Ioniq PHEV finds hybrid sweet spot
The Hyundai Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid is one part of a three-model lineup launched to give Hyundai’s latest eco-friendly technology a place to live.
Pick your Ioniq: it’s one car with three available defining powertrains. Available are Ioniq Hybrid, Ioniq EV, or Ioniq PHEV, which is the subject of this story. Charging completely optional When fully charged (about seven hours on a standard household outlet, faster with a higher-voltage quick charger), you get up to 47 kilometres of electric driving, at up to 120 kilometres per hour.
Use that range up, and she runs like a typical hybrid until charged again.
With a full tank of gas and a full battery, you’re cruising for hundreds of clicks. No power outlet? No problem. You can plug this one in as often, or infrequently, as you like.
Ioniq PHEV is sort of a halfway point between a hybrid and a full electric vehicle. It’s like an EV if you drive under 47 kilometres between recharging, and a hybrid, after that. Just note that cold weather nukes the 47-kilometre electric range down to about 30 kilometres in the case of my chilly November test-drive.
Regular in a good way
The most important thing to know about the Ioniq PHEV is that, by and large, it’s just a regular little car, and a pretty good one. It’s easy to enter and exit, sufficiently roomy if not spacious for four adults, has a decent cargo hold with nearly flat-folding seatbacks, rides nicely, performs as well or better than most cars its size, and is easy to park.
It has powerful LED headlights, many charging points for mobile gadgets, and many storage cubbies and bins inside.
Feature content in my loaded tester abounded, with heated leather, a punchy upgraded stereo, a sunroof, radar cruise control, Android Auto and more.
Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, the Ioniq PHEV’S cabin is ordinary. Unlike the techy Prius, everything looks, functions and is located as expected.
The drive A few attributes stand out in the driving experience. Ioniq feels heavier and sturdier than its size leads on, with a substantial feel on the highway at speed, and good aversion to being batted around by side winds.
Here, it feels like a heavy car, not a four-wheeled kite. Steering heavies up on the highway, helping the car to clamp into its lane. The ride, even on rougher surfaces, feels durable and robust at almost all times. All said, Ioniq rides and handles and cruises like a bigger, heavier car.
Though the engine doesn’t sound impressed when worked hard, the 195 lb.-ft. of available torque are strong and available at any RPM, thanks to the electric motor. Ioniq feels eager to work from low revs, and passing power is adequate.
First-time PHEV drivers will be thrilled that, mostly, there’s nothing different about driving, living with or operating this machine.
A couple quirks
But there are a few things to be aware of. First, as it tends to go with hybrids, the brake pedal feels numb and sludgy, meaning there’s a little time required to get used to the feeling of the brakes. Second, the throttle is very lazy and syrupy, which makes it easier to drive fuel efficiently, but may frustrate sportier drivers. A sport mode can be engaged to sensitize the throttle pedal, but here, Ioniq feels too touchy and sensitive.
Finally, the climate control system. If you want to be warm, quickly, the only way to do it is to run the gas engine, which takes away from some of the EV magic.
Literally, when you crank the heat, you turn on the engine. Sometimes, this happens on parts
of a drive that would otherwise be tackled using no gas.
With this, and other factors (including mounted winter tires) working against better mileage, I still averaged just 4.3L/100km over the course of a weeklong test, with nightly recharging and some gas-free drives where I bundled up and let the heated seats do the warming, leaving the engine off.
If you drive less than, say, 47 kilometres per day, between recharging you’d virtually never use any fuel.