2017 Hyundai Ioniq delivers the unexpected: A good-looking gas-electric hybrid vehicle
In 2011, there were 35 hybrid and electric vehicle models on the market. Today, there are 59, an increase of nearly 41 percent. But the number of such vehicles in the overall market hasn’t risen nearly as much, climbing from a meager 2.25 percent to an equally meager 2.87 percent, a 22 percent increase. Obviously, buyer enthusiasm has been lacking.
So why is Hyundai fielding a new line of hybrid and electric vehicles?
Well, they have no choice. The government is dictating automakers produce them, regardless of whether there’s consumer demand. So much for a free-market economy.
But Hyundai also thinks buyer preferences are changing on their own, noting that millennials will become the largest share of new vehicle buyers by 2020, potentially accounting for 40 percent of the market. This generation is more likely than any to consider alternate fuel vehicles. Throw in environmental trends such as increasing urbanization and awareness of pollution issues, and you have the potential to sell boatloads of fuel efficient vehicles, as long as they’re also fun to drive and don’t cost too much.
Enter they 2017 Hyundai Ioniq, a new dedicated line of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles vying for attention in a very crowded, if small, corner of the market.
Like many of its competitors, the Ioniq is a five-door hatchback. Unlike them, it’s shockingly normal looking. Given most dedicated hybrids usually resemble alien life forms, will buyers find a normal-looking hybrid acceptable? Of course they will; that’s the point.
Underneath the normality is a 1.6-liter direct-injected Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine. In the Ioniq Hybrid, it delivers 104 horsepower and 109 pound-feet of torque. It’s teamed with a 32 kilowatt electric motor that produces 125 pound-feet of torque from a lithium-ion polymer battery
located under the rear seat. Total system output is 139 horsepower, with an EPA rating of 58 mpg in combined city-highway driving.
Choose the Ioniq plug-in hybrid and you also get more than 27 miles of pure electric driving, thanks to a more powerful 45 kW electric motor and a substantially more potent lithium ion battery. Or, you could choose the Ioniq electric, with an estimated driving range of 124 miles. Power is rated at 88 kW, or 118 horsepower, and 218 pound-feet of torque and an EPA rating of 135 mpg-e. Better yet, recharging is fairly quick, restoring the battery to 80 percent capacity in a little over 20 minutes.
Hyundai claims that its Ioniq Hybrid is uncompromised
in driving dynamics, thanks to its use of a dual-clutch transmission, rather the continuously variable automatic transmission typically used in hybrids. In addition, there are Eco, Normal, and Sport driving mode. Opting for Sport eliminates the electric-only mode, allowing the gas engine to run constantly with an assist from the electric motor. The gear ratios also change, and steering effort increases.
Couple this with specially designed Michelin tires, and you won’t get a sports sedan but a hybrid that’s more enjoyable to drive than many of its ilk. Credit the dual clutch transmission, which provides quick, prompt, unobtrusive shifts rather than the sluggish response typical of a CVT. Still, you won’t feel the intense pleasure that you would from driving a great sports car. Instead, you’ll feel relaxed as the refined driveline quietly and efficiently goes about its business. Surprisingly, there’s little regenerative braking as in other hybrids, unexpected given that Hyundai set out to design a hybrid that beats the Prius in fuel efficiency. And while the EPA says that it does, heavy use of sport mode during the test drive prevented reaching that number.
As you’d expect, there’s a bunch of automated safety systems, including automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, blind spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert.
The cabin proved to be pleasingly decorated for the price, and the instrument panel has a logical layout that’s easy to operate at a glance. The cabin is admirably spacious, with good legroom, although rear headroom might be tight for taller passengers.
As you’d expect of a car looking to find favor among millennials, the Ioniq comes with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and wireless charging for smartphones.
Alberto, if it were my car and I’d be spending about 80 hours behind the wheel, far from home, I’d do the timing belt now, along with a thorough inspection of the car, top to bottom.
The more I learn about cars and what can break, the more apprehensive I become when out on the road.
Because your Forester has an interference engine, a timing belt failure would likely result in a messy and expensive collision of valves and pistons. Such an outcome would be particularly unpleasant were it to happen while, say, passing through Louisiana’s Maurepas swamp wildlife area on Interstate 10.
When renewing a Subaru timing belt, it is customary and prudent to install a timing belt kit, which includes the belt, an automatic tensioner, water pump and three idler pulleys. These parts are all necessary for proper belt function, and replacement involves only a bit of additional labor.
You didn’t mention performing other services in addition to the oil changes. Have you renewed the spark
In response to a recent column, I received some helpful follow-up information on fluid analysis from Ed Gellner, a longtime fuel and lube product specialist at Chevron. His comments, edited for length and clarity, focused on my recommendation of comparing drops of new and used transmission fluid on a paper towel. Here’s what he said: The formal name for the analytical technique you describe is “paper chromatography” but it is usually simply called “the blotter spot test.” It’s often used in the lab to get a quick and dirty reading of a fluid’s condition.
The wicking action of the paper fibers separates materials in the fluid based on their specific gravity. The resulting separation should look like a target with concentric rings.
Metals and other heavy materials will be at the bull’s eye. Soot and other lighter materials will separate out in concentric circles. At the outside of the circles, you will find the lightest components like base oil or fuel dilution in engine oil.
The lab uses Whatman filter paper, but a white coffee filter also works well. A white paper towel works in a pinch.
If you do a blotter test and your used oil doesn’t look much different than fresh oil, don’t take a mechanic’s recommendation to have your transmission fluids flushed. He’s probably just looking for his commission.