Tech-Electric
The Hyundai Ioniq 5 is my favorite electric crossover. It offers impressive range, charging performance, and space efficiency. New changes continue the sleek design by offering us our first few glimpses of its shapely four-door a few weeks ago. And finally, we have specifications that suggest the car’s fun to drive as it looks.
The Ioniq 6 was unveiled, revealing all of the technology underneath its attractive exterior. Most of the features should be familiar to fans of the Ioniq 5. The sedan will ride on the same Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP) as the crossover, making it scalable for battery size and drivetrain options, a flat floor for EV specific proportions, and it’ll enter global production in the third quarter of 2022 with US production starting in early 2023. Hyundai wouldn’t confirm any market launches at this point in time, but their website confirms that it will be a 2024 model.
Hyundai’s newly-released compact sedan, the Hyundai Ioniq 6, will offer two sizes for its lithium-ion battery: a 53.0 or 77.4 kilowatt-hour (kWh) size, with standard rear-wheel drive via a single motor or optional dual-motor all-wheel drive. The Ioniq 6 will offer 320 horsepower (239 kW) and 446 pound-feet of torque in the form of its single-motor setting and 225 hp (168 kW) and 456 pound-feet of torque in the form of its all wheel drive setting as well.
The Ioniq 6 kicks the Ioniq 5’s butt with a maximum WLTP-rated 610 kilometers, which beats the crossover’s WLTP max for 507 kilometers (315 miles). In single-motor/big-battery form, we predict the Ioniq 6 will go at least 350 miles on a charge from the EPA estimate of 303 miles. With all-wheel drive, the Ioniq 6 might surpass its crossover sibling’s 256 miles and go in excess of 300 miles when tested by the federal government. The sedan’s rear-drive/small-battery combo will only carry 250 miles in optimal conditions, but it should be enough to satisfy most drivers.
Hyundai claims that the Ioniq 6 will be one of the most energy efficient cars in the world. Their smaller battery and 18-inch wheels ensure it consumes less than 14 kWh per 100 kilometers, saving electrons and making best use of them.
Kia is using the same 400V/800V electrical architecture as their other models, using that interchangeable power source to provide quick charge speed and longer battery life. Ioniq 6 can use 350-kW DC fast chargers that give a battery boost of 20% in just 15 minutes, with no max charge speed stated.
The Ioniq 6 has the same car-to-load technology as the Ioniq 5. Like most cars, there is an outlet behind the passenger seat if you want to charge your laptop. But it also comes with an adapter that turns one of its 12-volt outlets into a 240-volt outlet, meant for powering refrigerators at home or a campsite during a power outage. It can even provide 120vAC power to RV’s plugged in at a campground.
With a 100-kilometer per hour acceleration, the Ioniq 6 is fast. It has a 5.1 seconds acceleration and will likely be slower than the Ioniq 5 due to its single-motor powertrain.
Driver Involvement
In the first official pictures of the Hyundai Ioniq 6, for example, the interior is packed with technology. There is a 12.0-inch touch screen in the center and face-to-face instrument cluster that faces the driver. The navigation system can overlay a range map based on traffic reports, terrain and state of charge around you. But that’s not all–the vehicle comes with services that will optimize your route to take advantage of public charging points so you don’t have to fill up too often!
The Hyundai Ioniq 6 includes four USB-C and one USB-A ports for convenient connections, as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Ioniq 6 offers over-the-air car updates which will help keep the vehicle current, in addition to infotainment options.
Other features include a 64-color ambient lighting system, an adjustable sound profile that changes according to the car’s mode of transport, an audio pattern that evokes “spaceship propulsion” and a “Speed Sync” mode.
Also new for the Ioniq 6 is a feature called Relaxation Comfort seats, which are tiered and help drivers and passengers get comfortable for when it’s time to stop. Hyundai has also slimmed down the seats for this model, not compromising comfort or support. From there, the seats use a thin design which allows for more room inside of the car and in the back seat, giving customers more space.
Dressed To Thrill
Hyundai has released photos of their new model, the Ioniq 6, along with its specs. The car’s fastback design may take some getting used to, but there is no denying the Ioniq 6 has a serious presence. A low, rounded prow helps it cut through the air; and a tapered roofline and squared-off bumpers help the car achieve a drag coefficient of just 0.21 – a shade off Tesla’s 0.20 achieved by today’s record-holding Model S and Mercedes-Benz EQS.
The curved body and aerodynamic front bumper act as indicators that the Ioniq stands out from the crowd. The Ioniq has a short, compact look with a hint of sporty flair.
That’s also true of the cabin, which has an angular and squared-off dash design with a thin and low center console providing both storage and style. Side-view mirror screens occupy two thin spars on the outboard corners of the dashboard, a feature that may or may not come to the U.S., depending on how quickly our NHTSA regulations modernize.
With a variety of color choices, you can find the vehicle that best suits you. The 12 selections will add to the car’s computerized appeal. Digital Green is available in matte and pearl clear coats, and Gravity Gold Matte should look bold and attractive on the road. Other vehicles include Abyss Black Pearl, Serenity White Pearl, Curated Silver Metallic, Nocturne Gray Metallic, Nocturne Gray Matte, Transmission Blue Pearl, Biophilic Blue Pearl, Ultimate Red Metallic, and Byte Blue. The cabin offers four modes: single tone black or two tone dark and light gray, Dark Olive Green and light gray, or black with pale brown.
Safety Cell
The Ioniq will be available with a long list of advanced safety and driver-assistance features, like automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and lane departure warning. Surprising features like a blind spot camera and 360-degree monitor are also being made available.
Not to mention, Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assist II will offer the adaptive cruise control feature and keep the car centered in the lane with a variety of sensors. There is one key point that HDA II offers above HDA I – it can detect if another vehicle is driving too close to the line and adjust accordingly.
Plan For The Future
Hyundai won’t commit to a specific vehicle launch just yet, but the Ioniq 6 will go into production by September 2022. It’s likely to arrive on the South Korean domestic market soon thereafter, with global launches happening in subsequent months. We expect it to show up in the US in mid-2023, hopefully helping ease demand for the Ioniq 5 crossover that is presently seeing wide distribution. Prices are still undecided, though we think the Ioniq 6 will cost slightly more than its SUV-shaped equivalent – around $40,000 to start and capped at less than $60 large fully equipped.
The choice to build a four-door sedan with the body style on its way out can be seen as strange, but when the finished product is attractive without compromising on practicality, it’s hard to find fault. What’s more, those curvaceous styling hides a modern powertrain and electrical architecture that anyone with minimal tech skills could enjoy. If the whole thing turns out to be just as reasonably priced as the Ioniq 5 crossover, we bet consumers will have a hard time saying no.
