The Ioniq 6 embodies the essence of a classic sedan, with 615kms range (WLPT) and a the most luxurious driving cockpit I have experienced in an electric vehicle. Hyundai loaned me the 2023 Ioniq 6 Dynamiq for a week, in which I was driving around Hobart and down through the Huon Valley. Juggling life between the city and a farm, with a few messy kids and an often wet dog, the beautiful white upholstery was rather terrifying. Though I did enjoy banning dog and muddy boots from the Ioniq 6 and briefly pretending I was an elegant executive with a well ordered life.
An incredible amount of space inside, with more rear passenger legroom than I think I’ve seen before, and I could imagine that even a tall person could sit in the back without issue. The centre back seat folds down to an armrest with cupholders, and the rear seat splits down to extend the boot, which is where the Ioniq is admittedly rather small.
A 45 litre frunk (front trunk) augments the cargo space slightly, but this is not a load (or wet dog) carrying vehicle. The Ioniq 6 is one of few Australian EVs which can be fitted with a tow ball, which is a feature I’m looking for in my next EV, allowing for a 750kg unbraked, or a 1500kg braked load.
Another great feature is the Ioniq 6’s capacity for Vehicle to Load (V2L), with a power point inside the vehicle to power any device from the cars battery. This is marvellous to run a laptop from, and the external V2L means any manner of electrical device can be powered by the car, a real advantage to a professional in the field. An external adapter is needed for V2L form the charge port, and this is purchased separately. A 2.2kW powerpoint charger is not included with the vehicle., and this also should be purchased.
This car can charge very fast on DC, taking up to 350kW which allows an 18 minute charge time (to 80%), or 73 minutes on a more common 50kW charger. On destination or home AC charging will only charge at 7KW single phase. I was curious to see PCID capability- which will allow for plug and charge at public charging, when that gets rolled out in Australia.
With a streamlined exterior aimed at boosting aerodynamics and efficiency, the Ioniq 6 certainly caught attention out and about, with several people stopping me to ask about it. I must say I prefer the elegant shape to the more boxy exteriors of many current EVs, and the boost to performance efficiency is certainly worthwhile, when range is such a concern for prospective EV drivers.
I did monitor the range performance, and was pleasantly surprised when the car used less of its forecast range than the actual kilometre distance on a 50km round trip, despite my playing with the heated seats and sports mode for most of the drive.
The Ioniq 6 has three EV driving modes, Eco, Normal and Sport, with a button to toggle between them on the steering wheel. There are also paddles behind the wheel to adjust the regenerative braking up and down, providing more resistance to the driving experience. Single pedal driving is also an option, providing both efficiency and safety.
Other safety features include adaptive cruise control, steering assist and lane departure correction. I can imagine the steering assist would be wonderful on highways and city roads, but on the winding country roads of the Huon Valley, it would turn off and on again without warning. There were many other warning beeps for the driver, but I did not find them intrusive. I did love the blind spot cameras showing on the dash whenever I indicated to turn, and the heads up display which had both driving and infotainment information.
In addition to the white upholstery (dark is also available), adjustable ambient colour palettes, well designed from a drivers perspective, feels like an executive car. The car emits a pleasant tone when moving at low speeds to protect pedestrians, but the internal “enhanced electric sound effect” was truly terrible, and thankfully possible to turn off.
Many features about the driving experience were customisable, including the heated electric seats with adjustable lumbar support, and a favourite button to jump the display to your preferred controls screen.
While Tesla vehicles have a similarly sleek interior, I preferred the Ioniq 6’s mix of screen controls and real buttons, and I didn’t feel that any necessary controls were missing, with one glaring omission being a button to toggle the air conditioning and heating on and off.
One thing that Hyundai should have followed from Tesla, in my opinion, is an ounce more fun. With so many LED lights inside and out, disco lighting should be an option, and some racy display with the rear spoiler lights.
The cabin was incredibly quiet on road, and the eight speaker Bose sound system, with adjustable levels, enhanced the luxury feel. The sound system had the option of quiet mode, silencing the rear seats if one has the fortune of children who sleep, or isolating speakers, so you can put an audiobook in the back and have an actual conversation up front.
Of course, the car is equipped with Apple Car Play and Android Auto, allowing entertainment apps and Google maps, but even the in car navigation was better than average, and displayed the nearest fast charger and charge point operator on the home screen.
I found the bluetooth to be a little too smart, as my mic was muted by sounds from the caller’s end, though I assume this too can be managed in settings.
The Ioniq 6 allows for control of charging via app, as well as preheating of the vehicle for cold mornings. Using the key fob you can have the car inch forward or back, useful if parked in tight spots or when you need to check your car bay number.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my week pretending to be a sophisticated executive, swanning about with enough range to take me to Launceston on a single charge. And it is truly exciting to see developments such as Vehicle to Load, and towing capacity on an EV which is also able to offer a comfortable and luxurious driving experience.
We are certainly in the age of EV’s providing a much better driving experience the equivalent ICE vehicles, and the Ioniq 6 may be just the vehicle for fleets that need to cater to sophisticated tastes and distance travel.
