Will it be petrol or electric?
The BMW 318i and Hyundai Ioniq EV share a $59,990 price and even chassis balance. So which is it? By Paul Owen.
To grille or not to grille, that’s the question facing car buyers with a $60k budget seeking environmentally-responsible personal mobility in a luxuriouslyfinished package.
For it’s the frontal grille, or lack thereof, that visually defines whether a car is powered by explosions or the energy stored in a large resident battery.
Hence the new BMW 318i wears the same twin-kidney grille that has defined its similar combustion-powered brethren as Bavarian-branded cars since 1933. Contrast this to the large silvercoloured shield at the front of the new Hyundai Ioniq EV, which enhances aerodynamic efficiency at some expense to identity.
We’ll soon get used to seeing car fascias that are more shields than shutters if the predicted uptake in electrically-motivated vehicles becomes a reality.
Grille designs aren’t the only way that these two identicallypriced cars differ, but bringing them together in the same road test is an opportunity to put the current buzz about EVs into a New Zealand market context.
For both these cars mark entry points – the Ioniq to an entire sector of humming new electric vehicles; the BMW to the desirable 3-series range.
Both are revolutionary in the way that they have lowered that price of entry to those Kiwi market niches.
That they both cost $59,990 makes this comparison credible, although I suspect few prospective buyers for either would have the other on their shopping list.
But buying one without considering the other could represent a missed opportunity. Each has its value, but do you take the car that is virtually the same as all the others that preceded it, or courageously embrace the future (and the apprehensions that come with it) by opting for the Ioniq?
The Hyundai is arguably the most tempting EV to be released on the NZ market so far. It’s spacious, well made, full of kit, and is 10 grand less than all other brand new EVs. That price differential sure pays for a lot of recharges, and the Ioniq’s ability to travel 200km after each reduces the number of times you need to plug it in. That’s as far as BMW’s own four-door EV, the i3, will roam on a fully-charged battery, but you’ll pay $75,700 for the privilege of owning that more compact carbon-bodied wonder.
There have been sacrifices made to ensure that the Ioniq has the potential to spark up an EV sector that is being held back by the lack of affordability of the new vehicles.
First, it is a variant of the petrol powered Ioniq Hybrid, so shares a body structure and powertrain layout with a conventional frontdrive sedan. That means that it can’t offer the unique maneuverability of the rear-drive i3, which has rightly been crowned the World Urban Car of the Year.
The Ioniq EV also deletes a few of the standard features found on the 318i to get it to squeak under the $60k barrier. You’ll find the heated leather seats and blind-spot monitors of the 318i on the Elite version of the Ioniq EV, which raises the price to $65,990. Still the entry EV is hardly a pauper when it comes to equipment as you still get a sub-woofer enhanced Infinity audio system, radar-equipped cruise control, an 8in touch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and autonomous emergency braking on urban roads.
The EV is a pretty decent drive too, and feels fitter than the 318i when accelerating away from traffic lights.
Out on the open road you tend to adopt an early cruising speed in the interests of battery charge conservation, but there’s no delay in accessing overtaking performance, and the silent running is a boon to long-distance comfort.
But it’s on rural roads where all the advantages of the more conventionally-powered 318i come home to roost. Stuffing a threecylinder 1.5 Mini engine into a rear-drive 3-series has not only reduced the use of fuel, it has also created one of the sweeteststeering Beemers ever. Ride quality and grip are huge wins for the 3-series over the Ioniq when the cars are at open road pace. The Bridgestone Potenzas of the 318i live up to their sporty reputation by better securing the car to the road than the low-resistance Michelins fitted to the EV.
And you get a fine eight-speed automatic gearbox with the 318i where the EV has none. This means the BMW can extract the best that the 100kW/220Nm engine can offer, extending the performance over a wider range of speeds and keeping fuel use to a minimum.
Any serious comparison of these two would be decided on the comfort and quality of the cabins – in the BMW’s favour.
The central screen might be smaller than the one fitted to other Threes, and the controller downsized to match, but you still instantly know that you’re driving a car wearing a patrician luxury brand. There’s the more supportive seats complete with heaters, the better trimmings, and a sports driving mode for when you’re feeling frisky. No radarguided cruise though.
Electric vehicles must be judged by the conventional cars that you buy for similar outlay, and at this price position the Ioniq EV can’t match the 318i for either the luxuriousness of the driving experience, or the pleasure that it imparts.