a “good” rating, while popular models such as the Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Nissan X-Trail were deemed “acceptable”.

The Hyundai Tucson, Ford Escape, Kia Sportage and others received “marginal” ratings, while the Honda HR-V and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross were deemed “poor”.

Honda’s HR-V – a model that has since been updated – came under fire for a pillar between the driver and passenger doors that “began to tear away from the frame, allowing the side of the vehicle to crush inward almost to the center of the drivers seat”.

IIHS research shows side-impact crashes account for 23 per cent of fatal smashes in the US.

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