The Hyundai Ioniq 6 Does 380 Miles Per Charge Thanks to Its Efficient Design
After briefly teasing the world with its slick silhouette, Hyundai has pulled the cover off of the new all-electric Ioniq 6 sedan. Like the Ioniq 5 with which it shares a platform, the new Hyundai Ioniq 6 embraces a bold design language, though one completely different from its sibling. Inspired by the streamliner planes from the turn of the century, the Ioniq 6’s slippery bodywork allows the EV to get to 380 miles per charge on the WLTP cycle. It’s one of the most efficient EVs on the market.
The basis of the Ioniq 6 starts with Hyundai’s Electric-Global Modular Platform. This is the same architecture that underpins the Ioniq 5, with a range of different battery and motor configurations to choose from. The standard battery is a 53-kWh unit, but you can spec a larger 77.4-kWh battery. The Ioniq 6 lineup starts with a single-motor, rear-drive configuration, though a dual-motor, AWD setup is available. Hyundai says the range-topping model with the larger battery and AWD will produce 320 hp and 446 lb-ft, and should complete the 0-62 mph sprint in just 5.1 seconds. Both 18-inch and 20-inch wheel options are slated to be available. The small battery comes with some benefits of its own, as a rear-drive model with that battery and 18-inch wheels will return WLTP-estimated energy consumption under 14 kWh/100 km. (Compare that to the Hummer EV, the standard bearer for an inefficient EV, and it hogs 41 kWh/100 km.) That makes the small battery-equipped Ioniq 6 one of the most efficient electric vehicles available. Like the Ioniq 5, the new Ioniq 6 supports 800-volt ultra-fast charging, and can top up the battery pack from 10 to 80 percent in just 18 minutes at the plug. The 4-dot Interactive Pixel Lights on the steering wheel help drivers keep track of that charging progress. For those looking to get more driving engagement out of their EV, Hyundai has also included the new EV Performance Tune-up settings, which allow a driver to adjust throttle response, steering weight, and motor output individually.
Part of the reason the Ioniq 6 is able to provide much more range than its Ioniq 5 sibling comes down to the styling. More specifically, it comes down to the aerodynamic work that Hyundai’s designers and engineers underwent while crafting the bodywork of this EV. Hyundai says the Ioniq 6 has a drag coefficient of just 0.21. It also can’t hurt that the sleek lines of the new sedan are quite nice to look at, not too different from Mercedes-Benz’s EVs. Part of the resemblance has to come down to the proportions of the Ioniq 6, particularly its stretched wheelbase. The sedan measures 191-inches in total length, with 116-inches separating the EV’s front and rear wheels. Combined with a 74-inch total width and a height of nearly 59-inches, the Ioniq 6 will strike an imposing footprint out on the road. Hyundai’s executive vice president and head of Hyundai design center SangYup Lee said that we can all expect more of these bold designs to come from Hyundai in the EV era. Based on the Ioniq 7 SUV concept Hyundai keeps showing, we’ll take Lee’s word on that.
There are 12 exterior paint options for the Ioniq 6: Gravity Gold Matte, Abyss Black Pearl, Serenity White Pearl, Curated Silver Metallic, Nocturne Gray Metallic, Nocturne Gray Matte, Transmission Blue Pearl, Biophilic Blue Pearl, Ultimate Red Metallic, Digital Green Pearl, Digital Green Matte and Byte Blue.
As beautifully crafted as the exterior of the Ioniq 6 is, Hyundai has placed a ton of emphasis on the interior. The design team talked about the Ioniq 6 acting as a getaway for customers, giving them a spacious and interactive place to work. We don’t like to think of cars as mobile offices, but Hyundai has made a lot of room for the people inside this car. Thanks to the flat-floor provided by the battery pack, the design team was able to maximize passenger space in ways not possible in a traditional internal-combustion vehicle. There are other creative ways that Hyundai found space too, such as sliming down the center console and thinning the EV-specific front seats by 30 percent. That front console is shaped in such a way that a laptop fits perfectly on top, should you choose to work on something once you’ve parked up. Ahead of the center console sits a 12-inch infotainment system, which works in tandem with the 12-inch digital display ahead of the driver. Both Android Auto and Apple Car Play come as standard, as does a route-mapping system with real-time charging information available. Tunes are routed through an eight-speaker Bose premium sound system.
Leaning into the personal retreat vibe, the Ioniq 6’s interior features a rather slick Dual Color Ambient Lighting. Drivers will have the ability to choose between 64 different color options, as well as six pre-configured themes: healing forest, wonderful day, concentration, mind care, meditation, and creative moment. The system also packs a unique Speed Sync Lighting mode, which will see the front seat lighting elements glow brighter as speed increases. The Ioniq 6 brings some trick auditory cues to the party as well, thanks to the e-ASD system. This brings a spaceship-like tone to the interior, which does its best to mimic the rise and fall of a traditional powertrain. It’s no V-12, but it is a step in the right direction as far as I’m concerned. Four interior color options are available to choose from: dark gray with light gray, dark olive green with light gray, black with pale brown and black.
As we’ve come to expect from EVs, the Ioniq 6 will support over-air-update capabilities. Hyundai notes that this will include items such as driver-assistance system and powertrain updates in the future. Speaking of ADAS, the Ioniq 6 packs Hyundai’s Highway Driving Assist 2, Smart Cruise Control, and Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, among others.
Hyundai has yet to release any pricing information for the Ioniq 6, but we do know that the vehicle will enter production during Q3 of 2022. That said, those early production units are slated for the South Korean and select European markets. U.S.-spec models aren’t slated to begin production until the first quarter of 2023. Expect deliveries to begin shortly thereafter.
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