How does one distinguish an EV? From a Chevrolet Bolt to a Porsche Taycan, every EV has instant torque, silent operation, and a lower center of gravity thanks to its low-slung battery pack. Sure, some are faster than others, but the acceleration is always delivered in mostly the same way, no matter what combination of motors and battery packs are utilized. Today, car brands need to work hard to differentiate their EVs from each other, and Hyundai has seemingly chosen to set its latest EV apart using design.
It starts with the exterior. Hyundai bills the Ioniq 6 sedan as an “electrified streamliner.” Head of Hyundai Styling Group Simon Loasby said the idea was to take the streamlining design principles of classic aerodynamically-styled cars such as the Stout Scarab and Saab 92 and apply them to a modern EV.
To this end, the Ioniq 6 wears a flowing single-curve roofline from hood to trunk, and a tapered swallow-tail rear end. The rear end of the car beyond the rear wheels is longer than usual to create cleaner airflow off the rear of the car. The car also utilizes a notably long 2,950-mm wheelbase to make it appear longer and lower than most other EV sedans.
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Photo by Clayton Seams
Aero trickery is everywhere on the outside of the Ioniq 6. At the very front, two active air shutters open to aid battery cooling, or close to guide air into the two subtle vents at each corner of the front bumper. These vents guide air around the front wheels, providing an air curtain that reduces drag on the spinning wheels. There is also a “closer” panel that narrows the gap between the leading edge of the front fender and the tire to improve efficiency. Moving up to the front doors, our test car has two small digital cameras mounted where you’d normally find a reflective mirror. The camera housings can be made smaller than a conventional mirror and this change adds 1.5 km of range per charge, according to the engineers. The vision from the cameras is projected onto two screens on the dashboard inside the car, and their field can be adjusted in all directions just like you’d aim power mirrors.
Moving farther back you’ll see the Ioniq’s unique mid-height rear spoiler located at the base of the rear glass just above the trunk, and ahead of a smaller rear lip spoiler located on the trailing edge of the trunk. The larger mid spoiler acts to generate a low-pressure zone at the rear of the car to aid efficiency and stability. The Ioniq 6 team debated making a motorized spoiler that would deploy out of the bodywork like that on a Porsche Panamera, but this was shelved due to cost, complexity, and packaging. The permanent spoiler forms the center brake light and has little opaque pixels in its clear plastic that light up when you step on the brakes. It’s hard to explain, but the effect is very cool to see in low light.
These tricks culminate in an impressively low coefficient of drag of 0.21. This is far more aerodynamic than the 1980s Hyundai Pony, which managed a 0.41, but it does trail the Tesla Model S with a claimed 0.208; and the Mercedes EQS, with 0.20. Nonetheless, added aero slickness gives the 6 notably more range than the Ioniq 5, despite using the same motors and battery packs.
Pixels are a Hyundai Ioniq design hallmark found on both the boxy 5 and the streamlined 6. You’ll find pixels on the steering wheel, headlights, tail lights, all over the car, really. In total, Hyundai claims there are 726 pixels integrated into the design! Just try and count them. Hyundai stylist Loasby says that these digital building blocks are a perfect motif to express technology to people who first saw pixels decades ago in Pong, or recently in Roblox.
Four pixels light up on the center of the uniquely-shaped two-spoke steering wheel. The lack of a brand badge on the wheel is refreshing and allows you more immersion into the idea you’re driving a car in the Blade Runner universe. The video monitors for the rearview “mirrors” are housed in upturned little kickups on each end of the wide dashboard. Loasby says that principles of mindfulness were utilized in the interior to make it a safe and calming place for drivers and passengers. Customizable two-zone mood lighting with 64 available colors accentuates the cabin, and the light plays wonderful tricks on the thoughtful textures of the interior.
One of my favourite interior touches is the minimalist door panels. The switches for the windows and locks are on the center console, which allows the door panels to be 100-per-cent button-free. There is still storage to be had on the door, with a traditional lower door cubby, but the effect is very striking. That centre console is also wide and flat, designed to easily hold a laptop for someone working from home — or working from Hyundai, to be more precise. There are two large cupholders and the space for wireless phone-charging is well-sorted, not an afterthought like in other cars. You’ll find one USB-A port and three USB-C ports inside the cabin.
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Photo by Clayton Seams
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Photo by Clayton Seams
Infotainment is handled by two large 12-inch screens. One is in front of the driver, and the other is a touchscreen above the center console. The system is capable of using Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but there is no wireless CarPlay, an oversight for a car with wireless charging.
The Ioniq 6 uses the same E-GMP architecture as the Ioniq 5, but with the notable difference of a longer wheelbase on the 6. In Canada, the Ioniq 6 will be available with a standard 53-kWh battery in RWD form; or with an extended-range 77.4-kWh battery in RWD or AWD. The standard-battery RWD is good for 429 km of range, and the longest range possible is the extended-range-battery RWD model with 18-inch wheels, which can go 614 km on a charge. Spec’ing the stylish but less efficient 20-inch wheels will drop that figure 11 per cent, to 545 km. The most expensive variant, the extended-range AWD, can go 583 km on the 18s; or 519 on the 20s.
The test car that we drove was a fully-loaded model with the extended-range battery, AWD, and 20-inch wheels. On the road, the first thing that strikes you about how it drives is how smooth it is. All EVs offer quiet driving and shift-free acceleration, but the Ioniq’s ride is resolved in a way that few EVs are. There’s noticeably less focus on sporty handling than ride comfort, and it shows. The serene ride, quiet cabin, calming mood lighting, and mindful interior design make this a car you can drive without fatigue. Set your seat just so, send your favourite tunes through your phone to the car’s speakers, and just cruise. That’s not to say the Ioniq 6 can’t hustle when it wants to.
2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Photo by Clayton Seams
The range-topping big-battery AWD packs 320 hp and 446 lb-ft of torque, and can zoom to 100 km/h from zero in just 5.1 seconds. The Ioniq 6 also lets drivers choose steering effort, pedal feel, motor power, and driveline mode (you can toggle RWD or AWD) to suit their desired driving style. Like many other EVs, there is optional synthetic sound that plays through the speakers. You can turn it on or off at will, and it sounds like the futuristic spaceship noises most have come to associate with EVs. I was not so enamoured with it, and preferred to drive it with the sound effects off.
Hyundai is a very large corporation but the Ioniq comes off feeling anything but corporate. It feels like the product of a young, nimble, and devoted team, because it is. Anyone can build an EV, and Hyundai could have played it safe with a compliance car. But it chose to go above and beyond, taking risks with the styling and gambling on expensive changes like the longer wheelbase. The detail-oriented nature of Korean design is present everywhere in a hundred little ways. For example, the gas pedal has a plus sign on it, and the brake pedal has a minus sign—a cheeky throwback to the pixelated days of Super Nintendo controllers.
The Ioniq 6 was not built to be a road-burner, and it was not built to bolster the ego and profits of one billionaire. It’s a car designed top to bottom with the user in mind, a refreshingly calm take on an EV. Equally unruffled while slogging through Seoul’s gridlocked traffic or gliding along sinuous mountain roads, the Ioniq 6 is a car you’ll want to drive and keep driving—a car that feels like home.
Canadian pricing has yet to be announced, but we can expect it will be near the Ioniq 5’s, which lists for $47,500 before incentives. The Ioniq 6 will arrive in Canadian showrooms for spring of 2023, and Hyundai says full pricing info will be announced closer to that time.
Keyword: First Drive: 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6